Jan 22, 2009 (DVB), Pro-democracy leaders in Burma have said they expect United States policy on Burma to stay the same under president Barack Obama, who was inaugurated on Tuesday.

National League for Democracy spokesperson Nyan Win said he did not expect any shift in policy towards Burma, though he thought he approach might differ.

"We are now watching what is going to happen next rather than expecting anything in particular," Nyan Win said.

"We are sure that the basic policy of the United States to support human rights and democracy in Burma will remain the same," he said.

"As Mr Obama has been promising change since his presidential campaign, we assume his way of approaching things will be different. We will have to wait and see."

Aye Thar Aung, secretary of the Committee Representing the People's Parliament and leader of the Arakan League for Democracy, said he did not expect significant change in Burma without strong efforts from inside the country.

"We are not getting our hopes up on this, but we do believe that the United States will, as usual, keep up its moral support for countries under dictatorships even though we don’t think there will be a significant change in Burma," he said.

"A change in Burma depends on the effort put in by political organisations and ethnic groups in our country."

Reporting by Htet Aung Kyaw