NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron made on Friday an historic visit to Myanmar where he plans to tell its president he is ready to urge an easing of European sanctions if convinced of the former general’s reform credentials.

In the first visit to Myanmar by a Western leader in decades, Cameron will meet Nobel laureate and newly elected parliamentarian Aung San Suu Kyi and President Thein Sein, a former junta heavyweight who has ushered in sweeping changes in the long-isolated, army-dominated country.

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (Reuters) – Prime Minister David Cameron made on Friday an historic visit to Myanmar where he plans to tell its president he is ready to urge an easing of European sanctions if convinced of the former general’s reform credentials.

In the first visit to Myanmar by a Western leader in decades, Cameron will meet Nobel laureate and newly elected parliamentarian Aung San Suu Kyi and President Thein Sein, a former junta heavyweight who has ushered in sweeping changes in the long-isolated, army-dominated country.

By Mohammed Abbas

(Reuters) – Prime Minister David Cameron will push for more reforms during a landmark visit to Myanmar on Friday, the first by a major Western leader in 50 years as countries jockey for business and influence in the long-isolated state.

Cameron will meet opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who in 2010 emerged from 15 years of house arrest to go on to score a stunning April 1 by-election victory, and President Thein Sein, whose reforms in military-dominated Myanmar have startled those who for decades viewed the country as a pariah state.

By Mohammed Abbas

(Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron will push for more reforms during a landmark visit to Myanmar on Friday, the first by a major Western leader in 50 years as countries jockey for business and influence in the long-isolated state.

Cameron will meet opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who in 2010 emerged from 15 years of house arrest to go on to score a stunning April 1 by-election victory, and President Thein Sein, whose reforms in military-dominated Myanmar have startled those who for decades viewed the country as a pariah state.

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s respect for democracy and minority religious groups should serve as an example for other Muslim nations, British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a speech to be delivered on Thursday.

In Jakarta, capital of the world’s most populous Muslim nation, Cameron will call on groups such as Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, which has a conservative vision of Islam, to look to Indonesia’s for tips on nation building following the Arab Spring that toppled long-time Middle Eastern autocrats.

JAKARTA (Reuters) – JAKARTA, April 11 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s flag carrier Garuda signed a deal for 11 Airbus passenger jets on Wednesday during a visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron aimed at boosting trade and investment.

The purchase of the A330 jets, worth about $2.5 billion and powered by UK-supplied Rolls-Royce (RR.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) engines, reflects the growing consumer demand that is attracting political leaders and financiers to court southeast Asia’s largest economy.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Britain and Japan said on Tuesday they have agreed to jointly develop and build defense equipment, the first time since World War Two that Japan has concluded a weapons-building deal with a country other than the United States.

The announcement came at the start of a tour of Japan and southeast Asia by British Prime Minister David Cameron aimed at boosting trade ties with the region.

TOKYO (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron began on Tuesday a tour of Japan and Southeast Asia vowing to explore opportunities the region offers to bolster Britain’s sluggish economy by boosting trade and investment ties.

Hours before Cameron’s plane touched down in Tokyo, Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co said it would spend $200 million to build a new hatchback at its British plant.

TOKYO, April 10 (Reuters) – Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor
Co on Tuesday said it will spend $200 million to build
a new hatchback at its UK plant as British Prime Minister David
Cameron began a tour of Japan and Southeast Asia aimed at
boosting trade and investment ties.

The investment, announced hours before Cameron’s plane
touched down at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, underscored the business
focus of his trip.

LONDON, April 10 (Reuters) – Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor
Co said on Tuesday it will invest $200 million to build
a new hatchback in Britain as British Prime Minister David
Cameron began a tour of Japan and Southeast Asia aimed at
boosting trade and investment links.

The new car, which does not yet have a name, will create 225
jobs at Nissan’s Sunderland factory in northern England and 900
more at component companies supplying Nissan in Britain.
Production is due to start in 2014.