Myanmar President on Landmark U.S. Visit Monday

The White House said it will welcome Myanmar's leader on a landmark visit on Monday in a symbolic reward by President Barack Obama to encourage reforms in the longtime pariah state.

President Thein Sein, a former general who surprised even many critics by ushering in democratic changes, will be the first leader from the country formerly known as Burma to visit Washington since 1966.

The trip, which was reported by Agence France Presse earlier this month, comes despite concerns over intense communal violence and a looming cyclone that is expected to hit an area where thousands remain homeless from the unrest.

The White House said that Obama would ask Thein Sein how the United States can help in the "many remaining challenges to efforts to develop democracy, address communal and ethnic tensions and bring economic opportunity."

"President Thein Sein's visit underscores President Obama's commitment to supporting and assisting those governments that make the important decision to embrace reform," the White House said in a statement Wednesday.

The visit also "highlights the dedication of the United States to helping the Burmese people realize the full potential of their extraordinary country," it said.

The statement referred to Thein Sein as the president of Myanmar -- not the usual U.S. government usage of Burma. The country's leaders have long advocated the use of Myanmar instead of the old colonial name, which is preferred by many exiles and by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The trip follows Obama's own visit to Myanmar in November. The Obama administration has suspended most sanctions on Myanmar as part of a diplomatic drive it launched in 2009 to provide incentives for reforms.