SINGAPORE - A WEEKEND summit involving US President Barack Obama and the premier of military-ruled Myanmar will be a 'breakthrough' in ties between Southeast Asia and the United States, Singapore said on Tuesday.

'The US has decided that its Asean policy will not be determined by its policy towards Myanmar,' Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

'It's a breakthrough because previous attempts at hosting a summit meeting were prevented because of the Myanmar issue.'

Mr Yeo was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of annual meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in Singapore, culminating in a weekend summit of 21 Apec leaders including Obama.

After the Apec summit concludes on Sunday, Asean's 10 leaders, including Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein, are scheduled to hold an unprecedented meeting with the US president.

In previous years, hopes for a US-Asean leaders' summit have foundered on Washington's refusal to sit down with members of Myanmar's junta because of their suppression of Aung San Suu Kyi's democracy movement. But the US administration last week sent senior officials to the isolated state in a bid to promote a new dialogue after years of shunning the junta. -- AFP