U.S. and European officials say they have been invited to send teams to observe Burma's April 1 by-elections.

Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon confirmed the invitation to wire agencies in the city Wednesday — a day after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations said it had received a similar invitation.

The invitations mark a reversal from controversial elections in 2010, which brought to power a government dominated by close allies of the former military government. However the new administration has introduced a series of reforms, including permitting the opposition National League for Democracy and its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to participate in the by-elections.

A U.S. official in Rangoon said the latest invitations have been extended to the United States and the European Union. He said the invitation provides for some journalists to visit as well, but did not say how many people would be allowed to come.

On Tuesday, ASEAN officials said the group had been invited to send a five-member team and that each of its 10 member countries would be permitted to send a separate team of two legislators and three media representatives.

The U.S. official was quoted as saying the United States is encouraged by the latest move, but called for the government to address reports of irregularities in the voting process and allegations of intimidation.

Several countries have said the April 1 elections will be a crucial test of the Burmese government's commitment to reform.