((updates US Burma 2nd UPD from 7/11; new lede & graf 2, edits grafs 3,4)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to meet with Burmese President Thein Sein later this week on the heels of an announcement that the United States has formally lifted economic sanctions against the southeast Asian nation.

A senior State Department official told VOA the talks will take place Friday on the sidelines of a conference in Cambodia. Clinton met with the president in December during a landmark trip to Burma.

The United States ended the sanctions Wednesday, allowing American companies to invest in Burma for the first time in 15 years.

The White House says the move, first announced in May, comes in response to “important economic and political reforms” by Burma's nominally civilian government.