WASHINGTON — Welcoming the Burmese government's decision to allow international observers during upcoming by-elections, the United States on Wednesday called the move a good first step that still falls short of complete international transparency.

“This is a good first step. Burma hasn’t allowed international observation before, but it does fall short of international complete transparency on an election,” the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, told reporters at her daily news conference. “We hope that they’ll continue to keep the system open, and open it further.”

Burma, she said, has invited the United States to send two election representatives and three journalists to observe on election day, April 1. The Burmese government has also invited other countries, including those from Europe and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

“This is a welcome first step. When the Secretary [of State, Hillary Clinton] was there, she encouraged the Burmese government, and we have with every visit since, to open the system to international observation, as other Asean countries do and is done around the world,” she said.

However, she noted the US would have liked to have more international observers for this important by-election.

“A full-scale international observation effort would typically include quite a bit of pre-election day observation, systematic coverage on election day, post-election follow-up and professional monitors from nongovernmental organizations,” she said, giving an inkling of US expectations.

But, she added, the US would grab this opportunity to send election observers and would coordinate with other countries and groups like Asean to make their efforts more effective.

“We will obviously take up this opportunity to monitor. We will coordinate with Asean and other observers to try to maximize the impact that our observers can have, but we would obviously encourage the Burmese government to try to bring this monitoring effort as closely as they can to international standards,” she said, adding that no decision has been taken yet on who to send as election observers.

The US is also seeking clarification from the Burmese government on the three journalists that they would like to have for the election coverage.

“Our embassy in Rangoon is talking to the Burmese about who might want to come and about how visas might be apportioned,” Nuland said.