Updated

Myanmar President Thein Sein and commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing will jointly meet opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the first time Friday, less than two weeks before the arrival of President Barack Obama and other world leaders.

After winning international praise for helping steer the country from dictatorship to democracy, Thein Sein's nominally civilian government is facing mounting criticism that early political reforms and peace talks with ethnic rebels have stalled.

A participant who insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the meeting said Wednesday that it would be held in the capital, Naypyitaw.

Critics said it would be little more than window dressing — an attempt to show participants at the upcoming East Asian Summit that political dialogue is continuing.