WASHINGTON — The U.S. is saying Myanmar should reform its constitution to allow its citizens a free choice over who should be its next president, but Myanmar is pushing back.

A Myanmar parliamentary committee last week voted against changing a constitutional clause that bars opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president. National elections are due in 2015.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said enabling the Myanmar people to freely choose who they want to lead them in the next phase of its democratic transition will help to ensure stability.

But a Myanmar presidential spokesman (Ye Htut) said Tuesday it's the responsibility of Myanmar's parliament and people to decide how the constitution should be amended. He said, "It is not the concern of the United States."