WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has decided to support the creation of a United Nations commission to look into alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Myanmar.

A White House official said in a statement this morning that it believes the commission could advance the cause of human rights in Myanmar, also known as Burma, by "addressing issues of accountability for responsible senior members of the Burmese regime."

By supporting the U.N. inquiry, the Obama administration is committing itself to backing an investigation of the military junta led since 1992 by Senior Gen. Than Shwe.

Than Shwe's loyalists overturned election results in 1990 that favored the political party of Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi, who was named a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, remains under house arrest.

Myanmar will have elections Nov. 7, the first in two decades, but critics say they are a sham designed to perpetuate the military's commanding role in politics.

By The Associated Press