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UN head tours cyclone-hit Burma UN head tours cyclone-hit Burma
(about 2 hours later)
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in cyclone-hit Burma to tour the devastated Irrawaddy Delta and meet military ruler Gen Than Shwe. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has toured Burma's cyclone-hit Irrawaddy Delta, and called on the military government to accept more foreign aid.
Mr Ban hopes to persuade the government to accept more aid for cyclone victims. Mr Ban, the only foreign leader to visit the area, said he was "very upset" by the devastation he had seen.
UN officials say Burma's PM Thein Sein told Mr Ban the relief phase was ending and reconstruction would now begin. He told the government the disaster was beyond Burma's ability to handle on its own, a UN official at the talks said.
But a BBC correspondent travelling with Mr Ban says the UN secretary general is in Burma to say more people need to be helped by international aid workers. The country's ruling generals have blocked large-scale foreign assistance since Cyclone Nargis struck on 2 May.
Mr Ban was flown by helicopter to a tidy camp with very few people in it and brand new tents, some of which were empty. About 78,000 people have died and another 56,000 are missing.
He denied his visit being used by the junta to give a misleading picture of the crisis in the country, which is also known as Myanmar. Tidy camp
He said: "I say now what I have said before: issues of assistance and aid in Myanmar should not be politicised. Our focus now is on saving lives." Mr Ban was taken on a four-hour helicopter trip over Burma's flooded rice plain.
'Drinking from puddles' The BBC's Laura Trevelyan, who is travelling with him, said the aircraft touched down at a tidy camp with few people in it and brand new tents - some of which were empty.
Our correspondent Laura Trevelyan says Mr Ban is concerned that aid is only reaching a quarter of those in need.
Eyewitness: 'Obliterated villages'Cyclone victims' tales seep throughIn pictures: Burma's plightEyewitness: 'Obliterated villages'Cyclone victims' tales seep throughIn pictures: Burma's plight
One foreign doctor told the BBC many were drinking water from puddles, while children and old people were suffering from dysentery, dengue fever and dehydration. A UN official privately called it a "show camp", our correspondent says.
Burma's rulers have blocked large-scale international assistance since Cyclone Nargis struck on 2 May, leaving 78,000 dead and another 56,000 missing. But Mr Ban denied his visit was being used by the junta to give a misleading picture of the crisis in Burma - also called Myanmar.
Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their homes and the UN says that fewer than a quarter of the 2.4 million people affected have received aid. The issue of aid "should not be politicised", he said. "Our focus now is on saving lives."
The generals have agreed that some UN helicopters can join the aid effort, but British, French and American naval vessels are still standing by off the Irrawaddy Delta, having been refused access to the area. Before embarking on the tour, he told reporters: "I praise the will, resilience and the courage of the people of Myanmar. I bring a message of hope."
The first of 10 helicopters to be sent by the UN's World Food Programme arrived in Burma on Thursday, the AFP news agency reports, and will be used to ferry supplies to remote areas. 'Drinking from puddles'
Earlier, in a meeting with Prime Minister Thein Sein, Mr Ban stressed international aid experts should be rushed in, according to the UN official at the talks.
"The United Nations and all the international community stand ready to help to overcome the tragedy," Mr Ban is quoted as saying.
But Burmese officials told Mr Ban in private meetings that the relief phase was ending and reconstruction would now begin.
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Prior to meeting with Burma's Prime Minister, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visits RangoonPrior to meeting with Burma's Prime Minister, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visits Rangoon
Before heading to the delta region, Mr Ban told officials in Rangoon he had brought a "message of hope". Our correspondent says Mr Ban is concerned that aid is only reaching a quarter of those in need.
He made an offering for cyclone victims at the Shwedagon Pagoda, the holiest Buddhist shrine in Burma. One foreign doctor told the BBC many were drinking water from puddles, while children and old people were suffering from dysentery, dengue fever and dehydration.
The secretary general also held a short meeting with the prime minister and signed a book of condolences. The generals have agreed that some UN helicopters can join the aid effort, but British, French and American naval vessels are still standing by off the Irrawaddy Delta, having been refused access to the area.
Frustration
The first of 10 helicopters to be sent by the UN's World Food Programme arrived in Burma on Thursday, and will be used to ferry supplies to remote areas.
Click here for a map of the delta
The government has also agreed to allow in more foreign aid workers from its Asian neighbours.
On Friday, Mr Ban will fly to the nation's remote capital, Nay Pyi Daw, for talks with Burma's leader, Than Shwe. He has previously been unwilling to speak to the UN head.On Friday, Mr Ban will fly to the nation's remote capital, Nay Pyi Daw, for talks with Burma's leader, Than Shwe. He has previously been unwilling to speak to the UN head.
Mr Ban will also attend a donor conference in Burma's commercial capital, Rangoon, on Sunday.Mr Ban will also attend a donor conference in Burma's commercial capital, Rangoon, on Sunday.
His visit follows that of the UN humanitarian co-ordinator John Holmes.His visit follows that of the UN humanitarian co-ordinator John Holmes.
Mr Holmes has described his negotiations with the Burmese government as painful and frustrating, and said a lot was riding on Mr Ban's meeting with the Burmese leadership. Mr Holmes has described his negotiations with the Burmese government as frustrating, and said a lot was riding on Mr Ban's meeting with the Burmese leadership.
Click here for a map of the delta
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda added his voice on Thursday to the chorus of calls for Burma's leaders to accept foreign help.Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda added his voice on Thursday to the chorus of calls for Burma's leaders to accept foreign help.
"I strongly hope that... Myanmar [Burma] will accept openly the international community's goodwill and engage in disaster relief and reconstruction in partnership with the international community," he said, quoted by AFP. "I strongly hope that... Myanmar [Burma] will accept openly the international community's goodwill," he said.
Meanwhile, members of the European Parliament passed a non-binding resolution calling for Burma's military leaders to be brought before an international court in The Hague "if they continue to prevent aid from reaching those in danger".
There are signs that the generals are feeling pressure to do more for their people, says a BBC correspondent in Burma who cannot be named for security reasons.
As well as allowing World Food Programme helicopters to deliver aid, the government has agreed to allow in more foreign aid workers from its neighbours in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
In a sign of frustrations being felt within Burma, some students have threatened strikes and protests if more help is not accepted from wherever it is offered, says our correspondent.
Another man told our correspondent: "Whether the military government gives permission or not, we want the US and French to help us."
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