Door opens a little for aid into Myanmar

The suspension had been announced after Myanmarese officials, determined to distribute supplies on their own, had impounded the shipments intended to feed survivors of Cyclone Nargis.

The junta also agreed to allow a single US cargo aircraft to bring in relief supplies, US officials said on Friday.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the US welcomed the go-ahead to land a US military C-130 in the country on Monday. He said he hopes this is the beginning of continued aid flowing into the country.

Nancy E. Roman, communications director of the UN’s World Food Programme, said, “The World Food Programme has decided to send in two relief flights as planned tomorrow, while discussions continue with the Government of Myanmar on the distribution of the food that was flown in today, and not released to WFP.”

The official toll remains at nearly 23,000, with 42,119 people missing, making Nargis the worst cyclone to hit Asia since 1991 when 143,000 people were killed in Bangladesh. State media have not updated the number of casualties since Tuesday.

The impounded shipments contained 38 tonnes of high-energy biscuits, enough to feed 95,000 people. They were meant to be loaded on trucks and sent to the inundated Irrawaddy delta where most of the estimated 1.5 million cyclone victims need food, water and shelter.

Governments around the world have pressed Myanmar’s ruling generals to open the country’s borders to desperately-needed assistance, and on Friday Germany said it agreed with a proposal by France to use the U.N. Security Council.

The Myanmar Government has stated its preference through the state-run media to accept “relief in cash and kind” but not foreign aid workers, many of whom are waiting for visas in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

Later on Friday, state-run TV broadcast that a senior foreign ministry official told a US diplomat it would not turn away assistance.

“Myanmar’s stance is that it will accept all aid regardless of the country,” Kyaw Thu, a second minister at the Foreign Ministry told U.S. charge d’affairs Shari Villarosa, who...