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50 Nations To Organize Myanmar Relief

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The Associated Press

Published: May 25, 2008

YANGON, Myanmar - The U.N. secretary-general flew to Myanmar today to steer a 50-nation conference that will pledge funding for survivors of Cyclone Nargis after the country's military junta promised to open its doors to critically needed foreign help.

Three weeks after the cyclone struck, frustrated foreign aid workers were ratcheting up preparations to finally go into the Irrawaddy delta with food, drinking water, medicine and other relief.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who had wrested the open door agreement from the ruling generals, was flying early today to Yangon from Bangkok, Thailand, to attend the conference of some 50 countries along with U.N. and non-governmental aid agencies.

After weeks of stubbornly refusing assistance, Myanmar's ruling generals have told the United Nations they are now willing to allow workers of all nationalities to help survivors of the storm that left about 78,000 people dead and another 56,000 missing.

The ability to assess the situation will be critical in securing pledges from foreign governments, and the junta's about-face was seen as a concession to get more aid when the potential donor nations meet in Yangon, Myanmar's biggest city.

The conference today is being sponsored by the United Nations and the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is taking the lead in organizing the delivery of aid to Myanmar, one of its members.

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan, calling it a "Coalition of Mercy," said he thinks donors will show their goodwill, but added that they would be unlikely to honor pledges if the junta failed to follow through on its promises for international access.

"I want to be optimistic, but I'm skeptical," Lionel Rosenblatt, president emeritus of U.S.-based Refugees International said. "The devil is going to be in the implementation."

The United Nations has launched an emergency appeal for $201 million. That figure will likely increase.

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