Washington
09 May 2008
Burma's military government has agreed to allow a single U.S. cargo plane to deliver relief supplies for victims of Saturday's killer cyclone. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Burmese officials say the storm killed nearly 23,000 people and it is feared the number could go higher.
Burmese authorities are still blocking a U.S. disaster response team from visiting areas hardest hit by the storm. Burma is refusing to give foreign aid workers visas, insisting that its own nationals distribute foreign relief supplies.
That delay has sparked international criticism of the country's rulers as relief officials estimate hundreds of thousands of people are waiting for assistance.
The U.N. World Food Program says it will resume aid flights Saturday even after Burmese authorities impounded two earlier shipments of food and equipment.
The United Nations is expected to issue an appeal for more than $100 million in emergency food and relief aid for Burma.