By Patrick Worsnip
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (Reuters) - Myanmar's junta agreed onFriday to admit foreign aid workers of all nationalities to thedelta area worst hit by Cyclone Nargis, in what the U.N. calleda breakthrough for aiding survivors.
Western disaster experts, largely kept out of the IrrawaddyDelta and restricted to the former capital Yangon, welcomed thenews but wanted more details on the deal struck by U.N.Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and junta supremo Than Shwe.
"The general said he saw no reason why that should nothappen ... as long as they were genuine humanitarian workersand it was clear what they were going to be doing," a U.N.official with Ban said.
Asked whether the agreement on relief experts was abreakthrough, Ban replied: "Yes, I think so. He has agreed toallow all aid workers regardless of nationalities."
The U.N. chief said he hoped the agreement "can produceresults quickly. Implementation is the key."
Disaster experts say that unless the generals open theirdoors, thousands more people in the Irrawaddy Delta could dieof hunger and disease, adding to the nearly 134,000 reportedkilled or missing in Cyclone Nargis, which struck three weeksago.
European Union humanitarian commissioner Louis Michelexpressed relief at the news.
"It is now clear that our joint diplomatic efforts havedelivered concrete results," he said in a statement.
"We have no more time to lose, so it's imperative that theMyanmar authorities immediately provide the internationalcommunity with the practical details of the agreement. The realwork of providing life-saving assistance starts now."
'NO' TO FRENCH AND U.S. SHIPS
The reclusive junta has accepted relief flights into Yangonfrom many countries, including the United States, its fiercestcritic. But it has rejected offers of French and American navalvessels delivering aid.
U.N. officials said the ships were "a very sensitive ideafor them -- any suggestion they should dock".
French President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned the refusal tolet the navy ship Mistral enter Myanmar territorial waters.
"I profoundly regret this decision. Once again the juntahas made the wrong choice," Sarkozy said during a visit toAngola. He said France was still studying ways to deliver theaid, possibly by helicopter or via the nearest Thai port.
The United States said it would not keep its navy shipswaiting indefinitely for the generals' permission.
"We're going to continue to try to encourage them...We'restill hopeful," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
"But at some point -- we're talking, you know, days, maybeweeks, not months -- if the position of the Burmese governmentdoesn't change, then eventually we will have to make a decisionto reallocate those Naval assets."
"PRETTY SHARP"
On a mission to help 2.4 million left destitute by thecyclone, U.N. chief Ban and his aides met Senior General ThanShwe for more than two hours in the remote new capital ofNaypyidaw, 250 miles (390 km) north of Yangon.
Ban was accompanied by reporters from international media,a rare concession from the junta, which is under tougherWestern sanctions for cracking down on pro-democracy protestslast year.
For the meeting with the top U.N. diplomat, 75-year-oldThan Shwe wore his habitual dark green shirt, open at the neck,laden with medals and decorations befitting a man who has spent55 years in the former Burma's all-powerful army.
"We got the impression that the man in control is prettysharp," one U.N. official said.
When his aides suggested that maybe too many concessionswere being made, Than Shwe butted in: "I don't see a problem."
Than Shwe said Myanmar was open to receiving reliefsupplies and equipment from civil ships and small boats. Bansaid he had also agreed to allow the airport in Yangon to beused as a logistical hub for distribution of aid, which isstill only trickling in.
World Vision, one of the few charities operating in Yangon,said any concessions from the junta were welcome, howeversmall.
"Any positive noises are better than nothing," spokesmanJames East said in the Thai capital, Bangkok. "We arecautiously optimistic. The critical thing is access to thedelta."
Ban saw the extent of the disaster for himself on Thursday,flying in a helicopter over flooded rice fields and destroyedhomes in the delta, the former "rice bowl of Asia" that borethe brunt of the storm and its 12 foot (3.5 metre) sea surge.
Ban will attend a joint U.N. and Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN) donor-pledging conference in Yangon onSunday. However, ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan saidcountries would be reluctant to commit money until they areallowed in to assess the damage for themselves.
(Additional reporting by Emmanuel Jarry, Andrew Gray inWashington, Ed Cropley in Bangkok; Writing by Grant McCool andMark Trevelyan)
