China View 2008-05-21
UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is heading to Myanmar on Tuesday for a visit that will focus on reinforcing disaster relief efforts in the cyclone-hit country.
"This is a critical moment for Myanmar," Ban told reporters before departing for the airport. "We have a functioning relief program in place but, so far, have been able to reach only about 25 percent of Myanmar's people in need."
He said he will demonstrate his sympathy to the people and government during the visit, and see for himself the situation on the ground, particularly in areas most affected by the disaster.
The secretary-general said he will also meet with UN staff, nongovernmental organizations and aid workers in Yangon.
"My role and the role of the UN, working closely with ASEAN (The Association of South East Asian Nations) and the government of Myanmar, will be to ensure that all these efforts are well-coordinated and as effective as they can be under these difficult circumstances," Ban said. "I will do my utmost for the people of Myanmar."
"I want to see the conditions under which relief teams are working and I intend to do all I can to reinforce their efforts in coordination with the Myanmar's authorities and international aid agencies," he said.
Ban welcomed the government's recent flexibility, citing its agreement to allowing ASEAN aid workers to begin distributing international aid supplies and its permission allowing the United Nations to operate nine World Food Program helicopters.
Ban will arrive in Yangon, Myanmar, early Thursday morning and is set to tour the Irrawaddy delta area, the part of the country most affected by the cyclone.
On Sunday, the secretary-general will participate in a pledging conference in Yangon, which is to be cosponsored by the United Nations and ASEAN to raise funds for the aid effort from international donors.
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