First aircraft carrying UN aid given clearance to enter Myanmar

Yangon: The first major international aircraft carrying aid for thousands of cyclone victims has been given clearance to enter Myanmar by the country's isolationist regime on Thursday.

A UN official said one airplane from Italy arrived in Yangon while three more would land later on Thursday.

Four planes loaded with high-energy biscuits, medicine, and other supplies had waited for the last two days while frustrated UN officials negotiated with the military regime to allow the material into the Southeast Asian nation.

Myanmar appealed for international assistance after Cyclone Nargis ravaged the country on Saturday, but the traditionally weary military government has since delayed issuing visas to relief workers as thousands fight for dwindling food and water resources.

The military government was not allowing US military planes to fly in critical relief goods and stalling on visas for UN teams urgently seeking entry to insure aid is delivered to the victims.

Thailand's US ambassador said US and Thai authorities earlier believed they had Myanmar had approved the landing of US military planes, but Myanmar officials later clarified that this was not the case.

A UN spokesman in Bangkok said between 30 and 40 visas requested by various UN agencies and private relief groups are pending with the Myanmar government.

A WFP spokesman said the delay in acquiring clearance for the UN aircraft was “specially frustrating''.

London-based human rights group, Amnesty International, earlier said some donors were delaying aid for fear it would be siphoned off to the army.

WFP's regional director said they will be taking efforts to make sure aid goes to the right people.