Myanmar rejects foreign Navy ships delivering aid

Yangon: Foreign Navy ships delivering aid are still barred in Myanmar, where a constitutional referendum was held on Saturday in the Irrawaddy Delta and Yangon.

Junta supremo Than Shwe assured visiting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday that Myanmar would allow in aid experts "of all nationalities".

However, it rejected offers of US, French and British Navy ships delivering supplies, UN officials said.

"We have no more time to lose, so it's imperative that the Myanmar authorities immediately provide the international community with the practical details of the agreement," said European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel.

The Myanmar junta said the military vessels were "a very sensitive idea for them—any suggestion they should dock".

French President Nicolas Sarkozy condemned the refusal, while the United States said it would not keep its ships waiting off the coast indefinitely for Myanmar's permission.

"We're going to continue to try to encourage them ... We're still hopeful," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

Meanwhile, voting has started in Yangon, but officials said many residents had voted in advance, including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest.

The plebiscite on the army-drafted constitution was held in the rest of the country on May 10 with a 92.4 per cent approval.