UN official sees Burma progress

Only a quarter of the 2.4m affected have received help, the UN says A senior UN official says there are fragile signs that Burma's co-operation with the international aid effort for victims of Cyclone Nargis is improving. Kathleen Cravero of the UN Development Programme told the BBC that visas had become more easily available and access to affected areas was getting better. But she said more was needed and said the UN would continue to monitor the Burmese government's stance. On Sunday, international donors pledged nearly $50m (£25m) to help relief work. The amount was only a fraction of the $11bn sought by the Burmese government. Some donors said the money depended on foreign aid workers being allowed into the Irrawaddy Delta disaster zone. At least 78,000 people have died as a result of the cyclone that struck three weeks ago. More than 50,000 people are still missing. At the weekend, Burma held a second round of voting on its military-backed constitution, after the 10 May referendum was delayed in some regions because of the cyclone. According to state media, the overall result showed nearly 93% of people endorsed the constitution. Critics claim the vote was rigged, and are angry it was held at all amid such a huge disaster. 'Encouraging' Late last week, Burma's top leader Gen Than Shwe told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that "all" aid workers would now be allowed into the country. Click here for a map of the delta Reporter's diary Will Burma keep its word on aid? Burmese anger at junta Send us your comments Correspondents say it appears to be a significant breakthrough, but that the coming week will clarify whether or not it is genuine. Speaking from Rangoon, Ms Cravero told the BBC that since the top-level meeting, the situation had improved somewhat. "In the last few days the visa situation has greatly opened up and access to the affected areas has begun to open up. So if we can call that fragile but concrete evidence, that's been encouraging," she said. "But of course it has to open up much more, both in terms of getting the right experts in and getting those experts to the areas where it counts." The UN believes only a quarter of those needing aid - up to 2.4 million people - have received it. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is Aid agencies say expert personnel and specialist equipment are desperately needed in the worst-hit regions. Speaking after the donor conference on Sunday, Mr Ban said he hoped Burma's leaders were now facing up to the scale of the problem. "I'm cautiously optimistic that this could be a turning point for Myanmar (Burma) to be more flexible, more practical, and face the reality as it is on the ground," he told the BBC. But Burma is still unwilling to accept aid from foreign naval vessels waiting off its coast. A French ship, Le Mistral, is now heading for Thailand so that its cargo of aid can be delivered via the World Food Programme (WFP). French officials said they were "particularly shocked" by Burma's failure to allow them to deliver the aid directly.