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SINGAPORE - Myanmar agreed Monday to let Southeast Asian neighbours send medical teams and coordinate international aid for its cyclone victims, estimating damage from the disaster at over 10 billion US dollars.
"The foreign ministers have agreed to establish an ASEAN-led coordinating mechanism," George Yeo said after an emergency meeting with his Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) counterparts, including Myanmar's Nyan Win.
Fast Facts
For a start, the Myanmar government has agreed to accept the immediate despatch of medical teams from all the ASEAN countries," said a statement issued by Yeo after the half-day talks in a Singapore luxury hotel.
The 10-member ASEAN will work with the United Nations to hold an "international pledging conference" in Myanmar's main city, Yangon, on May 25 to pool together aid for the victims, said the minister, who chairs the meeting.
Singapore convened the ASEAN ministers more than two weeks after Cyclone Nargis hit southern Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta region, leaving at least 133,000 people dead or missing.
Aid organisations fear many cyclone survivors face food shortages and outbreaks of disease because of the military junta's refusal to let foreign teams distribute relief goods and provide emergency services.
While apparently convincing Myanmar to drop its resistance to large-scale foreign aid, the regional bloc also warned donors that "international assistance given to Myanmar, given through ASEAN, should not be politicised."
"On that basis, Myanmar will accept international assistance," Yeo's statement said.
Asked about Myanmar's estimate of cyclone damage, Yeo said the Myanmar foreign minister told the meeting it was "well over 10 billion US dollars".
Singapore currently holds the rotating chair of ASEAN, which has been criticised for its delayed reaction to various regional crises and failure to force Myanmar's ruling generals to respect human rights and promote democracy.
The announcements in Singapore came amid mounting global pressure for the regime to accept major levels of assistance for disaster survivors.
The UN's top disaster official, John Holmes, arrived in Myanmar on Sunday carrying a letter to the head of the military, Than Shwe, from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who plans to visit Myanmar this week.
The United Nations said 2.4 million people were critically short of aid 17 days after the tragedy struck, and relief agencies warned that the most vulnerable survivors will start dying soon unless they get the help they need.
- AFP /ls
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