Junta relents, US plane to land with aid

The military junta in Myanmar has finally agreed to accept US help & allowed a US cargo aircraft to land with aid.

The governing military junta in Myanmar has agreed to allow a single US cargo aircraft to bring in relief supplies for victims of a devastating cyclone, Bush administration officials said on Friday.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the United States welcomed the go-ahead to land a US military C-130 in the country on Monday. He said he hopes this is the beginning of continued aid flowing into Myanmar from the United States and other nations and international relief agencies.

Earlier on Friday, Ky Luu, director of the US office of foreign disaster assistance, had said that skilled aid workers were being forced to sit on the sidelines as victims of last week’s cyclone die.

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His comments reflect mounting frustration among the United States and other countries as they wait for permission from the military-led government to begin trying to help.

Said Johndroe: “We will continue to work with the government of Burma to allow other assistance. We hope that this is the beginning of a long line of assistance from the United States to Burma.” Myanmar is also known as Burma.

Johndroe also said that while the US still has limited leeway to help, “One flight is much better than no flights.” “They’re going to need our help for a long time,” Johndroe said. He spoke in Crawford, Texas, where President Bush’s daughter, Jenna, will be wed on Saturday.

The breakthrough came after days of waiting on the US side. It is not yet known what supplies will be included. US aircraft have been positioned in Thailand and elsewhere nearby waiting for permission to transport supplies to the cyclone-devastated country.