United Nations Radio

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon may send the UN emergency relief coordinator to Myanmar. ~~

Mr. Ban told journalists following a meeting he called on Wednesday with major donors and other member states that he was considering sending John Holmes, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs with a World Food Programme plane containing humanitarian supplies in the coming days.

The Secretary-General said participants at the meeting, which lasted several hours, expressed concern that the international community's commitment to provide assistance to Myanmar not be "politicized". They agreed on the need to work together, in particular with the ASEAN countries, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and with the cooperation of the government of Myanmar. The Secretary-General said several specific proposals made at the meeting - including designating a UN/ASEAN joint humanitarian coordinator, establishing a logistical hub outside Myanmar, and holding a high-level pledging conference - would likely be discussed at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting to be held on the 19th of this month.

Diane Bailey, United Nations Radio