U.S. Navy Waiting for Junta's Permission to Deliver Burma Aid

The United States is prepared to step up deliveries of relief supplies to Burma from Navy ships off the coast of the cyclone-ravaged nation but cannot wait much longer for permission from Burma's military rulers, the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific said today.

Adm. Timothy J. Keating, who heads the U.S. Pacific Command, told reporters at the Pentagon that sailors and Marines aboard the USS Essex and three other Navy ships in the Bay of Bengal are "desperate to provide help" but are growing increasingly frustrated by the Burmese junta's refusal to accept aid from U.S. and other foreign naval vessels.

Keating said the ships could remain in position for only a matter of days before they must move on to other missions if they are not allowed to help. He said that he had not heard of a reported proposal to have Burmese vessels come out to the Essex to receive relief supplies, but that "certainly we'd consider that." If the Burmese were to propose such a solution, he said, "I would think we'd look favorably on that."

However, a senior Philippine relief official and political leader, Sen. Richard J. Gordon, said he would be "very surprised if that happened." Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, headed that nation's delegation to an international pledging conference held Sunday in Rangoon.

Burmese authorities made clear at the conference that they did not want foreign military personnel providing aid, particularly those from Western countries, Gordon said in a telephone interview from Manila.

"They won't let the military in," he said. "They were very emphatic about that."

But Burmese authorities have allowed at least 70 relief flights into Rangoon by U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo planes in the past two weeks, Keating told Pentagon reporters today.

"We're moving five C-130 loads a day," and the flights are continuing, the Pacific Command chief said. So far, U.S. aircraft have flown in 1.4 million pounds of supplies, including material carried on behalf of nongovernmental organizations and United Nations agencies, Keating said.

He said distribution of the supplies is being handled to some degree by private aid groups and to a larger extent by the Burmese military.

"Do I know where they're going? I do not," Keating said. But he added, "We have reasonable confidence, but not 100 percent confidence," that the relief supplies are going to the civilians who most need them. He said he has "no information" that the Burmese military is hoarding high-value gear such as mosquito netting and plastic sheeting needed for shelter.

"There's a certain amount of faith that it's getting downrange" to destitute Burmese in the devastated Irrawaddy Delta region, Keating said. Civilian relief workers who have been to the delta "say some of it is getting there," he said.

Tropical Cyclone Nargis hammered the low-lying delta area on May 2 and 3 with 120 mph sustained winds, torrential rains and a 12-foot storm surge. The disaster left more than 134,000 people dead or missing, and foreign relief officials have warned that thousands more could die of disease or famine unless the Burmese government opens its doors to more help.

When Keating and other U.S. officials flew into Rangoon on May 11 with the first American planeload of supplies, he said, he informed Burmese authorities that the United States was capable of moving 250,000 pounds of supplies a day by helicopter to the disaster zone.

"I assured our Burmese colleagues that we would do this without fingerprint," he said. That is, the operation would be "entirely self-sufficient," there would be no need for fuel, food, lodging or other provisions, and U.S. personnel could come in at first light and leave the country in the evening if necessary, he said. He also invited the Burmese to put military or civilian officials on U.S. planes or helicopters and to observe operations aboard the Essex, a 40,500-ton amphibious assault ship that can carry as many as 36 helicopters.

Keating said he assured the Burmese that "we had no military intentions" in Burma and that once the relief operation was completed, "we will leave [and] you will not know we were here." Burmese officials said they understood but could not give approval and had to take the proposals to higher authorities. Since then, however, there has been no indication of any intention by the ruling junta to allow in greater quantities of U.S. relief.

"All it would take is a yes, and significant material would be going ashore in an hour," Keating said. He said there is still a need for relief supplies, including food, water and shelter, and that the United States could help to a much greater extent if asked.

"We believe there is still a mission for us," he said.

In contrast, Keating said, China has been responsive to U.S. offers of help in the wake of the earthquake that struck Sichuan province two weeks ago, leaving more than 88,000 people dead or missing. Chinese authorities have been much more open about the disaster and more receptive to foreign help than in the past, he said.

The admiral said there has been a "night-and-day difference" between the Burmese and Chinese governments' attitudes toward foreign relief efforts. By William Branigin - Washington Post Staff Writer