153452,05/12/2008 13:26,08NEWDELHI1296,Embassy New Delhi, CONFIDENTIAL,, "VZCZCXRO1814 OO RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHLH RUEHPW DE RUEHNE #1296 1331326 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 121326Z MAY 08 FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1696 INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6897 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4938 RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 2665 RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON 1252 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5643 RHMFISS/11AF ELMENDORF AFB AK RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DC RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 6389 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 7722 RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL","C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 001296
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/12/2018
TAGS: EAID, PREL, PGOV, BM, IN
SUBJECT: BURMESE FM TELLS MUKHERJEE ALL COUNTRIES CAN SEND AID DIRECTLY, BUT NOT DISTRIBUTE IT
Classified By: PolCouns Ted Osius for Reasons 1.4 (B,D)
(C) External Affairs Minister (EAM) Pranab Mukherjee, following up on his promise to the Secretary to use Indian influence with the Burmese government to allow international aid to reach the victims of Cyclone Nargis, spoke on May 12 with his Burmese counterpart, Foreign Minister (FM) Nyan Win, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Joint Secretary for Americas Gaitri Kumar. Kumar told PolCouns May 12 that Mukherjee told FM Nyan Win India was willing to transport aid from the international community to Burma, if this would be more palatable to the Government of Burma(GOB). FM Nyan Win replied that Burma was now allowing countries to give aid directly, and that any country was welcome to approach the GOB to provide disaster relief, Kumar recounted. Furthermore, FM Nyan Win stated that the GOB would allow airplanes bringing aid from any country to land in Yangon, said Kumar. Kumar reported that, though Burma was now ready to accept disaster relief supplies, FM Nyan Win said to Mukherjee that the GOB was still not willing to allow foreigners into the country to distribute aid. Asked if EAM Mukherjee had discussed modalities for working with the U.S. and other international donors to bring aid to Burma, Kumar replied that the foreign ministers ""did not go into the dynamics"" of the operation. PolCouns pointed out that the U.S. Navy currently had ships in the region which were equipped specifically for disaster relief.
MULFORD
