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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