UNITED NATIONS — France has sent an uninvited ship loaded with aid to the international waters off Myanmar, causing the U.N. ambassador from the Southeast Asian nation on Friday to accuse the French of dispatching a "warship."
The international community's desire to assist survivors of the cyclone that hit Myanmar two weeks ago has clashed with the military leadership's insistence on controlling the distribution of aid.
The government, which raised the official death toll to 78,000 on Friday, wants to be seen as the benefactor of its people and regards outsiders with suspicion.
However, diplomats will be allowed today to tour the disaster area for the first time, Myanmar announced Friday.
Last week, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner called Myanmar's refusal to allow foreign teams to aid the estimated 2.5 million survivors of Tropical Cyclone Nargis a crime against humanity. He said the world had to fulfill its "responsibility to protect" the victims -- with or without the government's permission.
U.S. officials have also considered making unauthorized airdrops or sending flotillas of supplies, but held off after United Nations officials said it was better to work on widening cooperation with the Myanmar regime rather than risk the little access that aid workers have now.
The confrontation over the French ship came in the General Assembly after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported that the world body had made no progress in winning more access to the ravaged delta after two weeks of repeated phone calls, letters and negotiations. U.N. emergency coordinator John Holmes will travel to Myanmar, also known as Burma, on Sunday with Ban's third letter urging cooperation.
French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert said he spoke up after Ban's remarks because he was "a little bit surprised" that the United Nations was not pushing harder.
"I was interrupted after my first sentence by the ambassador of Myanmar, who denounced the fact that France was sending a warship to Burma," Ripert told reporters. "It's not true."
Ripert said the vessel is operated by the French navy, but is not a warship. It is carrying 1,500 tons of food and medicine, and has small boats that could deliver the aid to inaccessible areas, he said. It also has small helicopters as well as doctors standing by to help.
