France wants to distribute aid to the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta directly or through NGOs but will not do so without government permission, a foreign ministry source said today.
Myanmar's reclusive military government is accepting aid from the outside world, including the United Nations (UN), but has made clear it will not allow in the foreign logistics teams needed to transport the aid into the inundated delta.
As many as 100,000 people are feared to have perished in the cyclone, which "severely affected" 1.5 million people according to UN estimates. Aid workers say survivors urgently need food, water and medication or thousands more will die.
France is loading a naval ship moored in India, the Mistral, with 1,500 tonnes of rice and medical supplies and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has said he wanted the Mistral's crew or NGOs already in Myanmar to give out the aid.
Speaking to clarify Minister Kouchner's comments, the ministry source said France did not intend to send the Mistral into Myanmar's territorial waters and start distributing aid without permission from the junta.
"As long as the Security Council has not authorised countries to intervene directly in Burma, our aid will require explicit or implicit approval from the authorities," said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
France has suggested invoking a little-used "responsibility to protect" concept to deliver aid to Myanmar without government approval.
But its bid to have the UN Security Council adopt its idea was rebuffed on Wednesday by China, Vietnam, South Africa and Russia. France has said it would keep trying to persuade other Security Council members to back the plan.
"We are trying to reconcile the responsibility to protect with respect for international law and for Burma's sovereignty," the foreign ministry source said.
France wants the aid carried by the Mistral to be distributed either by the ship's crew, or by the staff of NGOs already on the ground, or by UN teams, the source said.
Minister Kouchner said in an interview published in French newspaper Le Figaro yesterday that France would not consider entrusting aid to the Myanmar authorities.
"It is out of the question for us to provide aid directly to the junta, even if it accepts it. We will use our own channels, which is probably better than parachuting food in," Minister Kouchner was quoted as saying.
He said the Mistral's crew could use flat-bottomed boats or helicopters to distribute the supplies. The Mistral could reach Burma by the middle of the coming week.
Asked whether France risked offending China, one of the countries closest to the junta, Minister Kouchner said that was not the intention but the tragic situation required a strong stance from the international community.
"The Security Council is a place for negotiations. We do not want to offend China or anyone else. I knew negotiations would not be easy... But we cannot back down, what is at stake is the survival of millions of people," he said.