Brussels, 16/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - Louis Michel, European Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, was due to leave Burma/Myanmar during the evening of Friday 16 May without having obtained the junta's authorisation to go to the Irrawaddy delta (in the south-west of the country), a visit he had hoped to make on Friday. He did, however, have the satisfaction of having done everything in his power to seek to convince the Burmese authorities to open up the country's borders to international aid in the interest of the population that is desperately trying to survive and in respect of international humanitarian law. At the time of going to press, the commissioner, who has received authorisation to go to the delta on 17 May albeit too late in the day to actually go there, was hoping to be able to meet the prime minister and the minister for foreign affairs. In any case, half-way through his 48-hour mission, Louis Michel - who is a keen supporter of “optimism in action” - refused to give up all hope of having his message heard. He will closely follow up responses to the five requests that he had made with the minister of social affairs and economic planning (extension of visas for ECHO collaborators, the Commission's humanitarian aid service; the confirmation of authorisations for local humanitarian personnel; the granting of six-month visas for NGOs implementing projects financed by the European Commission; swifter processing of visa requests; the authorisation of free movement of humanitarian players; and the opening of the Pathein airport to allow easier access for aid to the most devastated areas). Speaking on the Belgian radio on the morning of 16 May, Louis Michel said he had obtained visa extension for personnel of the European Commission. For the remainder, he reserves judgement for now, saying: “I shall follow up responses in real time as they come in”. He specified he had informed the Burmese authorities that he would contact them again by telephone next week.
Energetically refuting the idea defended by some that going to Burma/Myanmar was tantamount to supporting the junta, Louis Michel pointed out that humanitarian aid had a duty to remain neutral. “As European Development and Humanitarian aid commissioner, I cannot run the risk of having on my conscience the fact that I have not done everything possible to help the disaster-struck populations. I have no other consideration today than that of helping the populations in distress. There are two million people at least who are affected by this disaster and it is still not known whether there are 70,000 or 200,000 dead. Figures put forward by the representatives of the international community are far closer to 200,000 than to 75,000. But that is not the issue. What must be done now is to try and save all the lives that can still be saved. And it is not by remaining snug and cosy in an office in Brussels that one can do any good”. (A.N.)