English Transcript

Last Updated 16/05/2008 16:22:00

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is to convene an emergency summit with Burma's Asian neighbours on how to get more aid into the cyclone devastated country

Stephanie Kennedy reports from London

UN figures suggest as many as 2 and half million people have been severely affected by the cyclone The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the United Nations Secretary General told him he will now now hold an emergency summit to work out how to get aid to those in need And we will stop at nothing in trying to pressure the regime into doing what any regime should have done long ago and that is in the interest of the people of the country and their safety and security allow in the aid to reach them Mr Brown says there should be nothing to stop supplies getting through to Burma's people Stephanie Kennedy ABC News London
DUR: 0:40

********** The Association of South East Asian Nations has been criticised for being too slow to respond to the emergency in cyclone hit Burma

ASEAN has been accused of failing to offer a regional aid package or putting pressure on the military junta to give access to foreign relief workers

Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan has hit back at his critics, saying ASEAN will lead an international Coalition of Mercy to provide aid to Burma

But aid agencies say the offer comes 13-days after the cyclone struck

Former ASEAN chief Rodolfo Severino has defended the grouping, saying ASEAN is limited in what it can offer

Singapore and Thailand were among the first - both ASEAN members - among the first to respond Vietnam has raised an amount of money Indonesia I think, also sent in a few 130 cargo planes But ASEAN has itself no assets to deliver It's the member states that have to respond