ment's slow delivery of aid to some 1.5 million victims of the recent Cyclone Nargis. "Today is the eleventh day since ... Nargis hit Myanmar," Ban told reporters. "I want to register my deep concern –– and immense frustration –– at the unacceptably slow response to this grave humanitarian crisis."
In his most critical comments on the Myanmar crisis to date, Ban also said that despite repeated attempts to contact Myanmar's senior general, Than Shwe, he had been unable to speak with him and had sent him a letter on Monday.
"We are at a critical point," he said. "Unless more aid gets into the country very quickly, we face an outbreak of infectious diseases that could dwarf today's crisis."
"I therefore call, in the most strenuous terms, on the government of Myanmar to put its people's lives first. It must do all that it can to prevent this disaster from becoming even more serious."
U.N. humanitarian affairs chief John Holmes told reporters the problem with visas for U.N. relief officials had improved somewhat. He said a total of 34 Myanmar visas were being granted to U.N. aid workers, though more would be needed. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau, editing by Sandra Maler)
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