PRC REQUESTED TO HELP EASE BURMESE RESTRICTIONS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 002128 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS -- AARON COPE E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/2018 TAGS: EAID PHUM PREL CH SUBJECT: PRC REQUESTED TO HELP EASE BURMESE RESTRICTIONS ON CYCLONE AID REF: STATE 59122 Classified By: Deputy Political Section Chief Ben Moeling. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) PolOff on June 3 delivered to MFA International Organizations and Conferences Department UN Division Deputy Director Sun Xiaobo and MFA Asian Department Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam Division Deputy Director Chen Chen reftel points on the U.S. Government's concern over the Burmese regime's restrictions on international aid to the victims of Cyclone Nargis and the forcible return of storm victims to devastated communities. PolOff thanked Sun and Chen for China's previous approaches to the Burmese Government and urged China to press Burmese leaders further to fulfill commitments to provide full access to bona fide international aid workers made during the visit of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. ¶2. (C) Sun and Chen promised to relay U.S. views to senior MFA officials. Sun noted that China's view is that, though some bureaucratic problems may remain, Burma is making great progress on implementing its commitments to allow access for relief workers. Burma has now granted "dozens" of visas and taken other steps to provide access. Sun, who attended the May 25 UN-ASEAN Pledging Conference in Rangoon, said that during (unspecified) meetings on the margins of the Pledging Conference, NGO leaders indicated that access issues have been largely resolved. Sun said China's view is that the international community should applaud the Burmese regime for progress rather than simply criticize mistakes. Such an approach will be more conducive to building necessary trust, Sun said. ¶3. (C) PolOff replied that the U.S. view of the situation in Burma is quite different from China's. PolOff noted that access to the Irrawaddy Delta, the area hardest hit by the cyclone, is still severely restricted. The UN estimates that less than half of the roughly 2.5 million victims have received humanitarian assistance. Moreover, credible reports indicate that storm victims in temporary shelters are being forced to return to devastated communities, putting them at renewed risk of disease and starvation. PolOff reiterated our strong hope that China can again urge the Burmese Government to cooperate fully with international relief efforts and cease forced returns. Neither Chen nor Sun replied directly to the last point, but Sun noted that the Trilateral Core Group has been established to coordinate relief work and said the United States might find it useful to pursue its concerns through that group. PICCUTA