The World Bank has agreed to give funding to a team that is working to
assess the impact of Cyclone Nargis on Burma's devastated Irrawaddy
Delta region.
More than $850,000 will go directly to an
Association of Southeast Asian Nations emergency assessment team to
help it coordinate with Burma's military leaders on providing relief.
The funds will also be used to train ASEAN technical staff in damage
and loss assessment.
The World Bank has refused to provide
direct aid or loans to Burma because its military government has made
no payments on outstanding debts since 1998. Burma has also failed to
enact economic and other reforms.
Burmese authorities have
allowed only a limited number of foreign aid workers into the country
and have barred most from entering areas hit hardest by the cyclone.
Cyclone Nargis killed 78,000 people and left 56,000 others missing.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.