Before departing for cyclone-stricken Burma Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he hopes to meet with government officials, neighboring leaders and relief coordinators to plan the way forward out of this crisis. Meanwhile, John Holmes, U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs met Tuesday with Prime Minister Thein Sein and several other officials.
联合国秘书长潘基文星期一在前往受强热带风暴袭击的缅甸之前说，他希望会见缅甸政府官员、缅甸邻国领导人以及赈灾协调人员，制定出解决这场危机的方法。
Mr. Ban said Burma is at a critical point. There is a functioning relief program in place, but it is reaching only a quarter of the people in need. He said he hopes improved U.N. and ASEAN coordination with the authorities in Burma (also known as Myanmar) will help scale up relief efforts quickly.
联合国秘书长潘基文说，缅甸处于一个关键时刻。缅甸有一个正在运行的赈灾项目，但是这个项目只能把救援物资运送给四分之一需要援助的灾民。他说，他希望得到改善的联合国和东盟同缅甸当局的协调有助于扩大赈灾工作。
"My aim in going to Myanmar is to first of all, to demonstrate my sympathy to the people and government at this time of crisis and challenge, and to see for myself the situation on the ground, particularly in areas most affected by the disaster, unprecedented in Myanmar's history," he said.
潘基文说：“我去缅甸的首要目的是在缅甸面临危机和挑战的时刻，表示我对缅甸人民和缅甸政府的同情。这场灾难是缅甸历史上从未有过的，我要到缅甸现场，尤其是要到受灾最严重的地区去看看情况。”
The secretary-general said the devastation to the country is estimated at over $10 billion and that other factors, such as a not being able to plant the next harvest, could compound the crisis even further. The cyclone has already claimed over 78,000 lives.
潘基文说，据估计，这场灾难给缅甸带来的损失有100多亿美元。而且，无法播种下个季度的粮食作物等其它一些因素也会进一步加剧这场危机。据称这场灾难已经造成缅甸7万8千多人丧生。
"In this sense, the economic effects of the natural disaster that has struck Myanmar could be more severe and longer lasting than the 2004 tsunami," he noted.
潘基文说：“从这个意义上说，这场自然灾害给缅甸造成的经济影响可能会比2004年的海啸造成的影响更严重，持续的时间会更长。”
Mr. Ban will be in Burma on Thursday and Friday. He plans to travel to some of the hardest hit areas, including the Irrawaddy Delta. He will go to Thailand on Saturday to meet with leaders there, then return to Yangon on Sunday to attend a joint U.N.-ASEAN international pledge conference for the cyclone victims.
潘基文将于星期四和星期五访问缅甸。他计划前往一些重灾区，包括伊落瓦底三角洲地区。他将于星期六抵达泰国，与泰国领导人举行会晤，然后于星期天返回仰光，出席联合国和东盟共同为强热带风暴受害者举办的国际捐赠大会。
The U.N. chief says he hopes to meet Burma's Senior General Than Shwe and other top government officials. He welcomed what he called the military regime's "recent flexibility" in deciding to allow Asian aid workers under ASEAN auspices into the country to oversee aid supplies and distribution, and said he believes similar moves will follow.
联合国秘书长潘基文说，他希望会见缅甸的丹瑞大将和其他高级政府官员。缅甸军政权最近决定允许东盟派出的亚洲救援工作人员进入缅甸，监督援助物资分发，潘基文对缅甸军政府这种“灵活性”表示欢迎。他说，他认为缅甸军政府还会采取类似的措施。
Diplomats, attending meetings at the U.N. in New York this week, welcomed Mr. Ban's trip.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Zalmay Khalilzad, said that for the secretary-general's trip to be successful he must focus on winning access for experts and supplies.
French Minister for Human Rights, Rama Yade, echoed that, saying she hopes after Mr. Ban's visit, there will be better access to the victims.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Sunday's international donor's conference is a landmark event that must produce real outcomes that will deliver aid to the people on the ground whose humanitarian situation is growing worse. |