Geneva:  The United Nations will need to continue its emergency operations for the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar for the foreseeable future, the global body said today.

The assessment contrasts with that of the military-led government in Myanmar. Junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe said earlier this week that the government is moving into the reconstruction phase more than two weeks after the May 2-3 disaster.

Out of 2.4 million people affected by the storm, only 500,000 have so far received international aid, said Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Some 1.4 million people need urgent assistance and aid workers have yet to reach some remote areas in the badly hit Irrawaddy River delta, she said.

"There are still urgent needs for a part of the population," Byrs told reporters in Geneva. "So far the emergency phase continues for the UN."

Foreign UN staff in Myanmar are still prevented from moving freely outside the country's main city, Yangon, Byrs said. But local staff have been allowed access to eight government-run distribution centers outside the city and further progress in getting aid to the needy is expected in the coming days, she said.

"We hope to see a scaling-up of the operation in the near future," Byrs said, noting that the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will create a task force to redistribute foreign aid in Myanmar.

Source : PTI