The State Department said Thursday Burma has granted a visa to the head of the U.S. assessment team assigned for duty in that country's cyclone disaster. But other members of the U.S. Agency for International Development - USAID - team continue to stand by in Bangkok as they have since shortly after the May 3 storm.
美国国务院星期四表示，美国国际开发署缅甸热带风暴灾难评估小组的负责人已经得到缅甸政府的入境签证。但是，国际开发署的其他成员继续在泰国曼谷等候。5月3号强热带风暴后，他们很快就到了曼谷。
Officials here say Burmese authorities granted a visa to USAID disaster expert William Berger for a two-day government-conducted tour Thursday and Friday of the country's hard-hit Irrawaddy Delta region.
美国国务院官员说，缅甸当局已经签发给美国国际开发署灾难评估专家威廉.伯格入境签证，由缅甸政府安排，于星期四和星期五前往受灾最严重的伊洛瓦底江三角洲地区。
However, they caution that the move does not appear to indicate that the military government is prepared to admit the several other members of Berger's disaster assessment team who have been waiting to enter for more than two weeks.
但是，国务院官员警告说，这项举动并不表示缅甸军政府准备准许伯格的灾难评估小组其他成员入境。这个灾难评估小组等候进入缅甸灾区已经超过两个星期。
The Bush administration has pressed Burma to admit the USAID team for a first-hand appraisal of needs and logistics in the cyclone-ravaged area, and says that without a report from the experts it cannot make an informed decision on further U.S. contributions.
布什政府一直对缅甸施压，要求准许美国国际开发署小组对灾区的需要和补给做第一手评估。布什政府表示，如果没有这些专家的评估，美国就无法进一步做出可靠的救灾决定。
At a press briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said Berger was chosen to be the U.S. representative on the tour, instead of a member of the American embassy staff in Rangoon, because of his expertise:
国务院副发言人凯西在记者会上说，选择伯格、而不是美国驻仰光大使馆成员做评估小组负责人，是因为他的专业知识。
"The rest of the team hasn't been given visas and he's not been given permission to conduct his own assessment or the kind of things he'd do as team leader," he said. "He's just the person that will be representing the U.S. government on this tour for foreign governments that the regime is sponsoring."
凯西说：“评估小组的其他成员还没有得到签证，而伯格本人也没有获准去进行他自己的评估，或者去做他身为评估小组组长应当做的事。他只是缅甸政府为外国政府所组织的一次考察中的美国代表而已。”
"We thought it was important though to have him be the representative rather than someone else from the [U.S.] mission simply because it will at least give someone with real expertise at least some kind of overview of some of the area and what's going on," he added.
“但我们还是认为让伯格、而不是美国大使馆其他人员作为代表进入灾区是很重要的，因为这至少能让一位真正有专业知识的人对灾区至少能够有一些总体观察。”
Under normal circumstances, a U.S. assessment team precedes large-scale American aid in a disaster zone, coordinating deliveries and assuring that items provided actually reach those in need.
正常情况下，美国的评估队伍都是先进入灾区，然后才开始大规模的美国援助，协调救灾工作，并确保救灾物资确实送到需要者手上。
Despite the lack of direct access, and press reports of some diversion of supplies, the United States is continuing an airlift of basic relief items to Rangoon.
尽管不能直接进入灾区，而且有新闻报导说，一些救援物资被挪作他用，但美国还是继续向仰光空运基本的救灾物品。
Spokesman Casey said U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo planes made five flights Thursday carrying bottled water, plastic sheeting, mosquito netting and other items.
国务院发言人凯西说，美国空军c-130运输机星期四飞了五个架次，为缅甸送去瓶装水，塑胶布，蚊帐，和其他物品。
He said in three of the flights, the supplies were handed over directly to non-governmental groups - the preferred procedure in the absence of U.S. personnel on the ground.
凯西说，其中三个架次的救灾物品被直接交给非政府组织， 这是在没有美国救灾人员在场的情况下，比较好的一种作法。
Casey said the U.S. charge d'affaires in Rangoon, Shari Villarosa, will be the U.S. representative Sunday at the donors conference there organized by the United Nations and ASEAN to be attended by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
凯西说，美国驻仰光代办维拉罗萨星期天将代表美国参加在仰光由联合国和东盟举办的捐助国会议。联合国秘书长潘基文也将参加这次会议。 |