The European Union's top aid official will try to see first hand the extent of damage from Cyclone Nargis while discussing the matter of access to the region for international relief workers.
EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel was expected to arrive in Burma for a two-day visit from Brussels.
The details of his visit were still being worked out, but he was hoping to arrive in Rangoon late Wednesday and stay until Friday, said John Clancy, Michel's spokesman.
"The hope is that he can meet with various key members of the authorities of Myanmar [Burma]," Clancy, told Mizzima.
Michel would like to meet with humanitarian workers, whether from the UN or international organizations.
"He would like, if possible … to travel to the worst-hit areas so he can actually witnesses for himself the level of destruction and also assess with his own eyes the needs that are required for the people who have been so devastated by the cyclone," Clancy said.
Burmese authorities have blocked foreign staff from visiting the hardest-hit regions in the Irrawaddy Delta and are still refusing visas for international aid workers, with a few exceptions.
Clancy said Michel's key message is "a spirit of open dialogue with the Myanmar [Burmese] authorities to try and ensure access."
Harn Yawnghwe, director of the European Office for the Development of Democracy in Burma, said, "They need to make sure aid can reach the hands of the right people from the right places. This is the way of the EU."
The EU has donated more than 2 million Euros for cyclone survivors. More than 1.5 million people have been affected by the cyclone, with the death toll likely to top 100,000, according to aid agencies.
"The most important thing for every donor is not to mix aid with the political issue," Harn Yawnghwe said. That is the only way to build trust with the junta.
"The EU wants to show the Burmese government their humanitarian aid is pure and not political, and they really want to help people," Harn Yawnghwe said.
Harn Yawnghwe said it was important for aid workers to visit hard-hit areas to assess the amount of money and type of aid that is actually needed.
Commissioner Michel said in a statement on Sunday: "The commission is ready to give more, but the funds won't be of much use without professional delivery on the ground."
Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej visited top generals Wednesday in Naypyitaw in a bid to convince the military to allow in outside aid workers.
