Myanmar cyclone

AP: France wants the U.N. Security Council to press Myanmar's military rulers to allow international aid into the country after a devastating cyclone, the foreign minister said Wednesday.

A massive international aid effort has been kept on hold by Myanmar's military rulers since the cyclone hit this weekend, killing more than 22,000 people and leaving an estimated 1 million homeless. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Myanmar's government to speed up the arrival of aid workers and relief supplies.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told reporters in Paris, "It must be checked whether the government could be forced to let the necessary aid into the country."

"It's too early to say whether a common position of the international community would be possible," Kouchner said. But he added, "The United Nations has to prove its determination."

A French diplomatic official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of office policy, said there would be discussions on exactly what form the measure might take. Possibilities include a resolution or a declaration from the Security Council's president, the diplomat said.

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