Shouldn't we be more concerned with OURS?

US sharply skeptical of Myanmar constitution

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The White House on Friday expressed frustration at the pace of aid flows into Myanmar after devastating Cyclone Nargis and said the ruling junta's new constitution lacks legitimacy.

"We have not thought the constitution nor the process was legitimate," spokeswoman Dana Perino said after the junta announced that the blueprint had been "confirmed and enacted" in a referendum shortly after the killer storm.

Perino charged that the charter would only serve to entrench military rule and sideline democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and added: "We hope they take steps to treat their people well and get on the path to freedom and democracy."

Earlier, Perino had dismissed the document, declaring "I don't think that the junta's constitution holds a lot of water," and stressing that Washington remains more interested in getting aid to survivors of the May 2-3 storm that left 133,000 dead or missing.

The junta's response to the crisis "continues to frustrate not just the United States, but other countries, and certainly the non-governmental organizations that are trying to get in there," she said.

Myanmar's ruling junta lashed out at foreign aid donors Friday, saying cyclone victims did not need supplies of "chocolate bars" and could instead survive by eating frogs and fish.

The New Light of Myanmar newspaper, a government mouthpiece, also warned that foreign relief workers could snoop inside homes, and condemned donors for linking aid money to full access to the hardest-hit regions in the Irrawaddy Delta.

Despite the harsh statements in official media, aid agencies say they have had some success in receiving visas and securing access to the delta, which bore the brunt of the devastation.