Norway remained concerned Monday over slow efforts to assist the victims of the devastating cyclone that hit Myanmar in early May, according to DPA. Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said getting relief to Myanmar was a "huge challenge", adding that putting pressure on the military rulers was probably not a successful approach saying he favoured drawing on support and help from neighbouring governments. On the Myanmar government's refusal to allow relief shipments, Store said he could recall only a few comparable responses, but noted how North Korea had also opposed international relief offers after famine struck the country a few years ago, Norwegian news agency NTB reported. "Otherwise, all my experience is that governments allow relief after such disasters. The Myanmar government is challenging a fundamental UN principle to protect your own population," said Store, a former head of the Norwegian Red Cross.
