Laura Bush: Cyclone aid available

WASHINGTON, May 5 (UPI) -- The United States is ready to provide aid to cyclone-devastated Myanmar, provided the military junta accepts the offer, first lady Laura Bush said Monday.

"The U.S. has offered financial assistance through our embassy. We'll work with the U.N. and other international non-governmental organizations to provide water, sanitation, food and shelter," Bush said during rare White House news conference by a first lady.

A U.S. assistance team and supplies are available for Myanmar "as soon as the Burmese government accepts our offer," she said of the military junta running the country formerly known as Burma.

Thousands of people died and thousands more were left homeless after a cyclone struck the country Saturday.

Bush criticized the Myanmar government for its human rights abuses and actions prior to the cyclone making landfall.

"It's troubling that many of the Burmese people learned of this impending disaster only when foreign outlets such as Radio Free Asia and Voice of America sounded the alarm," Bush said. "Although they were aware of the threat, Burma's state-run media failed to issue a timely warning to citizens in the storm's path."

The Burmese government should accept assistance from the the United States and the international community, she said.