France has ordered two naval ships to be ready to go to Burma to deliver humanitarian aid in the wake of a devastating cyclone.
Both vessels are currently taking part in humanitarian exercises with the Indian navy.
If a green light is given by Burma's military regime, the ships would promptly break away from the exercises and deliver large quantities of drinking water to cyclone victims.
Meanwhile, aid has begun to trickle into Burma for the estimated one million victims of Cyclone Nargis.
The death toll has risen to nearly 23,000 and expected to go higher.
With the inundated Irrawaddy delta virtually cut off and frustration growing among aid agencies and governments to deliver supplies, France suggested invoking a UN responsibility to protect clause without waiting for military approval.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the idea was being discussed at the United Nations.
State radio and TV in Burma, also known as Myanmar, reported an updated death toll of 22,980 with 42,119 missing and 1,383 injured.
Experts say Burma's ruling military must overcome their distrust of the outside world and open up to a full-scale international relief operation.
European Parliament president Hans-Geert Poettering urged the junta to give access to international aid and to postpone a controversial constitutional referendum on Saturday.
Aid officials say the survivors most at risk are those left homeless in the Irrawaddy delta, where diseases such as malaria are endemic.
They have warned there is also a risk of cholera.
