The UN has opened a relief staging post at an airport in Bangkok to help speed up the cyclone aid effort in neighbouring Burma.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was on hand to open the hub just a day after talks with Burma's junta leader Than Shwe, which he said led to an agreement to let foreign aid workers into the country.
As aid agencies said they were still awaiting word on whether foreigners would get access to the southern Irrawaddy Delta hit hardest by cyclone Nargis, an area that has been off-limits, the UN Secretary-General said he believed they would get in.
The hub has been set up at Bangkok's Don Mueang airport, which used to be the capital's main international gateway, and includes a 20,000sq.m warehouse to hold relief supplies.
The first flight was to leave from the hub later in the day, carrying 12 tonnes of aid including 77,000 mosquito nets, 2,200 tarpaulins and school supplies.
Cyclone Nargis left at least 133,000 people dead or missing, according to Burma's regime.
The UN says 2.4m people are in dire need of emergency relief.
