New York - The British relief group Oxfam on Friday welcomed the promise by Myanmar's top leader Than Shwe to allow all foreign aid workers into the country, but it said they should be able to provide help directly to Cyclone Nargis' victims.

Than Shwe's promise was delivered in a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in the capital Naypyidaw, which Ban described as a breakthrough following their talks.

Myanmar's military regime had kept most of foreign relief workers out of the country since the cyclone hit on May 2.

"We welcome the government of Myanmar's decision to allow foreign aid workers access into the cyclone hit areas," said Sarah Ireland, Oxfam's East Asia director. "But this was only the first hurdle."

"Currently international aid workers can't go to the cyclone- affected area, local aid workers can't move freely and much of the aid itself is tied up in red tape," she said. "We would like to see all these restrictions lifted because it is a race against time to get aid to the people who desperately need it."

"The conference on Sunday between the government of Myanmar and the international community will prove crucial. Oxfam would like to see everyone get behind the ASEAN plan, which must then be followed by genuine efforts to relieve the suffering on the ground." (dpa)