U.S. sidesteps direct criticism of Myanmar vote

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - The Bush administration sidestepped directly criticizing the Myanmar government's constitutional vote on Saturday and instead argued that the focus of the junta should be on cyclone relief efforts.

Questioned by reporters, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe declined to repeat stiff criticism the United States has leveled against Myanmar's leaders for a vote seen as solidifying the ruling military's grip on the country.

"Our position on the referendum is well-known," he told reporters. "Our focus now is on getting assistance to the people of Burma and we would certainly hope that is the focus of the Burmese government as well."

Myanmar was previously named Burma. The United States has toned down its rhetoric in recent days, which could be an effort to convince the junta to accept U.S. aid after Cyclone Nargis hit on May 2, killing tens of thousands of people and leaving 1.5 million survivors waiting for food and medicine.

So far, only one U.S. relief flight has been granted permission to land in Myanmar, which is scheduled for Monday. And the junta has refused to grant visas for a U.S. disaster assistance team that has been on stand-by in Thailand.

"We've made our position clear, we've had concerns about the referendum, whether the Burmese people are treated in a way that we think the Burmese government should treat them," Johndroe said.

"But right now, we want the focus of the Burmese government to be on helping the people recover from the cyclone and the after-effects," he said in Texas where President George W. Bush is attending his daughter Jenna's wedding.

The Pentagon said on Friday it hoped approval for the flight would open the door to more U.S. aid and tried to assure the junta that any U.S. military presence would be temporary.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky; Editing by Xavier Briand)