updated 8:04 a.m. EDT, Wed May 21, 2008

U.N. chief to meet with Myanmar junta leader

0.STORY HIGHLIGHTS

0.Ban Ki-moon says he will request greater access for relief workers, supplies

0.Nine U.N. helicopters to be allowed into country

0.Ban plans to tour hard-hit Irrawaddy Delta farming region

0.Nation was hit by devastating cyclone two weeks ago

0.Next Article in World »

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday he will meet Myanmar's reclusive military leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, when he travels to the cyclone-ravaged country Thursday.

Ban arrived Wednesday in Bangkok, where he will remain overnight.

During his meeting with Myanmar leaders, Ban will try to persuade them to accept a wider relief effort, he said.

"This is a critical moment for Myanmar," Ban said earlier. "We have a functioning program in place, but so far we have only been able to reach about 25 percent of Myanmar's people in need." Watch Ban remark on Myanmar crisis »

The military junta has been limiting access to the country by other nations and aid organizations -- for the most part, allowing them only to drop off supplies at the Yangon airport.

The United Nations' World Food Program and the International Red Cross were among the first to have workers in the country, but their movement has been limited.

Nine U.N. helicopters will be allowed into the country, Ban said.

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0.Junta accepts ASEAN aid

Ban said he is confident the government will now expedite the issuance of visas, the lack of which has kept most aid workers out of the country.

Myanmar's leaders agreed Monday to let its South Asian neighbors send medical personnel and an assessment team to the devastated region, more than two weeks after the storm that killed tens of thousands of people.

Ban will tour the cyclone destruction in the Irrawaddy Delta.

He said he wants to "see for myself" the unprecedented devastation, meet with U.N. staff stationed in the area, and reassure himself that aid efforts are well-coordinated.

"I will do my utmost for the people of Myanmar," he said.

On Sunday, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the United Nations are hosting a conference in Yangon on disaster relief and other topics.

"I'm encouraged that ASEAN leaders have taken a leadership role," Ban said. He is to return to New York on Monday.

The World Bank announced Tuesday that it will support efforts by ASEAN and the United Nations to get access to Myanmar's disaster areas. The World Bank has not received requests from Myanmar's junta for financial assistance, the group said in a written statement.