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U.S. President George W. Bush made a rare personal appeal to Myanmar's junta on Tuesday (May 6) to accept U.S. disaster teams that have been blocked and said Washington was ready to help more after a devastating cyclone. Addressing a government he has long tried to isolate, Bush said: "Our message is to the military rulers. Let the United States come and help you, help the people." He offered emergency assistance from the U.S. Navy, which the White House said had two ships within two days' sailing time of the poor Southeast Asian country. But he risked further antagonizing the junta by coupling his humanitarian aid offer with a signing ceremony for legislation awarding its chief political opponent, detained democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, the Congressional Gold Medal, America's top civilian honour. International aid pledges worth 10 million U.S. dollars have so far been pledged. The European Commission will provide a two million euro aid package in response to the disaster. "The most urgent need appears to be for shelter and clean water and these areas will be of course priorities for this package," said Commission spokesman for the Humanitarian Aid office Amadeu Altafaj, adding that the initial funding would concentrate of providing clean water and that the organisation expected to hand out more aid later. Myanmar's military rulers are allowing in food and other emergency supplies but have not yet approved visas for some aid workers seeking to assess the damage ...