A Downing Street spokeswoman told AFP that Brown was lending his support to a proposal already made for a high-level pledging conference involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

At his monthly press conference, Brown told reporters: "Two things have happened in the last few hours -- first of all, I understand that this emergency summit will be convened by the UN Secretary General with the Asian group of countries and in the region and I think that is great progress and I hope that it yields the results that I want to see.

"And secondly, that the Asian countries are being invited by the Burmese government to provide aid and aid workers through these countries into Burma (Myanmar)," Brown had added.

"My understanding is (...) that meeting was suggested (by Ban) and he's agreeing it should happen," Brown's spokeswoman said.

ASEAN is holding a ministerial meeting Monday in Singapore to flesh out details of a conference on Myanmar which could take place later this month.

A UN source said the full conference would likely take place "at a high level," probably ministerial.

The source added that it could take place in the region, probably in Bangkok, and that a date of May 24 had been suggested.

On Wednesday, Brown said he had asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to hold an emergency summit on Myanmar, adding: "I hope that this is the means by which additional pressure is brought to bear, through Asia, on the Burmese government."

Western leaders are trying to increase pressure on the reclusive country's military rulers to admit more aid to help the estimated two million people in dire need after Cyclone Nargis hit two weeks ago.

But poor political relations between some countries -- including Britain, the former colonial power in Myanmar -- have hindered efforts to bring in aid supplies.

Britain has so far organised four aid flights into Myanmar, Brown said, adding that although about 30 flights overall reached the country Wednesday, this alone was not enough.

"We will stop at nothing in trying to pressure the regime into doing what any regime should have done long ago and that is, in the interests of the people of the country (...) allowing the aid to reach them," he said.

"And there should be nothing, nothing that stops that aid getting to the people of the country now."

The official number of those dead and missing following the cyclone, which struck the rice-growing Irrawaddy delta area two weeks ago, stands at 71,000, while another two million people are said to be in desperate need of emergency aid.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has blocked international efforts to step in with aid, but Brown insisted the international community had to keep working with the ruling military junta.

"The best way to get aid to the people of Burma is (to) make sure that we can work with the government of Burma to get it through," Brown said.

"Everybody agrees (...) that the best way to get aid to the people of Burma is to pressure the Burmese government," he added.

Earlier Thursday, the junta announced victory in a national referendum on a new constitution which was held last Saturday in all but the worst-affected areas.

It claimed turnout at 99 percent.

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