WASHINGTON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Navy boats are likely to withdraw from waters off the coast of Myanmar within days if they still can not be allowed to offload their relief supplies for the country's cyclone victims, a military commander said on Wednesday.

    Navy Adm. Timothy Keating, chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, told reporters at the Pentagon that he would consult Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the issue when the latter arrives in Singapore for an annual security conference.

    The Navy fleet, led by the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, is expected to take other assignments in the area, he said.

    "Absent a green light from Burmese officials, I don't think she(USS Essex) will be there for weeks," he told the press conference. "Days, and then we'll see."

    The USS Essex, an amphibious assault ship that carries 23 helicopters, three landing craft, and a contingent of 1,800 marines, and other three boats have been put on call for Myanmar cyclone rescue since they finished a naval exercises in the Gulf of Thailand in early May, but has not received green light from the Myanmar government.

    However, a limited numbers of U.S. Air Force C-130s were permitted to bring in water and other relief supplies from a base in Thailand to Myanmar's disaster-hit area, Keating said, adding 70 such flights have been flown thus far.