In some hard-hit provinces, storm victims said humanitarian aid was slow in arriving.

They said humanitarian assistance and diplomacy are at least as important to security as weapons.

Kasai said humanitarian workers were trying to establish whether the camps' occupants were expelled, or had fled.

But after weeks of talks with the Jordanian army, Kallon said humanitarian aid should reach the community by Oct. 16.

Speaking shortly before leaving for his summer holiday, he said humanitarian assistance including a repeat of airdrops of food and water would continue.

A spokesman for the main U.N. aid coordinating agency, OCHA, said humanitarian agencies were in contact with the government and ready to help.

He said humanitarian agencies, the government, the extractive industries and churches all have a responsible role to play in Papua New Guinea's development.

The U.N. said humanitarian teams have reached all 22 storm-affected islands despite logistical challenges due to the archipelago's spread across a wide area.

Mr Dominic MacSorley, Concern's regional director, said humanitarian aid corridors should be urgently set up so that vital foodstuffs, clothes and blankets can be distributed.

UNICEF in Papua New Guinea said humanitarian operations had been suspended in an area where over 40,000 earthquake affected people were in need.