Geneva/Yangon: The United Nations said on Thursday it had struck an outline deal with Myanmar aimed at eventually allowing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims sheltering in Bangladesh to return safely and by choice.

Since August 2017, about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled a military crackdown in mainly Buddhist Myanmar, many reporting killings, rape and arson on a large scale, UN and other aid organisations have said.

Rohingya refugees at Jamtoli refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Credit:AP

"Since the conditions are not conducive for voluntary return yet, the MoU (memorandum of understanding) is the first and necessary step to support the government's efforts to change that situation," the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.

Myanmar's government said in a brief statement late on Thursday the MoU would be signed "soon" and UN agencies would "support access to livelihoods through the design and implementation of community-based interventions".