Australia to stay in Aceh

Australia to stay in Aceh

AUSTRALIA: Australian troops and aid workers will remain in tsunami-stricken Indonesia for as long as they are needed, Prime Minister John Howard said in Sydney on Sunday.

In a televised address to the nation, Howard said Australia was taking a leading role in the response to the Dec. 26 tsunamis, which he said required one of the largest humanitarian responses since World War II.

"A tragedy of this magnitude ... requires a long-term commitment of resources if shattered communities are to be rebuilt and survivors provided with some hope for the future," he said.

Howard said Australia had pledged its largest aid package ever -- A$1 billion (US$762 million) to help Indonesia, signaling "an historic step" in Canberra-Jakarta relations.

"Australians were the first foreigners on the ground in Indonesia after the disaster, a fact gratefully acknowledged by President (Susilo Bambang) Yudhoyono during our recent meeting in Jakarta," he said. "We will stay as long as we are needed."

Howard said Australia also would continue to help other affected countries. -- AFP