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