Indonesia's foreign minister said on Thursday he welcomed the

Indonesia's foreign minister said on Thursday he welcomed the presence of foreign troops in the country to help with tsunami relief efforts but criticized a local official who suggested those forces might stay for years. "I think that perhaps words expressed at the local level were not too appropriate," said Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda, speaking at a press conference in Berlin with his German counterpart Joschka Fischer. He added: "You can rest assured that we welcome even ... foreign troops. Their presence is based on our request." Earlier, the deputy governor of Aceh province on Sumatra island's northern tip, said he felt foreign troops should stay as long as they were needed, even if that meant years. -- Reuters