UN special envoy to visit Aceh

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: United Nations special envoy for post- tsunami rehabilitation Erskine Bowles will visit hard-hit Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam next week to take a look at the scale of the destruction in the province.

The visit to Aceh on March 24 forms part of the special envoy's tour of the Indian Ocean countries hit by the Dec. 26 tsunami, UN spokesman Beatrice Walker said.

He said that during the visit, Bowles would also talk with a number of Indonesian ministers on how to improve the reconstruction effort in Aceh.

The visit by the top UN official comes as the government is finalizing a blueprint for the reconstruction of Aceh, and is seeking to hold further discussions with UN agencies on how to coordinate the reconstruction work with the various foreign aid agencies now operating in the province.

On Thursday, the government announced it would provide another 60 days for foreign aid agencies to continue their humanitarian mission in Aceh in order to allow the government more time to consolidate their activities and improve coordination. The government had previously set March 26 as the deadline for "non- relevant" foreign aid groups and troops to leave Aceh. --Antara