'U.S. in Aceh for long haul'

'U.S. in Aceh for long haul'

Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post

Washington has stated its commitment to long-term involvement in
post-tsunami relief efforts in the affected countries of southern
Asia.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Tuesday in Jakarta
that the U.S. had so far pledged US$350 million in relief aid,
and more was to come from the private sector.

"This is not just a one-time humanitarian relief effort or
rescue effort. This has to be a long-term reconstruction and
rehabilitation effort to rebuild homes, to rebuild families and
rebuild lives," Powell told journalists after meeting Indonesian
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda.

"We're responding because of the human dimension of this
catastrophe. It turns out that the majority of the nations
affected are Muslim nations. We'll be doing it regardless of
religion," he added.

Powell underlined that the U.S.' involvement went beyond
cultural and religious bounds, and showed "that we care about the
dignity of every individual and the worth of every individual,
and we need to respond to the need of every individual of
whatever faith. America is not anti-Islam ... America is a
diverse society where we respect all religions".

While the U.S. had been extending billions of dollars for
various kinds of assistance, such as development, humanitarian
and foreign affairs, Powell said Washington was keen to help
those countries committed to democracy.

However, he refrained from commenting on a possibility that
the U.S. would participate in resolving the separatist war in
Aceh.

"We will do what's necessary to relieve human suffering and we
hope that this crisis, with respect to the situation in Aceh as
well as the situation in Sri Lanka with the Tamil Tigers, might
perhaps create some openings that might breed greater political
dialog; and some level of cooperation in dealing with this
humanitarian crisis may translate into a higher level of
political dialog in cooperation," he said.

Powell was accompanied by Florida Governor Jeb Bush, brother
to President George W. Bush, and are scheduled to tour Aceh for
one day to assess the damage. They will return to the capital on
Thursday to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations'
global summit on tsunami relief.

The summit will focus on coordinating foreign humanitarian aid
and implementing an Indian Ocean early warning system in
anticipation of possible future disasters.