'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.