World leaders in unite in crisis

World leaders in unite in crisis

Agencies, Jakarta

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and world leaders arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday to try to deal with Asia's tsunami crisis and a US$2.3 billion humanitarian relief operation, the biggest since World War II.

Annan has called on world leaders to honor their pledge of $2.3 billion in aid, as they gather in Jakarta for a conference on Thursday to deal with the Asian tsunami crisis.

"I hope all the money will be delivered," Annan said in a television interview broadcast on Wednesday.

As aid workers struggle to feed and shelter millions of survivors who are still burying their dead 10 days after a tsunami killed 150,000 people, world leaders will meet on Thursday to seek an answer for the question -- how can the world prevent such a catastrophe ever occurring again?

Indonesia, the worst-hit nation with almost two-thirds of the dead, hopes the one-day summit will agree to set up an Indian Ocean tsunami warning system, which experts say could have saved many lives. The Pacific Ocean has a tsunami warning center.

Indonesian government will provide 12 units of new BMW 530i to the heads of states/governments, who are attending the conference.

Leaders from 26 nations and humanitarian organizations will also look at the massive reconstruction needed to rebuild the shattered lives of millions of people in six nations.

"Tomorrow's conference is not only for Indonesia but for all countries that have suffered from the earthquake," said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "And of course we do hope that tomorrow there will be a concrete result in the mechanism of how to assist countries that are to be assisted." Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said coordinating the aid effort was a key agenda item.

"This will make a major contribution to ensuring there is a better coordinated effort and there are stronger contributions than might be the case without a summit."

But aid groups on Wednesday criticized Indonesia for leaving them out of a major summit on the tsunami disaster as activists said they would stage protests outside the meeting to press their own plans for humanitarian relief.

The event is the first to try to address the key issues facing the region as it comes to terms with the carnage unleashed when a magnitude 9.0 earthquake unleashed destructive ocean forces on shores across Asia.

But a grouping of non-governmental bodies including the British-based Oxfam organization say they regret a decision to bar them from the meeting, denying them the chance to offer input into how to cope with the disaster that has left at least 145,000 people dead.

Relief efforts in many countries, particularly Indonesia, have struggled to reach those desperately in need of food, water and medical supplies, partly due to logistical confusion in the absence of a cohesive coordination strategy.

"I'm disturbed at not being invited. Since our activists are on the ground, they can give accurate assessment of the situation and how to improve the coordination of aid," Emmy Hafild, secretary general of Transparency International Indonesia told AFP.

Annan is expected to announce a major UN tsunami appeal at the Jakarta conference, which will also discuss the possibility of an immediate freeze of debt payments by affected countries.