http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4178635.stm
Jakarta denies foreign troop curb Indonesia has denied saying that foreign troops involved in the tsunami relief operation must leave the country within three months of the disaster. Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono said 26 March was not a deadline for foreign military personnel, but a benchmark. He said that by that date, Indonesian authorities aimed to be able to take over most of the relief effort. The minister was speaking after talks on Sunday with visiting US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. The day before, Mr Wolfowitz said the US wanted to pull its military out of Asian tsunami relief operations as soon as possible and hand over the task to regional governments. The US has sent more than 15,000 military personnel to the region, at a time when commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan are already placing a heavy burden on the country's armed forces. More than 168,000 people were killed in the disaster throughout the Indian Ocean region. In Indonesia, the death toll climbed to almost 115,000 on Sunday, after nearly 5,000 more bodies were found along the west coast of Aceh province. Thousands homeless "We would like to emphasise that 26 March is not a deadline for involvement of foreign military personnel in the relief effort," Mr Sudarsono said. "It is a benchmark for the Indonesian government to improve and accelerate its relief efforts, so that by 26 March, the large part of the burden of the relief effort will be carried by the Indonesian government and the Indonesian authorities on the ground." Mr Sudarsono said he expected foreign troops to play a part in the operation for some time, albeit in a reduced role. Hundreds of thousands of people in Indonesia are still homeless after the disaster, and the UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, has begun airlifting supplies to remote parts of the country. The agency is planning to bring in about 10,000 tents and other supplies, and to set up new sites to relieve the pressure on overcrowded camps. The BBC's Tim Johnston in Jakarta says a US aircraft carrier off the coast of Sumatra island is providing much-needed helicopters to lift supplies into, and injured victims out of, parts of the disaster zone that are beyond the reach of more conventional transport. Given the extent of the damage to roads, bridges and ports, tens of thousands of Acehnese victims are likely to need some sort of international assistance for a while yet, our correspondent says. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources often lacking in public schools. Fund a student project in NYC/NC today! http://us.click.yahoo.com/5F6XtA/.WnJAA/E2hLAA/BRUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. www.ppi-india.uni.cc *************************************************************************** __________________________________________________________________________ Mohon Perhatian: 1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik) 2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari. 3. Lihat arsip sebelumnya, www.ppi-india.da.ru; 4. Satu email perhari: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 5. No-email/web only: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 6. kembali menerima email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
