The Sydney Morning Herald, January 13, 2005 - 5:24PM
Indonesia objects, now US seeks clarification
The United States wants "clarification" from Indonesia about restrictions on foreign
operations in the tsunami-ravaged area of Sumatra, including on US military units
ferrying relief supplies to victims.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan's comments today came after the aircraft
carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which serves as a key base for relief operations, had to
move outside Indonesian territorial waters off Banda Aceh because Indonesians
objected to US training flights.
Moreover, US marines delivering aid to survivors had to scale back their presence on
shore and move to ships of the carrier group to address Indonesian sensitivities and
security concerns.
"We are seeking further clarification about what that means," McClellan told reporters.
Administration officials assured that despite all the difficulties, the United States
intended to remain in the region "for the long haul" to help local people get the relief
they need and to reconstruct their cities and villages after the most immediate help is
delivered.
But the Pentagon is dispatching to the region a top military official, who is expected
to discuss the controversy with his Indonesian counterparts.
Admiral Thomas Fargo, head of the US Pacific Command, was due to leave his
headquarters in Hawaii on Friday to tour the disaster region and assess the relief
operation and its future needs.
Rebels call for ceasefire talks
Rebels fighting for independence in tsunami-hit Aceh today called for ceasefire talks
with the Indonesian government.
Rebel prime minister Malik Mahmud said in the statement that his men are willing to
talk with the government to ease fears over the safety of foreign humanitarian workers
operating in Aceh.
"We are prepared to meet with (Indonesia) to agree the optimum modalities to ensure
the success of the ceasefire and thereby minimise the suffering of the Achenese
people," he said.
UN seeks clarification on restrictions
Meanwhile, the United Nations is meeting Indonesian authorities to see whether new
restrictions on aid workers in Aceh will hinder its relief efforts.
Indonesia wants aid workers to register with the government, seek permission to go
outside certain areas and perhaps even move with a military escort in other regions.
The Indonesian government is edgy about a foreign presence in areas where
separatists have fought the army for three decades for a homeland on Sumatra
Island's northern tip.
Margareta Wahlstrom, the deputy UN relief coordinator, met Indonesian officials to get
clarifications "and assess the operational impacts, if any, of this announcement," said
Kevin Kennedy, a senior official in the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs.
Kennedy told a news conference that the United Nations recognised Indonesia's
demand that humanitarian staff in Aceh should register with the government.
"There's no problem with that. They have free movement within the areas of greater
Banda Aceh and Meulaboh," he said.
But the United Nations needed to confirm "that on the western side of Sumatra
military escorts would be required", Kennedy said.
"We certainly well understand there has been a conflict in Aceh for the last quarter of
a century," he said. "However, we are concerned that any requirements that would
create additional bottlenecks or delays or otherwise adversely affect our operations
need to be reviewed very carefully."
Banda Aceh, the devastated capital of Aceh province serves as a aid headquarters
with a tent city of 1,125 relief workers from around the world.
The government warned foreigners yesterday it could not guarantee their safety
outside Banda Aceh and Meulaboh, closest to the offshore quake that created the
tsunami, and yesterday said foreign soldiers delivering aid should leave by March.
AFP/Reuters
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