Clinton Calls for Coordinated Relief Effort After Deadly Asian Tsunami

Former US President Bill Clinton called on Tuesday for an organized, leadership-driven response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the South Asian tsunami, which killed tens of thousands of people across the region.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Clinton argued that when responsibility is shared too broadly, effective action tends to break down. He suggested that individual nations or coalitions of countries each take charge of relief operations in specific affected areas, improving the chances that aid commitments would be honored over time.

The United Nations said Monday that the disaster would require the largest relief operation in history. UN disaster relief coordinator Jan Egeland estimated the total cost of the destruction at billions of dollars, as emergency supplies including medicines began arriving in the hardest-hit zones.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in December 2004, in its own words.