US Secretary of State Colin Powell confirmed Thursday that the United Nations holds primary international responsibility for coordinating relief operations following the devastating Asian tsunami, even as Washington moved to establish a smaller regional response group alongside India, Japan, and Australia.
Powell spoke with AFP after a video conference with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and senior UN officials, including relief coordinator Jan Egeland and the heads of the World Food Program, UNICEF, and the UN Development Program. The death toll at the time was approaching 119,000.
Powell described the four-nation core group as complementary to UN efforts rather than a rival structure. The grouping was designed to combine American military assets in the region with Japan's financial capacity and the logistical resources of India and Australia, enabling a faster initial response.
Powell said the core group would help prevent scattered, uncoordinated aid initiatives from working at cross purposes. Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman, the US point man on the core group, joined the UN video conference along with representatives of the other three nations.
Powell also stressed that affected countries retain final authority over what assistance they accept and how it is delivered.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in December 2004, in its own words.