NEW YORK, Jan 10 (AFP) - Former US president Bill Clinton and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced Monday the creation of a special fund to provide uncontaminated water to victims of the Asian tsunami disaster.
"Our inquiries determined that in the weeks and months ahead, more resources will be needed to provide clean water and adequate sanitation both for survival and prevention of diseases," Clinton told reporters.
Clinton and his White House predecessor George H.W. Bush have been been asked by President George W. Bush to lead private fund raising efforts for the tsunami victims.
"Like most people after the tsunami, I wanted to do something to help," Clinton said, adding that he and his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, had already made a personal contribution to the water and sanitation fund.
The money will be used by UNICEF and other agencies "to make sure that we do everything we can to keep people alive and to prevent the spread of disease," Clinton said.
Donations will be received at the websites of Clinton's foundation (www.clintonfoundation.org) and UNICEF (www.unicefusa.org).
The United States was initially criticised for not contributing swiftly or generously enough to the disaster relief effort, but Clinton said Washington was playing its part.
"They've committed 350 million dollars in government money now, and my experience in dealing with this ... is that most of the public money is needed for long term reconstruction," he said.
"So I'd be quite surprised if the United States doesn't wind up contributing in the billions ... I think we'll do our part."
Clinton said the United Nations had done a "good job" given the scope of the disaster and he rejected suggestions that the scandal surrounding the UN's oil-for-food programme in Iraq had made the world body unfit to lead the humanitarian response.
"No one has questioned the commitment or the integrity or the impact of the United Nations's humanitarian effort, particularly the efforts of UNICEF," he said.
He also praised the UN for setting up an independent commission -- headed by former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker -- to investigate corruption in the oil-for-food programme.
"When you have a problem and take steps to fix it yourself by calling in a reliable outside person who will tell you what he believes is the truth and not what he believes you want to hear, I think that ought to inspire confidence," Clinton said.
01/10/2005 19:12 GMT - AFP