Bush and Clinton view tsunami-hit Aceh as they lead private aid effort

FORMER US Presidents George HW Bush and Bill Clinton visited Indonesia’s tsunami-ravaged Aceh province yesterday, flying over a vast wasteland of destruction, the likes of which Mr Bush said he had never seen.

The two former presidents, who are leading private US tsunami aid efforts, met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after arriving from Thailand, where they had their first look at the devastation and grief unleashed by the disaster.

Mr Yudhoyono said he “conveyed to them the gratitude of the Indonesian people for all these donations contributed by friendly nations, by their people, and by their NGOs (non-government organisations)”.

Mr Bush and Mr Clinton flew in US military helicopters from the provincial capital Banda Aceh over a barren, desert-like landscape that was once a patchwork of rice paddies, to the village of Lampuuk, where the sole structure left standing is a large white mosque.

The village had 6,500 inhabitants before the disaster. Only 700 remain.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire life. Ever,” Mr Bush said.

The US deployed a carrier battle group and about 20 helicopters for relief operations off Aceh’s western coast - its biggest military operation in South-east Asia since the Vietnam War - and Washington has pledged $950 million (€727m) for relief efforts for tsunami-hit countries.

Mr Bush called on Indonesia to ensure that US aid money was being well spent, said a US official.

Mr Bush and Mr Clinton also asked if relief and reconstruction could be used to help restore peace in Aceh, where rebels have been fighting for independence since 1976.

Mr Yudhoyono said he was making efforts to reach out to Acehnese and expressed support for talks with the rebels starting today in Finland.

The Bush-Clinton visit to Indonesia comes a day after Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer warned that Islamic militants were planning attacks against aid workers in Aceh.

Mr Yudhoyono said there was no evidence of any threat.

They later visited Sri Lanka and planned to visit the Maldives today.