Bush Snr and Clinton to visit tsunami disaster area

US President Bush yesterday announced he is sending a second delegation to visit the Indian Ocean region ravaged by tsunamis, this one made up of two former presidents – his father and Bill Clinton.

Former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton will visit tsunami-affected countries February 19-21. The two men are to stop in the hardest-hit nations, including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives, the White House said.

The December 26 earthquake off Indonesia triggered tsunamis across the Indian Ocean that killed over 159,000 people and displaced millions.

Soon after the disaster, the current president named Clinton and his father to head a nationwide private fund-raising effort to help countries devastated by the deadly wall of water.

Clinton also has been designated by the United Nations as a special envoy to help promote reconstruction and oversee cleanup in the affected areas.

Bush has pledged an initial aid package of 350 million in federal funds to the relief effort. At the president’s request, his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, surveyed the region last month alongside then-Secretary of State Colin Powell.