US tsunami missions 'over soon'

The US military wants to pass on the relief effort to countries affected

The US wants to pull its military out of Asian tsunami relief operations as soon as possible, Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz has said.

Mr Wolfowitz, speaking as he toured the disaster zone, said the task would be handed over to regional governments.

He said the ultimate goal was still to alleviate suffering and provide relief supplies to disaster victims.

After visiting Thailand, Mr Wolfowitz travelled to Indonesia's Aceh province, the area worst-hit by the tsunami.

More than 162,000 people were killed in the disaster throughout the Indian Ocean region. In Indonesia, the death toll has climbed to more than 110,000, most of them killed in Aceh.

"We'd like to be out of this business as soon as we responsibly can," the deputy defence secretary told reporters in Bangkok on Saturday.

He said the US military had "a lot of other work to do" and would be ending its relief efforts "as soon as our military folks can pass these responsibilities on to other folks".

The US has sent more than 15,000 military personnel to the region, at a time when commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan are already placing a heavy burden on the country's armed forces.

Devastation

While in Thailand, Mr Wolfowitz had talks with Thai Defence Minister Gen Samphan Boonyanant and visited an air base being used by American troops delivering aid.

ACEH: KEY FACTS Province on the north-western tip of Sumatra Higher percentage of Muslims than other parts of Indonesia Gam rebels have fought decades-long separatist campaign Internationally-brokered peace deal brokered in Dec 02 but collapsed in May 03 Year-long military crackdown weakened Gam, but failed to capture senior members Agencies accept travel tabs Jakarta's chance for change

He went on to Indonesia, where thousands of US military personnel are working on the relief effort in Aceh.

After being flown to see the devastation, Mr Wolfowitz was taken to the aircraft carrier, Abraham Lincoln, from where American operations are being co-ordinated.

The BBC's Andrew North in Banda Aceh says the deputy defence secretary is also due to have talks with Indonesian officials, at which the Jakarta government is expected to call for the US ban on military sales to the country to be lifted.

Indonesian officials say their ability to respond to the disaster was hampered because many of their US-made transport aircraft were grounded due to a lack of spare parts.

But some fear that the military want the ban lifted so they can buy arms for their conflict with separatist rebels in Aceh, an issue that still overshadows the aid effort here, our correspondent says.

On Friday, Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla said his government wanted a lasting truce with rebels in Aceh. Both sides had already undertaken to observe a ceasefire following the Asian tsunami, but Mr Kalla said he wanted it made permanent.

Rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (Gam) have not responded to the offer.