"My work here is done"

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Tsunami 'Core Group' of Relief Nations Disbanded
By Arshad Mohammed, Jakarta (Reuters)

JAKARTA (Reuters) - An effort by the United States, Japan, India and Australia to coordinate tsunami relief will be disbanded and folded into broader U.N.-led operations, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said on Thursday.

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But U.S. officials said the group, later expanded to include Canada and the Netherlands, had already served its purpose by jump-starting aid efforts to devastated regions following the Dec. 26 tsunami that barreled into 13 countries around the Indian Ocean and killed close to 150,000.

"The core group helped to catalyze the international response," Powell told a tsunami relief conference in Jakarta. "Having served its purpose, the core group will fold itself into the broader coordination efforts of the United Nations."

And a job well done is was indeed. Since the entry of the US, Australian and Japanese military, the aid and on the ground medical services surged in efficiency.

Yet critics are already starting to claim ulterior motives.

Other diplomats have suggested there was concern that if the huge relief effort breaks down, the United States would prefer not to be in the lead role where it might get the lion's share of blame.

I'm not sure what it is about so many that they prefer to assume the worst about motives of Americans and friends. "Blame" indeed. Feh... One thing Americans do not do under this administration is back down in the face of criticism. That would be an exercise in futility since no matter what we do, we are still blamed for everything under the sun. Sticks and stones...

Thank heavens the UN does not get to assume leadership over military aid relief. That fact doesn't sit too well with Annan, even with his cautionary kudos applauding the core groups results.

A State Department official said the U.S. military in the region would "coordinate closely" with the U.N. on providing airlift and other logistical help for the relief work but would not be under U.N. command.

"Without that essential contribution it would have been extremely difficult for us to get to those in need," he said of the military contributions by the United States, and quick relief efforts by India, Singapore and Australia.

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U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites), in Jakarta for the aid conference, expressed gratitude for its work but insisted on the primacy of the United Nations in organizing relief work.

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Get over it, Annan. When the going got tough, only the US led military and Aid Coalition rose to the occasion with notable results of success. You are taking the reins late in the game and, based on prior performance, even Powell is skeptical of the UN's ability to drive the relief effort.

Powell said he discussed the issues with Annan in Jakarta and hinted at some impatience to see the U.N. take charge, saying: "We talked about the need for the U.N. agencies -- if they are going to play that coordinating role -- to get on the ground and start playing it."