‘Core group’ disbanded, says Powell

An effort by the United States, Japan, India and Australia to coordinate tsunami relief will be disbanded and folded into the broader UN-led...

An effort by the United States, Japan, India and Australia to coordinate tsunami relief will be disbanded and folded into the broader UN-led operations, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Thursday.

The group’s creation was announced by US President George W. Bush just eight days ago as he tried to dispel criticism that the initial US response to the catastrophe was slow. Some analysts saw it as an effort to appear engaged.

But US officials said the group had already served its purpose by jump-starting aid efforts to devastated regions following the Dec. 26 tsunami that barrelled into 13 countries around the Indian Ocean and killed some 150,000.

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‘‘The core group helped to catalyse the international response,’’ Powell told a tsunami relief conference in Jakarta.

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. —Reuters

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