The Hindu : International : Blair differs with Bush on relief

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 01, 2005

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International

Blair differs with Bush on relief

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, DEC. 31. Breaking ranks with the U.S. President, George W. Bush, who has entrusted the task of coordinating relief for tsunami victims to a group of `core' donor countries in the region, the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has said that the United Nations is the right agency to handle it.

Mr. Blair has turned down a plea from the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, that he should call an emergency meeting of the G-8 industrialised countries to discuss aid to the affected areas. He reportedly told Mr. Berlusconi that he believed the U.N., rather than the G-8 whose presidency Britain takes over in the new year, should coordinate international relief.

`Marked contrast'

"The Prime Minister said he will contact the other G-8 members about assistance that we might be able to give to the United Nations. But we are confident G-8 members will agree it is right that the U.N. should continue to take the lead role in coordinating the relief effort,'' a Downing Street spokesman said. Commentators described Mr. Blair's stance as in "marked contrast'' to Mr. Bush's decision to entrust the job to India, Japan and Australia. They noted that the U.S. `belatedly' added the U.N. to the list of coordinating agencies. Media reports indicated that Britain was taken by surprise by Mr. Bush's announcement which amounted to bypassing the U.N.

Britain trebled its aid pledge from £15 millions to £50 millions following criticism that the public response to the relief appeals had been more robust than the official donation. Private donations, including those from the Asian communities, were reported to be pouring in at the rate of a million-pound an hour.

Mr. Blair is facing more pressure to cut short his Egyptian holiday and lead the nation in responding to the disaster.

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