US, Australia, Japan and India to form relief coalition: Bush

CRAWFORD: The United States, Australia, Japan and India will form a “core group” to lead relief efforts after the Asian tsunami, President George W Bush said on Wednesday.

He predicted that other countries would join the initiative.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell has spoken to the foreign ministers of Australia, Japan and India to set up the group, Bush told reporters at his ranch in Crawford, Texas where he is on holiday.

“This morning I spoke with the leaders of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia; expressed my condolences and our country’s condolences. I told them of our support. I praised their steadfast leadership during these difficult times,” Bush said.

Iraq elections must proceed: President George W Bush said on Wednesday it was important that elections in Iraq proceed as planned next month, despite festering security concerns and the withdrawal of a top Sunni party. Bush said the most recent audiotape by Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden highlighted the stakes of the poll, which he said pitted the desire for democracy and freedom against the militant’s “dark vision” of oppression and bloodshed. agencies

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