The United States' aid for tidal waves stricken Asian countries is "stingy", according to French daily Le Figaro on Thursday, which compares it with the country's food sales for dogs and cats.

US President George W. Bush's initial promise to release just 15 million dollars in emergency aid was "completely ridiculous given the magnitude of the catastrophe," said Le Figaro in an editorial.

"Fifteen million dollars are less than half the daily sales of dog and cat food in the United States," it said.

It is "one-tenth of the cost of the daily cost of the war in Iraq for the US army" or "half the price of a new F-16 fighter jet," it said.

According to Le Figaro, "its image as a superpower -- whether abullying one or a caring one -- is at stake."

UN emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland, who said on Mondaythat rich nations had been "stingy" in providing aid, representing0.1 percent or 0.2 percent of their Gross national product (GNP), instead of 0.7 percent they promised in 2000.

France announced Thursday to be ready to double its humanitarian aid to stricken countries to 44 million euros (57 million dollars).

An 8.9-magnitude underwater earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Sunday morning. The quake and its aftershocks triggered tsunamis which hit India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and four other Asian countries. The overall death toll from the disasters has surpassed 125,000.

Source: Xinhua