Clinton backs Sri Lanka govt's joint tsunami deal

The UN Special Envoy on Tsunami Reconstruction, former US President Bill Clinton said Saturday he backs Sri Lankan president's effort to set up a joint tsunami relief mechanism with the Tamil Tigers.

Clinton told reporters here that a joint mechanism would be a positive step.

The former US president, who toured the eastern town of Kalmunai badly hit by the tsunami in the morning, returned to the capital Colombo to meet with Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Clinton said he was happy with the progress made in Sri Lanka on the tsunami rebuilding.

He said the lack of starvation and epidemics in the tsunami ravaged areas was demonstrative of the progress.

"You have lost no children to starvation or disease. You have had no mass outbreaks of an epidemic as a result of destruction of your water and sanitation facilities. You have plans now to rebuild houses on a scale the country has never experienced before," said Clinton.

This is Clinton's second visit to the Indian Ocean island ravaged by last December's tsunami tidal waves which killed nearly40,000 people.

Clinton in his first visit in February accompanied another former US President George Bush.

Bill Clinton arrived in Colombo from India. He will visit tsunami hit areas of the Maldives on Sunday, before flying to Indonesia's Aceh province, also badly hit by last December's tsunami. Enditem

Source: Xinhua