Clinton U.N.'s Tsunami Envoy

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton became the U.N. point man for post-tsunami reconstruction as Australia's leader headed Wednesday to Indonesia's battered region of Aceh for a first-hand glimpse of the disaster.

No one could better ensure that the world does not forget the needs of countries devastated by the Dec. 26 disaster than Clinton, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in an announcement early Wednesday in Asia. Clinton, who said he looked forward to his new role, also was tasked to help resolve conflicts with rebels in the two worst-hit countries — Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

"President Clinton will bring energy, dynamism and focus to the task of sustaining world interest in the vital recovery and reconstruction phase," a U.N. statement said.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard planned to witness the plight of tsunami survivors in Aceh, as well as meet with aid workers and engineers from his country who are there to clear wreckage and reconnect water supplies.

"I hope to be able to personally recognize and congratulate these fine Australians on their work, and to appreciate directly the challenges faced by the Acehnese people and the Indonesian government," Howard told reporters in Singapore before his trip to Indonesia.

Soon after the disaster, U.S. President George W. Bush named Clinton and his father, President George H.W. Bush, to head a nationwide private fund-raising effort to help countries devastated by the earthquake off Indonesia that triggered tsunamis across the Indian Ocean to Africa. The disaster killed more than 157,000 people and displaced millions of others in 11 countries.

Clinton said he will continue to focus on his work with Bush "to urge people to contribute to this cause, and the two of us hope to visit the region together later this month."

U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said Annan wanted to appoint a special envoy not only to focus on the cleanup and reconstruction but to try to make progress on resolving conflicts with rebels in the two worst-hit countries — Indonesia and Sri Lanka, Eckhard said.

This would give Clinton a chance to use his political skills to tackle the longstanding conflicts between rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province who have been fighting for independence since 1976 and Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka who have been fighting for a separate homeland since 1983.

"He believes that no one could possible be better qualified for this task," said the announcement of Clinton's appointment from Eckhard's office.

Annan and Clinton have decided that a formal announcement and joint appearance will take place after the former president returns from the region later this month.

The two ex-presidents have been traveling throughout the country raising money and Bush said last week they hope to go to the tsunami-ravaged Indian Ocean region to illustrate the need for continued financial help from Americans to rebuild the area.

In mid-January, Clinton said over one-third of a billion dollars had already been donated to U.S. charities, and he expected the United States in the long run to contribute billions of dollars to rebuild the devastated areas.

A celebrity tennis match Monday night featuring Andy Roddick, Tommy Haas, John McEnroe, Chris Evert and Jim Courier helped to raise more than $518,000 for the Bush-Clinton Fund for Tsunami Relief.

In addition to the fund, Clinton launched a $45 million appeal with the U.N. children's agency to provide clean water and sanitation to tsunami victims.

The joint project of the Clinton Foundation and the United Nations Children's Fund will be used by UNICEF, working with other relief organizations, "to make sure that we do everything we can to keep people alive and to prevent the spread of disease," Clinton said at last month's launch.

Clinton has praised the outpouring of support for the tsunami victims, most recently at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland which ended on Sunday.

"This tsunami may illustrate the fragility of human life but the response to it represents the strength of the human spirit," Clinton said last month.