Foreign aid for Katrina victims gets tied up in red tape

[Mass]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usweatheraidforeign;_ylt=Au2DRXivLTPU09tV0n6XsCes0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Offers of aid from abroad for Hurricane Katrina victims, from cellular telephone networks to water purification system, have been delayed for days waiting for clearance from the US authorities.
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The US Federal emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the State Department are behind the bureaucratic entanglement, the Washington Post said Wednesday, quoting European diplomats and State Department information.

A State Department spokesman said some offers of foreign aid had been accepted, but others must be vetted by emergency relief specialists.

A FEMa spokeswoman said the complaints from foreign nations matched those of US governors and officials "across the nation."