Nagin: New Orleans will seek aid from other nations

Can you imagine part of New Orleans being owned by the Saudis, you will have Osama sitting in your living room with you, and the terrorists will not have to sneak in they will have bought their way in, no problem.

NEW ORLEANS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Shortcomings in aid from the U.S. government are making New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin look to other nations for help in rebuilding his hurricane-damaged city.

Jordan's King Abdullah also visited New Orleans on Friday and Nagin said he would encourage foreign interests to help redevelop some of the areas hardest hit by the storm.

"France can take Treme. The king of Jordan can take the Lower Ninth Ward," he said, referring to two of the city's neighborhoods.

French Transport Minister Dominique Perben, leading the French delegation to a city that was founded by France in 1718, said, "This catastrophe has deeply upset the French people and the French government."

France, Perben said through a translator, "wants to be a long-term partner for Louisiana and New Orleans."

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No New Katrina Aid in Bush Budget

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration offered no new aid for Hurricane Katrina victims in the budget it released Monday, instead putting modest amounts of money into preparedness and response plans for future disasters.

A Republican senator from the still-reeling Gulf Coast said he doubted that those funds would be enough to overhaul federal programs that created a sluggish government response to the Aug. 29 storm. A House Democrat criticized the spending blueprint for cutting $15 million in state and local grants to, in part, help communities create evacuation plans.

In all, millions of dollars would be used to retool disaster response plans or better coordinate federal, state and local efforts during catastrophes. By contrast, more Gulf Coast aid will be provided in an upcoming $18 billion package that the administration announced last week — the last emergency funds planned for the region for at least a year.

"This budget really talks about what we're doing within the department itself, which is strengthening our leaning-forward in the face of preparing both for natural disasters and man-made disasters or terror attacks," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

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