The United States has received aid offers from dozens of countries and international organizations since the deadly Hurricane Katrina swept through southern part the country earlier this week, the State Department said on Thursday.
"We have received general offers of assistance, as well as some more specific offers of assistance, from a number of different countries and organizations, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told a news briefing.
The countries that have offered US assistance include Russia, Japan, Canada, France, Honduras, Germany, Venezuela, Jamaica, Australia, Britain, Holland, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, China, South Korea, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Organization of American States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have also offered the assistance to the United States, McCormack said.
In addition, McCormack said, messages of sympathy and condolence from abroad have been coming in.
"It's been very heartening and very gratifying to receive these messages coming in as people around the globe see the tragic situation and the suffering of the people of the areas affected by this hurricane and the aftermath," he said.
The spokesman declined to confirm the report that the Russian offer of a helicopter with special rescue techniques was refused.
"I haven't seen that report... But let me make it very clear. Secretary (Condoleezza) Rice has said, in consultation with the White House, that no offers of assistance will be refused. No offer that can help alleviate the suffering of the people of the affected area will be refused," McCormack said.
An overwhelming crisis continues to unfold in the US Gulf Coast region as hundreds, even thousands were feared dead and tens of thousands of houses were destroyed under the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, local officials said.

El Salvador ready to send troops to help hurricane victims
El Salvador is ready to send a contingent of soldiers and specialists to the United States to conduct humanitarian and reconstruction tasks in the areas devastated by hurricane Katrina.
According to reports reaching here from San Salvador, capital of El Salvador, President Elias Antonio Saca said Thursday that the country is "to prepare a force made of specialists, like the contingents sent by the Central American country to Iraq, that is, experts on reconstruction, doctors, engineers and some public security personnel."
At least 198 people have been confirmed killed by the deadly Katrina, which is one of the most severe hurricanes in the US history, causing an estimated US$25 billion in economic losses and affecting some 5 million people.
El Salvador is the only Latin American state with a military presence in Iraq since August 2003. Currently there are 380 Salvadoran troops stationed in the Arab country.
Saca said he will form a military contingent and send it to help the United States as soon as the latter deems it necessary.
"We've reiterated our will to help, especially at this painful moment and we hope they let us know when such a force will be needed," he said.
On Thursday, Saca sent a message of solidarity to his US counterpart George W. Bush and governors of the states affected by the hurricane.
On Wednesday evening, the Salvadoran Congress recommended to the president, through a decree approved by 70 out of 84 representatives, to send troops to support those affected by the hurricane in the United States.

France to send aid to US hurricane victims
French Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that France is to send aid and troops to US Gulf coast area hit by Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating storms in the country's history.
"Our operational humanitarian aid group is going to meet to study the civilian and military means that France could make available from French regions and the French West Indies," said French Foreign Ministry's spokesman, Denis Simmoneau.
"From our crisis unit, which is going to Baton Rouge from Lafayette, we are following the situation of the French people we know about," said the spokesman.
French President Jacques Chirac sent a letter on Wednesday to his American counterpart George W. Bush, to express his "heartfelt emotion" at the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, which is believed to have killed at least hundreds of people and destroyed billions of dollars worth of property in the southwest United States.