United States Secretary of State Colin Powell said here on Thursday that the United States will continue to stand with the tsunami-hit countries in relief and reconstruction efforts.

In a speech to the Special ASEAN Leaders' Meeting on Aftermath of Earthquake and Tsunami, Powell said that he has personally witnessed the unprecedented cruelty of the disaster which has beeninflicted upon the people.

"I've been involved in many, many humanitarian relief operations... but nothing in my experience prepared me for this disaster. It is truly unprecedented," said Powell.

The US secretary of state said that "a core group" of nations consisting of several US allies will from now "fold itself into the broader coordination efforts of the United Nations."

He said US President George W. Bush has "already mobilized the United States Government, including our emergency response resources and our military assets."

"The US Agency for International Development's Disaster Assistance Response Teams were quickly deployed to India, Thailand,Sri Lanka and Indonesia. These teams consist of food, water and sanitation specialists, military liaisons, and search and rescue squads from a number of US cities," he said.

Powell said that in coordination with Thailand, the United States Marines have established a support center in Utapao as a support center.