Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono said a statement by the country's vice president, Yusuf Kalla, for overseas troops to quit "the sooner the better" was "not a deadline for involvement of foreign military personnel".

Sudarsono, speaking after talks with US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and the commander for US forces in the Pacific, Admiral Thomas Fargo, said Kalla's timetable was aimed at scaling up Indonesian involvement rather than rejecting assistance.

"It is a benchmark for the Indonesian government to improve and accelerate its relief efforts so that by March 26th the large part of the burden of the relief efforts will be carried by the Indonesian government and authorities on the ground," he told reporters.

"Foreign military assistance, operations providing relief and rehabilitation will be allowed to continue, albeit on a reduced scale," he said.

Armed forces from the United States and several other countries have proved crucial to relief operations on Indonesia's Sumatra island, where 115,000 people were killed by the December 26 tsunami disaster.

Navy warships and helicopters have been able to deliver supplies to survivors on devastated coastlines isolated by rugged mountains and demolished roads in badly-hit Aceh province.

Although Wolfowitz said Washington was keen to quickly hand over its aid role, Kalla's earlier comments caused alarm among aid agencies struggling to bring help to thousands of people.

Sudarsono on Sunday described the US military in Aceh as "the backbone of the logistical operations, providing assistance to all afflicted".

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