United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has selected former President Bill Clinton to lead the reconstruction of the region devastated by December's tsunami disaster, the Associated Press reports.

According to UN spokesman Fred Echkard, who refused to confirm the appointment but did say that his office would release a statement shortly, the special enjoy chosen by Annan would help resolve rebel conflicts in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, two of the hardest hit countries. Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province have been waging an uprising for independence since 1976. In Sri Lanka, Tamil Tiger rebels have been fighting for a separate homeland since 1983.

Soon after the disaster, which killed more than 157,000 people and displaced millions in eleven countries, President Bush named President Clinton and his father, former President George H.W. Bush, to head a private fundraising campaign to help countries hit by the tsunami.