NATO nations approved on Friday a naval and air operation to bring relief supplies from Europe to the United States, the most important member of the 26-nation military bloc.

"This operation has only one purpose, and that is to do everything NATO can do to show solidarity with the victims and the human suffering in the hurricane-stricken area," said Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

"This decision was an easy one, because no other answer could have been possible. It shows that the NATO alliance is ready to do its part in the diminishing of the human suffering," said the NATO chief.

The ships -- expected to be supplied by Denmark and Norway -- would take roughly 10-12 days to make the transatlantic crossing, he said.

The aircraft would come from a fleet based at Geilenkirchen in Germany.

However, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer declined to speculate when the first ship or plane will arrive, but said that the ships involved were already steaming toward port to take supplies on board.

NATO received an initial request from Washington last weekend, and immediately activated its Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center to investigate options for helping the US Gulf Coast affected by Hurricane Katrina.

To date, the United States has accepted offers including financial assistance, food, first aid kits and medical supplies, generators, water pumps and rescue teams.

Source: Xinhua