A Swedish air force transport plane carrying three mobile telephone network stations headed Monday for the United States to help U.S. authorities with the relief operation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, reported dpa. The stations were provided by telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson and were accompanied by a Swedish Rescue Services Agency staffer. The equipment was be put at the disposal of disaster-hit New Orleans, the agency said. The Hercules plane was scheduled to fly via Iceland, Canada and Washington D.C. before arriving at Little Rock, Arkansas, where the equipment would be transported by road to the New Orleans region. The Swedish government authorised the agency to assist with relief efforts more than a week ago. Since 1988, the Swedish Rescue Services Agency has been instructed to set up standby teams that can be dispatched at short notice in case of overseas disasters or humanitarian aid operations. --SP 2303 Local Time 2003 GMT
