Clinton staff disputes he's 'exhausted'
Former president to tour Maldives Sunday
(CNN) -- Former President Bill Clinton will continue his tour of the Maldives and Indonesia in the tsunami-hit regions in Southeast Asia on Sunday.
Clinton's staff is downplaying reports that he is worn out. The Associated Press cites a U.N. official as saying Clinton cancelled a planned tour of tsunami-damaged areas of the Maldives Saturday because of exhaustion.
"The president is not exhausted, I am," said former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, who is traveling with Clinton. "We're just trying to keep up with him."
Clinton underwent a procedure earlier this year to remove scar tissue and fluid buildup around his left lung. He underwent quadruple bypass surgery in September.
In February U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed Clinton as his point person on the tsunami-affected region.
U.N. spokeswoman Jehane Sedky-Lavandero said the former president and his delegation will hold four meetings in the Maldives on Sunday. One will be canceled because of bad weather.
The group will then travel to Banda Aceh, Indonesia, for meetings with citizens and government officials before returning to the United States.
Earlier in the week Clinton visited India and Sri Lanka, where he expressed support for a tsunami aid-sharing deal between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels.
Bowles told CNN he believes Clinton has made "substantial headway" in his efforts to promote dialogue on tsunami relief in the region. Topics on the table have included better coordination in relief efforts, Bowles said, and brainstorming on how best to help fishermen and agricultural efforts.
Clinton wants to "build better," not just rebuild, Bowles said.
"He's kind of like that Timex clock," Bowles added. "He just keeps on ticking."
Clinton toured the region in February with former President George H.W. Bush.
The two former leaders were asked by the current President Bush, the elder Bush's son, to lead the U.S. effort to provide private aid to the hundreds of thousands of tsunami victims.
CNN's Chris Strathmann contributed to this report.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
