Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03ROME4158
2003-09-11 14:02:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Rome
Cable title:
Ambassador Tony P. Hall in Albania meets regional
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS ROME 004158
SIPDIS
AIDAC
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME
AMEMBASSY TIRANA FOR AMBASSADOR JEFFREY, DCM ZATE AND USAID
DIRECTOR BIRNHOLZ
USAID/W FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, D/A SCHIECK, AA/DCHA
WINTER, AA/E&E HILL AND DDA MORSE, DCHA/D/FFP LANDIS
STATE FOR P U/S GROSSMAN, IO A/S HOLMES, A/S PRM DEWEY, A/S
EUR JONES, IO/EDA BEHREND
USDA/FAS FOR U/S PENN AND CHAMBLISS
USMISSION GENEVA FOR AMBASSADOR MOLEY AND USAID/KYLOH
NSC FOR JDWORKEN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AORC PREF EAGR AL EU WFP UN
SUBJECT: Ambassador Tony P. Hall in Albania meets regional
leaders and visits WFP sites.
-------
Summary
-------
UNCLAS ROME 004158
SIPDIS
AIDAC
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME
AMEMBASSY TIRANA FOR AMBASSADOR JEFFREY, DCM ZATE AND USAID
DIRECTOR BIRNHOLZ
USAID/W FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, D/A SCHIECK, AA/DCHA
WINTER, AA/E&E HILL AND DDA MORSE, DCHA/D/FFP LANDIS
STATE FOR P U/S GROSSMAN, IO A/S HOLMES, A/S PRM DEWEY, A/S
EUR JONES, IO/EDA BEHREND
USDA/FAS FOR U/S PENN AND CHAMBLISS
USMISSION GENEVA FOR AMBASSADOR MOLEY AND USAID/KYLOH
NSC FOR JDWORKEN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AORC PREF EAGR AL EU WFP UN
SUBJECT: Ambassador Tony P. Hall in Albania meets regional
leaders and visits WFP sites.
--------------
Summary
--------------
1. US Ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and
Agriculture, Tony Hall, visited Albania from August 22-26,
2003. He came at the invitation of Members of the Albanian
Parliament and the European regional office of the World
Food Program. He participated in the first "Balkan
Gathering" with Albanian President Alfred Moisiu, Macedonian
President Boris Trajkovski and other politicians from this
troubled region. He then visited some of the hungry poor
who benefit from projects run with food aid provided by the
World Food Program. End summary.
-------------- --------------
Background - First Balkan "Gathering" - "You can choose a
friend but neighbors are given to you by God"
-------------- --------------
2. A group of Albanian parliamentarians from different
political parties and on behalf of the Speaker of the
Parliament of Albania, organized the first "Balkan
Gathering" in Durres and Tirana on August 22-23. The
Gathering served to bring together people and leaders from
all the branches of the governments of the Balkans.
Congressman Frank Wolf and Ambassador Hall were the two
keynote speakers. Other participants included Albanian
President Alfred Moisiu; Macedonian President Boris
Trajkovski; Dragan Kalinic, Speaker of the Parliament of the
Srbska Republic of Bosnia; Prime Minister of Kosovo, Barjam
Rexhepi; and other politicians from this troubled region.
Vice President of the German Bundestag Norbert Lammert
attended, as did Norwegian Parliamentarian Lars Rise and ex-
Austrian Government official Josef Hochtl.
3. A "gathering" of Albanians, Macedonians, Bosnians,
Kosovars, Montenegrins, Serbs, and Croats - including
current and future leaders in government, academia and
business - would have been unthinkable a decade ago, at the
height of the war in Bosnia. It provides hope for the
region and the world that reconciliation and forgiveness
have begun among people long divided by hatred. "I am
excited by what I witnessed this past weekend, with former
enemies calling one another brother and sister. I was
encouraged by those who came together in the spirit of
friendship," commented Ambassador Hall. President of
Macedonia Trajkovski remarked: "We know now how to disagree
(in a peaceful and diplomatic way) and have begun to build
bridges rather than fences." A somber note was struck by Ms.
Flora Brovina, poet and MP from Kosova: "the word
forgiveness does not yet exist in the vocabulary of this
region."
4. Bundestag Vice President Lammert summed up Europe's three
desires for the Balkans: a) stability - "If the West doesn't
stabilize the East, the East will destabilize the West;" b)
prosperity - if not, then the specter of massive emigration;
and c) identity - the Bosphorus defines the geographic
limits of Europe.
--------------
Looking at the social safety net
--------------
5. Ambassador Hall, together with US Congressman Frank Wolf,
US Mission/Rome Special Assistant Max Finberg and
Humanitarian Attache Tim Lavelle, Embassy Tirana Emboff and
USAID Deputy Director, WFP regional director for Europe,
Saeed Malik, and WFP country director for Albania, MushtaqE AND USAID
DIRECTOR BIRNHOLZ
USAID/W FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, D/A SCHIECK, AA/DCHA
WINTER, AA/E&E HILL AND DDA MORSE, DCHA/D/FFP LANDIS
STATE FOR P U/S GROSSMAN, IO A/S HOLMES, A/S PRM DEWEY, A/S
EUR JONES, IO/EDA BEHREND
USDA/FA
Qureshi, visited programs that provide food to vulnerable
women in Tirana and La, food-for-work building roads in
Milot and Postribe and a communal forestry project in
Kallmet.
6. Under its protracted relief and recovery (PRRO) operation
"Assistance to Vulnerable Groups in the Construction of
Community Assets," WFP focuses on communal forestry and
pasture management, social sector assistance and community
asset building. Food-for-Work (FFW) is used for
reconstruction of rural roads, desilting of irrigation
channels, installation of electric lines and poles, and
placement of water systems. Recently, the PRRO reached 2,415
beneficiaries under the communal forestry project, 1,790
women attended training and counseling sessions under the
social sector component and another 2,180 laborers engaged
in FFW infrastructure schemes. WFP's objective is to reach
monthly 10,900 of the poorest Albanian households. Note: The
U.S. has not contributed to the present PRRO, which is
valued at U.S. $6.6 million, and covers the period July 2002-
December 2003. End note.
7. These projects are implemented by a variety of national
and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
including Refugee and Migrant Services of Albania, Albanian
Association of Women Heads of Households and Islamic Relief
Worldwide, as well as local governments through the Communal
Forestry and Pasture Users' Association.
8. In one slum of Tirana, that rivaled the worst in the
developed world, one woman noted that food assistance was
the best currency because her husband could not use it to
buy alcohol (unlike cash) and that WFP and its NGO partner
monitoring were effective deterrents to selling food aid in
the market.
9. During the visit to rural Albania, one woman on a
community road building project told Ambassador Hall: "we're
not just poor, we're very very poor," and one local official
stated that "life is getting worse, not better."
The official provided this as the principal reason for
deciding not to run for re-election in the next month's
local elections. Note: Although Albania remains among
Europe's poorest nations, these two sites are notable in
remaining untouched by the economic growth and development
experienced by other mainly urban parts of the country, and
are among the worst examples of the pockets of serious
poverty that remain in Albania and are not illustrative of
overall conditions here. End note.
10. The US Government has donated approximately U.S. dollars
(USD) 360 million to Albania on a bilateral basis since
1992. Additionally, the US has donated USD 175.6 million to
WFP since 1997 to feed the hungry in the region. Of this,
USD 22 million was specifically for Albania.
11. During a press conference on August 26 in Tirana,
Ambassador Hall announced that the US Department of
Agriculture (USDA),through the George McGovern-Robert Dole
International Food for Education and Child Nutrition
Program, was awarding a grant of up to USD 4.2 million to
feed approximately 32,000 Albanian school children through
the American NGO, Mercy-USA for Aid and Development. This
grant is one of 21 USDA-managed programs to be approved
worldwide with FY 2003 funding. Depending upon additional
resources and performance, this funding could be approved
for up to seven more years. Note: Although the official
announcement had been made in Washington on August 15, the
news had not reached Albania by the time of the press
conference. End note. OF 03 ROME 004158
AIDAC
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME
AMEMBASSY TIRANA FOR AMBASSADOR JEFFREY, DCM ZATE AND USAID
DIRECTOR BIRNHOLZ
USAID/W FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, D/A SCHIECK, AA/DCHA
WINTER, AA/E&E HILL AND DDA MORSE, DCHA/D/FF
--------------
Need for a continuing humanitarian focus
--------------
12. A number of social "tripwires" were discussed in
meetings that Ambassador Hall and Embassy representatives
held with UN and NGO personnel, as follows:
-lack of access to justice for groups of people in need;
-lack or poor capacity in management and leadership skills
of local government authorities;
-limited access to basic health services;
-difficulties accessing clean water;
-general poor state of (rural) roads;
-growing youth migration abroad;
-human trafficking;
-low employment among women;
-discrimination against marginalized and vulnerable groups
of women; and
-negative impact of "blood feuds" in certain regions of the
country.
--------------
Comment
--------------
13. WFP's food assistance efforts are effectively reaching
the chronic hungry poor and should continue beyond 2003. US
Mission will dialogue with WFP Headquarters on expanding EU
donor support. As one elderly man participating in a WFP
food-for-work road building project told me, "America has
been a close friend to Albania, not just economically, but
also politically. Thank you for this project and for all of
the other help." Our aid to those in need truly goes a long
way and often, we do not have to wait long to see the fruits
of our labor. Hall
NNNN
2003ROME04158 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
SIPDIS
AIDAC
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME
AMEMBASSY TIRANA FOR AMBASSADOR JEFFREY, DCM ZATE AND USAID
DIRECTOR BIRNHOLZ
USAID/W FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, D/A SCHIECK, AA/DCHA
WINTER, AA/E&E HILL AND DDA MORSE, DCHA/D/FFP LANDIS
STATE FOR P U/S GROSSMAN, IO A/S HOLMES, A/S PRM DEWEY, A/S
EUR JONES, IO/EDA BEHREND
USDA/FAS FOR U/S PENN AND CHAMBLISS
USMISSION GENEVA FOR AMBASSADOR MOLEY AND USAID/KYLOH
NSC FOR JDWORKEN
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID AORC PREF EAGR AL EU WFP UN
SUBJECT: Ambassador Tony P. Hall in Albania meets regional
leaders and visits WFP sites.
--------------
Summary
--------------
1. US Ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and
Agriculture, Tony Hall, visited Albania from August 22-26,
2003. He came at the invitation of Members of the Albanian
Parliament and the European regional office of the World
Food Program. He participated in the first "Balkan
Gathering" with Albanian President Alfred Moisiu, Macedonian
President Boris Trajkovski and other politicians from this
troubled region. He then visited some of the hungry poor
who benefit from projects run with food aid provided by the
World Food Program. End summary.
-------------- --------------
Background - First Balkan "Gathering" - "You can choose a
friend but neighbors are given to you by God"
-------------- --------------
2. A group of Albanian parliamentarians from different
political parties and on behalf of the Speaker of the
Parliament of Albania, organized the first "Balkan
Gathering" in Durres and Tirana on August 22-23. The
Gathering served to bring together people and leaders from
all the branches of the governments of the Balkans.
Congressman Frank Wolf and Ambassador Hall were the two
keynote speakers. Other participants included Albanian
President Alfred Moisiu; Macedonian President Boris
Trajkovski; Dragan Kalinic, Speaker of the Parliament of the
Srbska Republic of Bosnia; Prime Minister of Kosovo, Barjam
Rexhepi; and other politicians from this troubled region.
Vice President of the German Bundestag Norbert Lammert
attended, as did Norwegian Parliamentarian Lars Rise and ex-
Austrian Government official Josef Hochtl.
3. A "gathering" of Albanians, Macedonians, Bosnians,
Kosovars, Montenegrins, Serbs, and Croats - including
current and future leaders in government, academia and
business - would have been unthinkable a decade ago, at the
height of the war in Bosnia. It provides hope for the
region and the world that reconciliation and forgiveness
have begun among people long divided by hatred. "I am
excited by what I witnessed this past weekend, with former
enemies calling one another brother and sister. I was
encouraged by those who came together in the spirit of
friendship," commented Ambassador Hall. President of
Macedonia Trajkovski remarked: "We know now how to disagree
(in a peaceful and diplomatic way) and have begun to build
bridges rather than fences." A somber note was struck by Ms.
Flora Brovina, poet and MP from Kosova: "the word
forgiveness does not yet exist in the vocabulary of this
region."
4. Bundestag Vice President Lammert summed up Europe's three
desires for the Balkans: a) stability - "If the West doesn't
stabilize the East, the East will destabilize the West;" b)
prosperity - if not, then the specter of massive emigration;
and c) identity - the Bosphorus defines the geographic
limits of Europe.
--------------
Looking at the social safety net
--------------
5. Ambassador Hall, together with US Congressman Frank Wolf,
US Mission/Rome Special Assistant Max Finberg and
Humanitarian Attache Tim Lavelle, Embassy Tirana Emboff and
USAID Deputy Director, WFP regional director for Europe,
Saeed Malik, and WFP country director for Albania, MushtaqE AND USAID
DIRECTOR BIRNHOLZ
USAID/W FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, D/A SCHIECK, AA/DCHA
WINTER, AA/E&E HILL AND DDA MORSE, DCHA/D/FFP LANDIS
STATE FOR P U/S GROSSMAN, IO A/S HOLMES, A/S PRM DEWEY, A/S
EUR JONES, IO/EDA BEHREND
USDA/FA
Qureshi, visited programs that provide food to vulnerable
women in Tirana and La, food-for-work building roads in
Milot and Postribe and a communal forestry project in
Kallmet.
6. Under its protracted relief and recovery (PRRO) operation
"Assistance to Vulnerable Groups in the Construction of
Community Assets," WFP focuses on communal forestry and
pasture management, social sector assistance and community
asset building. Food-for-Work (FFW) is used for
reconstruction of rural roads, desilting of irrigation
channels, installation of electric lines and poles, and
placement of water systems. Recently, the PRRO reached 2,415
beneficiaries under the communal forestry project, 1,790
women attended training and counseling sessions under the
social sector component and another 2,180 laborers engaged
in FFW infrastructure schemes. WFP's objective is to reach
monthly 10,900 of the poorest Albanian households. Note: The
U.S. has not contributed to the present PRRO, which is
valued at U.S. $6.6 million, and covers the period July 2002-
December 2003. End note.
7. These projects are implemented by a variety of national
and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
including Refugee and Migrant Services of Albania, Albanian
Association of Women Heads of Households and Islamic Relief
Worldwide, as well as local governments through the Communal
Forestry and Pasture Users' Association.
8. In one slum of Tirana, that rivaled the worst in the
developed world, one woman noted that food assistance was
the best currency because her husband could not use it to
buy alcohol (unlike cash) and that WFP and its NGO partner
monitoring were effective deterrents to selling food aid in
the market.
9. During the visit to rural Albania, one woman on a
community road building project told Ambassador Hall: "we're
not just poor, we're very very poor," and one local official
stated that "life is getting worse, not better."
The official provided this as the principal reason for
deciding not to run for re-election in the next month's
local elections. Note: Although Albania remains among
Europe's poorest nations, these two sites are notable in
remaining untouched by the economic growth and development
experienced by other mainly urban parts of the country, and
are among the worst examples of the pockets of serious
poverty that remain in Albania and are not illustrative of
overall conditions here. End note.
10. The US Government has donated approximately U.S. dollars
(USD) 360 million to Albania on a bilateral basis since
1992. Additionally, the US has donated USD 175.6 million to
WFP since 1997 to feed the hungry in the region. Of this,
USD 22 million was specifically for Albania.
11. During a press conference on August 26 in Tirana,
Ambassador Hall announced that the US Department of
Agriculture (USDA),through the George McGovern-Robert Dole
International Food for Education and Child Nutrition
Program, was awarding a grant of up to USD 4.2 million to
feed approximately 32,000 Albanian school children through
the American NGO, Mercy-USA for Aid and Development. This
grant is one of 21 USDA-managed programs to be approved
worldwide with FY 2003 funding. Depending upon additional
resources and performance, this funding could be approved
for up to seven more years. Note: Although the official
announcement had been made in Washington on August 15, the
news had not reached Albania by the time of the press
conference. End note. OF 03 ROME 004158
AIDAC
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME
AMEMBASSY TIRANA FOR AMBASSADOR JEFFREY, DCM ZATE AND USAID
DIRECTOR BIRNHOLZ
USAID/W FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, D/A SCHIECK, AA/DCHA
WINTER, AA/E&E HILL AND DDA MORSE, DCHA/D/FF
--------------
Need for a continuing humanitarian focus
--------------
12. A number of social "tripwires" were discussed in
meetings that Ambassador Hall and Embassy representatives
held with UN and NGO personnel, as follows:
-lack of access to justice for groups of people in need;
-lack or poor capacity in management and leadership skills
of local government authorities;
-limited access to basic health services;
-difficulties accessing clean water;
-general poor state of (rural) roads;
-growing youth migration abroad;
-human trafficking;
-low employment among women;
-discrimination against marginalized and vulnerable groups
of women; and
-negative impact of "blood feuds" in certain regions of the
country.
--------------
Comment
--------------
13. WFP's food assistance efforts are effectively reaching
the chronic hungry poor and should continue beyond 2003. US
Mission will dialogue with WFP Headquarters on expanding EU
donor support. As one elderly man participating in a WFP
food-for-work road building project told me, "America has
been a close friend to Albania, not just economically, but
also politically. Thank you for this project and for all of
the other help." Our aid to those in need truly goes a long
way and often, we do not have to wait long to see the fruits
of our labor. Hall
NNNN
2003ROME04158 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED