Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ISLAMABAD15728
2005-10-19 12:50:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:  

PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE: NEXT STEPS

Tags:  EAID PK PREL SENV 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 015728 

SIPDIS

FROM THE AMBASSADOR
KABUL PLEASE PASS CFC-A

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2015
TAGS: EAID PK PREL SENV
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE: NEXT STEPS


Classified By: AMBASSADOR RYAN C. CROCKER. REASONS: 1.4(B)(D).

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 015728

SIPDIS

FROM THE AMBASSADOR
KABUL PLEASE PASS CFC-A

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2015
TAGS: EAID PK PREL SENV
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE: NEXT STEPS


Classified By: AMBASSADOR RYAN C. CROCKER. REASONS: 1.4(B)(D).


1. (C) Eleven days into Pakistan's earthquake disaster,
substantial U.S. assistance continue to encourage the
Pakistani public and give confidence to the government that
it has strong international backing as it confronts the worst
catastrophe in its history. Over the next several days, a
U.S. military engineering company and field hospital will
deploy into the affected area, strengthening the sense of an
ongoing, reliable relief effort. The Pakistani government,
led by the military, has responded well to this crisis,
demonstrating an impressive organizational ability, both in
Islamabad and in the quake area.


2. (C) That is the good news. The reality is that the
magnitude of the damage and the inhospitable terrain in which
the quake occurred will mean that Pakistan and the
international community must stay focused on the relief
effort for the weeks and even months ahead. The human losses
are almost unbelievable with the government now estimating
more than 60,000 dead and many more than that injured. The
remote, isolated locations of many of the villages compound
the difficulty of delivering effective relief, and we are
only a few weeks away from the onset of winter in a
mountainous area where several hundred thousand are without
shelter. Some in the international community--and in
Pakistan--are already talking about a shift from relief to
reconstruction. If we start backing away from relief
operations, a lot more people are going to die.


3. (C) As I judge it from here, the overall international
response has been less than impressive. The United Nations
was slow to engage on this crisis, and its response remains
lackluster. As of today, for example, only four U.N.
helicopters are operating in country. The UNSYG is basically
missing in action. He has not visited Pakistan, nor has he
done much to signal that earthquake relief is a top U.N.
priority. From our contacts here, I sense that other donors
are looking at what the U.N. is doing and deciding on that
basis that there is no need to be overly generous.


4. (C) Against this backdrop, I am concerned that the Geneva
Donors Conference on October 26 will not be a success. The
Europeans in particular are lagging, and the press here is
speculating that grants from the European Union collectively
or its members bilaterally may reflect simply a reprogramming
of existing aid commitments.


5. (C) To sustain the momentum that we and the Pakistani
government are developing, and to prevent this devastated
region from sliding into a fresh disaster, I recommend three
steps:

-- a call to Kofi Annan to spark a more energetic U.N.
effort. In particular, Annan should visit Pakistan
immediately and/or personally chair the Geneva Conference.

-- a call to Jack Straw, both as our leading European ally
and because of the UK's EU presidency to assess the extent of
European commitments and to urge more robust pledges.

-- a decision now by Washington to commit $150 million in new
funds to the relief and reconstruction effort.


6. (C) It is hard to overstate the magnitude of this
disaster and its potential impact. We have gotten off to a
very good start, but it is only a start. What we do and what
we are able to get others to do in the coming days will be
critical to determining what happens to hundreds of thousands
of people, the way in which the government of Pakistan and
its supporters are perceived by the people of this country
and for the image of the U.S. and the West in the Muslim
world.
CROCKER