SPANISH PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF EFFORTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 003793 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR SA AND EUR/WE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PHUM PREL PK SP SUBJECT: SPANISH PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF EFFORTS REF: SECSTATE 195483 ¶1. (SBU) ESTHOFF made reftel points October 24 to Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) Technical Cabinet Director Dolores Martin Villalba, asking for information on earthquake-related assistance already provided to Pakistan and encouraging Spain to announce further contributions at the October 26 Geneva Donors Conference. Martin Villalba briefed ESTHOFF October 27 on Spanish earthquake assistance to Pakistan. ¶2. (U) The Spanish assistance effort, according to Martin Villalba, began on October 10, two days after the Pakistan earthquake. On that day, AECI dispatched a Boeing 757 with 40 Spanish relief officials and 8 tons of materiel. The officials included nine firefighters from a special Valencian emergency unit and 27 medical personnel from the Madrid region. The medical personnel deployed near the city of Arja while the firefighters deployed near the city of Muzafarabad. The flight also contained three "sniffer dogs" to support the firefighters and two outdoor mobile hospitals to support the medical personnel. ¶3. (U) On October 11, AECI dispatched an Ilyusin 76 containing two relief vehicles and 20 tons of materiel (i.e., medicines, stretchers, wheelchairs, generators, blankets, footwear, tarps, tents, body bags, and MREs). The vehicles, (ambulances donated by the Madrid emergency services),were turned over to the Pakistani Health Ministry. ¶4. (U) The original 40 Spanish relief officials rotated out on October 21 and were replaced by 38 new officials, who traveled to Pakistan with an X-ray machine, a water purification plant, and additional medicines and MREs. ¶5. (U) The total cost of the Spanish relief effort is estimated at 800,000 euros. This figure includes transport costs and the actual value of the relief supplies delivered to Pakistan. Four regional governments participated in the effort (i.e., Catalonia, Valencia, Extremadura, and Madrid), as did several Spanish NGOs. ¶6. (U) COMMENT: Spain is providing additional assistance via the NATO relief effort. The Spanish Congress approved October 26 the GOS's plan to send 370 troops (mostly engineers) to Pakistan to participate in the NATO mission there. MANZANARES