TAIWAN USING NGOS FOR IRAQI HUMANITARIAN AID

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 000372

SIPDIS

STATE PASS AIT/W

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV TW
SUBJECT: TAIWAN USING NGOS FOR IRAQI HUMANITARIAN AID

Classified By: AIT Director Douglas Paal; Reasons: 1.4 (B/D)


1. (C) Summary. Taiwan has been active since 2003 providing
Iraq humanitarian assistance and educational training through
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in cooperation with
the NGO Mercy Corps. Taipei is eager to become more involved
politically and economically in Iraq, but has been forced to
use NGOs to coordinate its aid programs because Baghdad would
not accept direct aid from Taiwan due to objections from
Beijing. MOFA officials also assert that PRC NGOs in Iraq
were instructed by Beijing to disrupt Taiwan-NGO activities.
Taiwan officials claim that their aid projects are not
politically motivated, but admit MOFA is considering the
feasibility of establishing an office in Iraq once the
security situation improves. Taipei believes its joint
MOFA-NGO programs in Iraq have been successful and plan
increasingly to use this model of cooperation as an avenue
for Taiwan to be more active abroad and counter Beijing's
global isolation campaign. End summary.

Blocked By the PRC
--------------


2. (C) Taiwan wants to become more involved politically and
economically in Iraq, but MOFA's Section Chief for West Asian
Affairs Sami Leu told AIT that the political situation there
is too "difficult." Leu said that Taipei would like to be
active in Iraq because there are considerable Taiwanese
interests at stake, but admitted that Taipei must be
cautious. Leu claimed that direct aid was offered to
Baghdad, but it was refused because of concerns over a strong
reaction in Beijing. Leu lamented that Taiwan's options in
Iraq are limited because of PRC influence. He said MOFA is
studying the feasibility of opening an office in Iraq, but
right now the security situation is too problematic. Leu
also informed AIT that the August 2004 offer by Nechervan
Barzani, the Prime Minister of the Kurdish regional
government, to allow Taipei to establish an office in
Kurdistan was still being considered, but not likely to
happen.

Forced to Use NGOs
--------------


3. (C) Due to pressure from Beijing, Taiwan has been forced
to seek out NGO partners to act as intermediaries for its aid
to Iraq. Michel Ching-long Lu, Chairman of MOFA's NGO
Affairs Committee and the Ministry's Spokesperson, told AIT
that Taiwan's aid efforts would be blocked by the PRC and
that using NGOs was Taipei's only viable option. Lu said
Taiwan is still encountering problems in Iraq using NGOs.
For instance, he said that PRC NGOs have been instructed to
work against Taipei's efforts to coordinate with NGOs in
Iraq. Lu added that when Taiwan tries to work with aid
organizations, Beijing even pressures groups such as Kiwanis
and Rotary to shun Taipei. Lu explained that Taiwan's
activities and work with Mercy Corps is a core part of
Taipei's strategy to establish alliances with international
NGOs and stay active around the world.

The Love From Taiwan Project
--------------


4. (C) MOFA has been using the international NGO Mercy Corps
to coordinate its primary aid campaign in Iraq called "Love
From Taiwan." Owen Hsieh, Deputy Executive Secretary of
MOFA,s Research and Planning Board, which approves aid
projects, told AIT that Taiwan has found Mercy Corps a useful
partner and that the relationship allows both parties to
fulfill a mutual interest in Iraq. Hsieh said Taiwan's
efforts in Iraq began in April 2003 when several Taiwan NGOs
were solicited to take part in the aid campaign with Mercy
Corps. The campaign collected 27 containers of material aid
including food, health supplies, construction materials, and
provided agriculture assistance to small communities in
Eastern Iraq. MOFA also raised approximately $1 million for
Mercy Corps' "Community Action Initiative" and, in
partnership with Taiwan's Ministry of Education, is providing
scholarships for Iraqi students to come to Taiwan and is
rebuilding damaged schools. Mercy Corps handles the
distribution of aid and coordinates the construction efforts
on the ground for MOFA.

The IT Action in Iraq Project
--------------


5. (C) MOFA is also funding a $400,000 project called "IT
Action in Iraq" to establish internet centers in Northern
Iraq and provide IT training to Iraqi students and teachers.
MOFA Research and Planning officer Josephine Lee told AIT
that the program is providing ten schools with internet
centers and working with over 5000 students and 500 teachers.
Lee said this is an ongoing project and is also being
facilitated by Mercy Corps. She added that MOFA had hoped
that Taiwan officials could take part in the aid efforts in
Iraq, but that security concerns, not Beijing, had kept MOFA
personnel out of Iraq. Thus far, she said, Taiwan has only
been able to send an officer from TECRO in Amman to
inaugurate a center associated with the grant, and that
officer stayed in Iraq for only two weeks.

Expanding the NGO Model
--------------


6. (C) Taiwan officials believe that increasing cooperation
with NGOs will help Taipei find a way to break free from
Beijing's efforts to isolate Taiwan in the global community.
MOFA's Lu told AIT that officials were pleased with the
results of their work with Mercy Corps and view it as a model
for what Taiwan would like to do in the future. Lu said this
MOFA-NGO cooperation would be one model for future Taiwan
humanitarian assistance. Research and Planning's Lee
explained that Mercy Corps is also satisfied and wants
additional projects funded in Iraq and will likely propose a
new project in February, which the Research and Planning
Board will consider. Lu remarked that it was difficult to
say whether Taiwan will have additional funds to spend on
Iraq and added that Taipei is not trying to promote any
political aims.

Comment: No Other Choice
--------------


7. (C) The fact that Taipei is having difficulties working
with NGOs to provide humanitarian aid in Iraq is one more
indicator of the breadth -- and the effectiveness -- of
Beijing's efforts to isolate Taiwan. Taiwan is reaching out
to NGOs because it has been unsuccessful in its efforts to
join international organizations, largely because of PRC
influence. Taiwan diplomats see working with NGOs as a
possible avenue for multi-lateral diplomacy. Despite
assurances from MOFA to the contrary, it is likely that MOFA
is trying to use these humanitarian projects to promote its
interests in Iraq and pursue the possibility of establishing
some sort of relationship with Baghdad. Taipei is also
trying to gain as much leverage as possible from its aid
programs in Iraq. The "Love From Taiwan" campaign was used
by MOFA as a public relations effort and was the subject of a
conference in December 2004 complete with distinguished
guests and press.
PAAL