OUTPOURING OF LITHUANIAN SUPPORT FOR TSUNAMI

UNCLAS VILNIUS 000008 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/NB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AEMR EAID PGOV LH SUBJECT: OUTPOURING OF LITHUANIAN SUPPORT FOR TSUNAMI VICTIMS REF: SECSTATE 959 ¶1. We delivered reftel points encouraging assistance for the victims of the December 26 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami to Diana Mickeviciene of MFA's Asia and Pacific SIPDIS Division on January 4. Mickeviciene said that the GOL will likely announce on January 5 plans to contribute 150,000 Litas (USD 60,000) from its reserve fund to the Lithuanian Red Cross's special account for victims. She added that the Vilnius Municipality will contribute a further 100,000 Litas (USD 40,000) to the account. Lithuania's Red Cross reports that, to date, more than 900 private donors have contributed an additional 155,000 Litas (USD 62,000) to the account. Caritas, a charity affiliated with the Catholic Church, has collected nearly 12,000 Litas (USD 5,000) in private donations. ¶2. There were no Lithuanian casualties from the events of December 26. ¶3. Comment: Given the absence of Lithuanian casualties and this country's relative poverty (second-lowest per-capita income in the EU),the outpouring of assistance from the government and private citizens here strikes us as generous. KELLY