Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BRUSSELS723
2009-05-22 14:32:00
UNCLASSIFIED
USEU Brussels
Cable title:
EC RESPONSE TO PAKISTAN IDP CRISIS
how-toVZCZCXRO1156 PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHBS #0723/01 1421432 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 221432Z MAY 09 FM USEU BRUSSELS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN PRIORITY RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA PRIORITY RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR PRIORITY RUEHKU/AMEMBASSY KUWAIT PRIORITY RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY RUEHMK/AMEMBASSY MANAMA PRIORITY RUEHMS/AMEMBASSY MUSCAT PRIORITY RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE PRIORITY RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM PRIORITY RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000723
SIPDIS
PRM FOR NHASTINGS AND AWENDT
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PHUM PK PREF SOCI
SUBJECT: EC RESPONSE TO PAKISTAN IDP CRISIS
REF: A. SECSTATE 50276
B. BRUSSELS 651 AND 547
BRUSSELS 00000723 001.2 OF 002
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000723
SIPDIS
PRM FOR NHASTINGS AND AWENDT
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PHUM PK PREF SOCI
SUBJECT: EC RESPONSE TO PAKISTAN IDP CRISIS
REF: A. SECSTATE 50276
B. BRUSSELS 651 AND 547
BRUSSELS 00000723 001.2 OF 002
1. USEU Brussels delivered reftel demarche to European
Commission officials the week of May 18, including EC
Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) Director General Zangl.
EC officials share USG concerns regarding number of IDPs;
strain on existing camps and families hosting IDPs, and need
to provide health services, shelter, and food. ECHO
officials referenced an IDP figure of roughly 1.5 million,
which they will use as their point of reference. They cited
great pressure on families hosting IDPs as an on-going
concern. ECHO finds General Nadeem to be well placed to lead
Pakistan's efforts and noted an overall positive performance
reaching remote areas following the 2005 earthquake. The EU
has established a Pakistan task FORCE on the ground through
its delegation in Islamabad. Its task FORCE will request a
meeting with General Nadeem.
2. ECHO recently released USD 50.5 million in annual funding
for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. UN agencies and the
International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) will receive
the bulk of the funding. Assistance will target protection
activities; water and sanitation; shelter; food assistance;
response to small-scale natural disasters; provision of AIR
transport (for aid workers and aid); and security information
and advice for humanitarian organizations. Specific
objectives:
--Objective 1 (USD 29 M): To provide protection, relief and
assistance to vulnerable people affected by the consequences
of the conflicts and natural disasters in Afghanistan, Iran
and Pakistan.
--Objective 2 (USD 7 M): To provide essential support
services to humanitarian organizations, with a focus on
coordination and advocacy, the provision of AIR transport and
security information/advice.
--Objective 3 (USD 10.6 M): To provide food assistance for
highly food insecure populations in Afghanistan.
3. This week, ECHO provided an additional USD 7.7 M for
humanitarian assistance covering only Pakistan. Although it
has not finalized specific numbers, most of the funds will go
to ICRC. There will also be some level of support for UNHCR,
WFP, and OCHA for coordination. ECHO is considering sending a
needs assessment mission to Pakistan from their Kabul office
(ECHO/Kabul follows Pakistan at field level). Their mission
will seek to clarify and paint a more comprehensive picture
of who is doing what and where, particularly regarding NGOs.
Ultimately, for ECHO, access and monitoring are most
important along with coordination among stakeholders. ECHO is
currently preparing a situation report and they will share
that with us.
4. The European Union will host the first EU-Pakistan Summit
on June 17 in Brussels. Internal EU discussions are underway
about possible deliverables. The EU is looking at short,
medium, and long-term options for increasing trade. In the
BRUSSELS 00000723 002.2 OF 002
short term, they will focus on technical assistance, in the
medium term on GSP-plus, and in the long run on a Free Trade
Agreement. The EU also hopes to use the Summit to get
Pakistan on board with implementing the recommendations of
the EU's 2008 Election Observation Mission to Pakistan. In
the counter-terrorism arena, the EU's focus will be
institutional - including technical assistance to improve the
judiciary, police, and rule of law. The Summit will likely
also conclude side agreements on aviation, fisheries, and
anti-dumping. An EU contact noted that a number of EU member
states (including Denmark and Sweden) cannot by law provide
direct budget support to Pakistan, which was requested at a
recent Democratic Friends of Pakistan meeting in Abu Dhabi.
These countries would prefer to work through a trust fund,
such as the proposed World Bank-led Frontier Trust Fund. The
Czechs, holders of the current EU Presidency, have not
decided who will represent them at the summit and Pakistan
will not decide whom to send until they know who will
represent the Czechs, according to an EU contact.
MURRAY
.
SIPDIS
PRM FOR NHASTINGS AND AWENDT
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PHUM PK PREF SOCI
SUBJECT: EC RESPONSE TO PAKISTAN IDP CRISIS
REF: A. SECSTATE 50276
B. BRUSSELS 651 AND 547
BRUSSELS 00000723 001.2 OF 002
1. USEU Brussels delivered reftel demarche to European
Commission officials the week of May 18, including EC
Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) Director General Zangl.
EC officials share USG concerns regarding number of IDPs;
strain on existing camps and families hosting IDPs, and need
to provide health services, shelter, and food. ECHO
officials referenced an IDP figure of roughly 1.5 million,
which they will use as their point of reference. They cited
great pressure on families hosting IDPs as an on-going
concern. ECHO finds General Nadeem to be well placed to lead
Pakistan's efforts and noted an overall positive performance
reaching remote areas following the 2005 earthquake. The EU
has established a Pakistan task FORCE on the ground through
its delegation in Islamabad. Its task FORCE will request a
meeting with General Nadeem.
2. ECHO recently released USD 50.5 million in annual funding
for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. UN agencies and the
International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) will receive
the bulk of the funding. Assistance will target protection
activities; water and sanitation; shelter; food assistance;
response to small-scale natural disasters; provision of AIR
transport (for aid workers and aid); and security information
and advice for humanitarian organizations. Specific
objectives:
--Objective 1 (USD 29 M): To provide protection, relief and
assistance to vulnerable people affected by the consequences
of the conflicts and natural disasters in Afghanistan, Iran
and Pakistan.
--Objective 2 (USD 7 M): To provide essential support
services to humanitarian organizations, with a focus on
coordination and advocacy, the provision of AIR transport and
security information/advice.
--Objective 3 (USD 10.6 M): To provide food assistance for
highly food insecure populations in Afghanistan.
3. This week, ECHO provided an additional USD 7.7 M for
humanitarian assistance covering only Pakistan. Although it
has not finalized specific numbers, most of the funds will go
to ICRC. There will also be some level of support for UNHCR,
WFP, and OCHA for coordination. ECHO is considering sending a
needs assessment mission to Pakistan from their Kabul office
(ECHO/Kabul follows Pakistan at field level). Their mission
will seek to clarify and paint a more comprehensive picture
of who is doing what and where, particularly regarding NGOs.
Ultimately, for ECHO, access and monitoring are most
important along with coordination among stakeholders. ECHO is
currently preparing a situation report and they will share
that with us.
4. The European Union will host the first EU-Pakistan Summit
on June 17 in Brussels. Internal EU discussions are underway
about possible deliverables. The EU is looking at short,
medium, and long-term options for increasing trade. In the
BRUSSELS 00000723 002.2 OF 002
short term, they will focus on technical assistance, in the
medium term on GSP-plus, and in the long run on a Free Trade
Agreement. The EU also hopes to use the Summit to get
Pakistan on board with implementing the recommendations of
the EU's 2008 Election Observation Mission to Pakistan. In
the counter-terrorism arena, the EU's focus will be
institutional - including technical assistance to improve the
judiciary, police, and rule of law. The Summit will likely
also conclude side agreements on aviation, fisheries, and
anti-dumping. An EU contact noted that a number of EU member
states (including Denmark and Sweden) cannot by law provide
direct budget support to Pakistan, which was requested at a
recent Democratic Friends of Pakistan meeting in Abu Dhabi.
These countries would prefer to work through a trust fund,
such as the proposed World Bank-led Frontier Trust Fund. The
Czechs, holders of the current EU Presidency, have not
decided who will represent them at the summit and Pakistan
will not decide whom to send until they know who will
represent the Czechs, according to an EU contact.
MURRAY
.