GERMANY INCREASES HAITI ASSISTANCE TO 10 MILLION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 000080 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR A/S GORDON FROM AMBASSADOR MURPHY, FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN PGOV PHUM PREL UN GM HA SUBJECT: GERMANY INCREASES HAITI ASSISTANCE TO 10 MILLION EUROS REF: A. STATE 5277 ¶B. BERLIN 50 ¶C. BERLIN 71 BERLIN 00000080 001.3 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Mission Germany is actively engaging the German government and public on Haiti following the January 12 earthquake, and has formed an internal task force to coordinate our initiatives. As part of our efforts, I would like to update you on our outreach activities, the German government's relief efforts, and the German media reaction to the U.S. handling of the crisis. The German government has just increased humanitarian assistance to Haiti to 10 million euros. German media coverage of U.S. relief efforts in Haiti has been positive. END SUMMARY. UPDATE ON GERMAN ASSISTANCE -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On January 19, Germany announced an additional 2.5 million euros in food aid for Haiti, bringing the total German contribution to 10 million euros. The MFA is contributing half of this total for emergency assistance, including food, water, health, and emergency shelter, and is disbursing funds via German NGOs operating on the ground in Haiti. In addition, the German Agency for Technical Relief (THW) has deployed a team of four experts in the fields of logistics, water, communications and construction to Haiti. A separate THW team has provided two water purification devices to supply drinking water for up to 60,000 people. The German Red Cross has set up a hospital in Port-au-Prince with 150,000 beds, which can handle 700 outpatients per day. The German government has promised an additional mobile clinic. ¶3. (SBU) The 5 million euros contributed by BMZ will go towards food aid, 1 million euros of which will be channeled via the German development implementing agency GTZ, and 4 million euros via the World Food Program (WFP). According to BMZ officials, Germany's humanitarian contributions to Haiti are counted as part of the 400 million euros pledged by the EU. ¶4. (SBU) The German government's Humanitarian Aid Coordinating Committee discussed the situation in Haiti on January 19. The Committee decided to expand German relief efforts beyond Port-au-Prince, particularly into Leogane and Jacmel. Following the meeting, the MFA's Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid, Guenter Nooke, stressed the importance of "laying the foundations for functioning infrastructure and making a contribution to sustainable development all across the country." The Committee's next meeting will be February 17. More German assistance will be forthcoming pending a UN needs assessment. We also understand the Ministry of Defense, which has thus far not been involved, is discussing possible contributions. GERMAN CITIZENS IN HAITI -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The MFA reports that German citizens are among the dead and injured in Haiti. Sixteen Germans missing, and there is one confirmed death. The MFA's regional doctor is now on the ground in Haiti. The MFA is also sending additional personnel to staff the German Embassy in Port-au-Prince. GERMAN MEDIA COVERAGE -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Thus far, German media coverage of U.S. efforts in Haiti has been very positive. (REF A) German reporting from Haiti has spotlighted the central role played by the United States, and in particular by the U.S. military. With words as well as images, broadcast and print media have conveyed the message: the U.S. is at the heart of the effort to alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people. Editorial commentary has focused on the centrality of the American BERLIN 00000080 002.3 OF 002 contribution and has done so in a way that is largely free of negative spin. This stance is summed up by two sentences from a January 19 editorial in the left-of-center Berlin daily "Tagesspiegel": "The world should be grateful to the U.S. for bearing the responsibility in Haiti. Complaints (about what the U.S. is doing) are inappropriate." MISSION GERMANY ENGAGEMENT -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Since the day following the January 12 earthquake, my staff has been in constant contact with MFA and BMZ officials to collect information on the German government response. This contact is ongoing, and we plan to provide frequent updates on German efforts. (REF B, REF C) ¶8. (SBU) We are also reaching out to the German public. On January 18, at two high-profile events, I emphasized the U.S. commitment to Haiti, both immediate and long-term, and characterized U.S. assistance in Haiti as part of a global effort involving close cooperation with many partners. The first of the events was a town hall-style discussion session with German high school students, which was covered by two television stations and a major weekly magazine. The second was an event in Berlin previewing the 2010 Munch Security Conference. I was one of two featured guests; the other was Germany's Minister of Defense. An audience of over 300 -- a virtual "who's who" of the German foreign and security policy community including several members of the Bundestag -- heard my remarks. The event was covered by journalists from every major media outlet in Germany. On January 19, I mentioned Haiti in my remarks at an Embassy luncheon that brought together the leadership of Germany's largest opposition party, the Social Democratic Party (SPD). These opposition leaders praised our efforts and thanked us for all we have done thus far. I also spoke at a gathering of the Berlin Club of Merchants and Industrialists, a group of Berlin's leading businesspeople. Today, I conveyed our Haiti message at an Embassy reception for new members of the Bundestag. Of course, Mission staff members, including at the five Consulates, are including Haiti in remarks they are delivering. ¶9. (SBU) Finally, we have formed an internal Haiti Task Force to coordinate our efforts on Haiti Mission-wide. MURPHY