SPAIN CONTINUES TO LEAD HAITI ASSISTANCE EFFORTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000203

SIPDIS

ALEXANDRA MCKNIGHT AND STACIE ZERDECKI, EUR/WE
USEU FOR BARBARA THOMAS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2020
TAGS: PREL PGOV HA MARR EAID
ASEC, EFIN, KPKO, SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN CONTINUES TO LEAD HAITI ASSISTANCE EFFORTS

REF: A. STATE 12558

B. MADRID 195

C. MADRID 87

D. MADRID DAO IIR 6 889 0116 10

E. MADRID 146

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Arnold A. Chacon, for reasons 1.
4(b) and (d).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Spanish assistance to Haiti in the wake
of the January 12 earthquake has been swift and generous. As
of February 18, Spain had sent 26 planes bearing humanitarian
supplies, and deployed a total of 450 including physicians,
nurses, and engineers as well as security forces aboard the
amphibious ship Castilla. Spanish Guardia Civil (GC)
deployed to MINUSTAH have overcome an initial
misunderstanding over their UN credentials. Spain is already
providing significant enabling support and assets and, acting
in its EU presidency capacity, has offered the EU the use of
its humanitarian base in Panama for coordinating further EU
assistance. AID Administrator-equivalent Soraya Rodriguez
further invited her EU counterparts, gathered in Spain on
February 17, to make use of Spain's humanitarian
infrastructure in Haiti. Though it is difficult to compare
cash vs. in-kind and ongoing vs. post-earthquake aid, Spain's
estimated net contributions of 158.861 million Euros (USD 215
million dollars) make it the third largest contributor to the
Haiti relief effort. Additional information regarding
Spanish contributions to Haiti reconstruction may be found
beginning at paragraph 5, and for a discussion of financial
contributions, see paragraph 8. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) Spain's hospital-equipped ship Castilla departed
Cadiz January 22 and anchored off Port Goave the morning of
February 4 (ref D). While not a hospital ship, per se, the
Castilla has been outfitted to help address medical needs
following the earthquake in Haiti, with 68 beds onboard plus
surgical equipment, two medical teams, a medical support team
with a pharmacy, psychological, dental, veterinary, and
preventive medicinal services. In total, 45 medical
personnel are available of the total of 425 Spanish personnel
deployed. Spain's Congress authorized a maximum deployment
of 450 troops the week of February 17.


3. (C) The Embassy has engaged with the GOS at all levels
about support for Haiti and MINUSTAH on numerous occasions
over the past few weeks, including with Second Vice President
Fernandez de la Vega (ref D),who represented Spain at donor
meetings in Santo Domingo and Montreal. Regarding a
reconstituted MINUSTAH, Secretary of State for IberoAmerican
Affairs Juan Pablo de Laiglesia told WHA A/S Valenzuela on
February 1 that Spain was positively inclined to accept and
work within the new structure (ref B). According to Spanish
MFA Subdirector General for Security Affairs Manuel Acerete,
Spain is currently participating in MINUSTAH with 23 Civil
Guards (GC),who arrived onboard the Castilla February 4.
Acerete confirmed press reports they were not permitted to
disembark for more than a week due to a lack of proper UN
authorization, a probable consequence of the improvisational
emergency nature of the Defense Ministry's mission plan.
(NOTE: Acerete told Pol-Mil officer February 19 that though
the GC had been credentialed and were permitted to report to
MINUSTAH, they were not yet fully integrated into
peacekeeping operations. End note.) These GC represent a
specially trained crowd control unit, in response to requests
for national contributions of formed police units (FPUs) in
coordination with similar units or platoons of French
gendarmes and Italian carabinieri.


4. (C) In response to reftel A requests for enabling support
for other troop contributing countries (TCCs) Acerete
reiterated existing Spanish commitments including significant
enabling assets deployed: reconstruction engineers as well
as the hospital vessel and its four helicopters. He expected
EU conversations scheduled for February 22 to include an
offer to use Spanish facilities in Haiti for ongoing
reconstruction and peacekeeping efforts.


5. (SBU) Additional relief contributed by Spain spans a wide
range of assistance including material, military, sanitary,
economic, private, and more. Military personnel included 40
Military Emergency Unit Agents, 37 rescue specialists with 15
sniffer dogs, the aforementioned 23 Civil Guards, and 58
people were sent over for data assessment and analysis of
critical needs. In terms of sanitation personnel, 39 surgeons
and traumatology experts lent their expertise to the Haitians
in need. Spain's economic assistance has been extensive and
includes 30 million Euros (USD 40.5 million dollars) in debt
forgiveness, 6 million Euros (USD 8.1 million dollars) for
urgent humanitarian assistance, 5 million Euros (USD 6.76
million dollars) in a non-reimbursable loan to be used to
finance the purchase of goods and reconstruction projects,
upwards of 26 million Euros (USD 35.1 million dollars) given
to a number of multilateral organizations including the World
Food Program (WFP),UNICEF, the UN Population Fund, among
others. The Spanish Council of Ministers specifically
approved 13.3 million Euros (USD 18 million dollars) in GOS
funds for the WFP. Autonomous Spanish Communities and City
Halls have contributed close to 6 million Euros (USD 8.1
million dollars) in either cash or goods.


6. (SBU) Beyond the scope of Spanish government agencies, NGO
donations from Spain have also played a integral part in
emergency relief and reconstruction efforts. Over 30 million
Euros (USD 40.5 million dollars) were sent to Haiti from
Spanish NGOs, which is 50 percent more than for the tsunami
that hit Indonesia in 2004. Citizen contributions collected
by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and
Development total 1.6 million Euros (USD 2.2 million dollars)
so far.


7. (SBU) Even prior to the earthquake, Spain has historically
and consistently participated as a significant donor to
Haiti. Past foreign assistance figures illustrate the
longstanding commitment Spain has made to the development
effort and socio-economic progress needed in Haiti. In 2005,
Spain sent over 10 million dollars (7.4 million Euros) in
donor aid. This figure increased annually and in 2008, Spain
sent over 45 million dollars (33.3 million Euros). The 2008
figure represents more than 8 percent of all bilateral aid
sent to Haiti in that year, third behind the United States
and Canada. In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is
currently revving up Spanish adoptions of Haitian children, a
program started before the earthquake.


8. (SBU) Spanish government sources report 158.861 million
Euros (USD 215 million dollars) in emergency and
reconstruction aid (some of which dates back to December
2009) as of February 19. The Spanish Embassy in Washington
has indicates that this figure does not include another 35
million Euros to be applied to the IADB water fund; as of
February 19, this had yet to be approved. Nor does the USD
215 million dollar figure reflect the cost of emergency
equipment, the costs and maintenance of the Castilla,
increased MINUSTAH deployment, etc. Regardless of how it is
counted, the breadth of Spain's methodical and multifaceted
contribution to Haiti's relief effort conveys its
long-lasting commitment to the development and reconstruction
of the country.
SOLOMONT