CZECH ASSISTANCE FOR HAITI - VIA CHANNELS OTHER

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000084 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/CE, STATE FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID AEMR ECON EFIN PREL EZ HA SUBJECT: CZECH ASSISTANCE FOR HAITI - VIA CHANNELS OTHER THAN FORCE GENERATION FOR MINUSTAH REF: A. STATE 12558 ¶B. 28 JANUARY 2010 PRAGUE DAILY ¶C. PRAGUE 42 ¶D. PRAGUE 26 ¶1. (SBU) Following up on earlier reporting as to Czech humanitarian assistance for Haiti (Ref B-D),emboff spoke with both the Czech MFA and MoD to see if the GoCR was contemplating assistance to the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). An officer at the Czech MoD Joint Operations Center stated that while the Czechs had met to discuss support for MINUSTAH recently, given the MoD's existing military commitments, they decided they are not in a position to support this peacekeeping mission. -------------- Czech Assistance Remains Via Humanitarian Channels -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Czech MFA Humanitarian Aid department officer Hana Volna, who is leading government coordination efforts on Haiti relief, told emboff that the Czechs have transferred 5M CZK (USD 276,243) to UNICEF (Ref B) and plan to provide additional humanitarian assistance worth 15M CZK (USD 828,729) via other humanitarian channels during the "recovery phase" since the UN Flash Appeal has already been fully funded. Thompson-Jones