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OO RUEHIK
DE RUEHRL #0080/01 0210640
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 210640Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6320
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE IMMEDIATE 0004
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO IMMEDIATE 0004
RUEHDF/AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF IMMEDIATE 0270
RUEHFT/AMCONSUL FRANKFURT IMMEDIATE 8364
RUEHAG/AMCONSUL HAMBURG IMMEDIATE 0358
RUEHLZ/AMCONSUL LEIPZIG IMMEDIATE 0264
RUEHMZ/AMCONSUL MUNICH IMMEDIATE 2235
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
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