VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMD #0203/01 0541730
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 231730Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1990
INFO RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0554

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