VZCZCXRO1156
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHBS #0723/01 1421432
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221432Z MAY 09
FM USEU BRUSSELS
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000723 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PRM FOR NHASTINGS AND AWENDT 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PHUM PK PREF SOCI
SUBJECT: EC RESPONSE TO PAKISTAN IDP CRISIS 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 50276 
     ¶B. BRUSSELS 651 AND 547 
 
BRUSSELS 00000723  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶1. USEU Brussels delivered reftel demarche to European 
Commission officials the week of May 18, including EC 
Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) Director General Zangl. 
EC officials share USG concerns regarding number of IDPs; 
strain on existing camps and families hosting IDPs, and need 
to provide health services, shelter, and food.  ECHO 
officials referenced an IDP figure of roughly 1.5 million, 
which they will use as their point of reference.  They cited 
great pressure on families hosting IDPs as an on-going 
concern.  ECHO finds General Nadeem to be well placed to lead 
Pakistan's efforts and noted an overall positive performance 
reaching remote areas following the 2005 earthquake.  The EU 
has established a Pakistan task force on the ground through 
its delegation in Islamabad.  Its task force will request a 
meeting with General Nadeem. 
 
¶2. ECHO recently released USD 50.5 million in annual funding 
for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.  UN agencies and the 
International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) will receive 
the bulk of the funding.  Assistance will target protection 
activities; water and sanitation; shelter; food assistance; 
response to small-scale natural disasters; provision of air 
transport (for aid workers and aid); and security information 
and advice for humanitarian organizations. Specific 
objectives: 
--Objective 1 (USD 29 M): To provide protection, relief and 
assistance to vulnerable people affected by the consequences 
of the conflicts and natural disasters in Afghanistan, Iran 
and Pakistan. 
--Objective 2 (USD 7 M): To provide essential support 
services to humanitarian organizations, with a focus on 
coordination and advocacy, the provision of air transport and 
security information/advice. 
--Objective 3 (USD 10.6 M): To provide food assistance for 
highly food insecure populations in Afghanistan. 
 
¶3.  This week, ECHO provided an additional USD 7.7 M for 
humanitarian assistance covering only Pakistan.  Although it 
has not finalized specific numbers, most of the funds will go 
to ICRC. There will also be some level of support for UNHCR, 
WFP, and OCHA for coordination. ECHO is considering sending a 
needs assessment mission to Pakistan from their Kabul office 
(ECHO/Kabul follows Pakistan at field level). Their mission 
will seek to clarify and paint a more comprehensive picture 
of who is doing what and where, particularly regarding NGOs. 
Ultimately, for ECHO, access and monitoring are most 
important along with coordination among stakeholders. ECHO is 
currently preparing a situation report and they will share 
that with us. 
 
¶4.  The European Union will host the first EU-Pakistan Summit 
on June 17 in Brussels. Internal EU discussions are underway 
about possible deliverables. The EU is looking at short, 
medium, and long-term options for increasing trade.  In the 
 
BRUSSELS 00000723  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
short term, they will focus on technical assistance, in the 
medium term on GSP-plus, and in the long run on a Free Trade 
Agreement. The EU also hopes to use the Summit to get 
Pakistan on board with implementing the recommendations of 
the EU's 2008 Election Observation Mission to Pakistan. In 
the counter-terrorism arena, the EU's focus will be 
institutional - including technical assistance to improve the 
judiciary, police, and rule of law. The Summit will likely 
also conclude side agreements on aviation, fisheries, and 
anti-dumping. An EU contact noted that a number of EU member 
states (including Denmark and Sweden) cannot by law provide 
direct budget support to Pakistan, which was requested at a 
recent Democratic Friends of Pakistan meeting in Abu Dhabi. 
These countries would prefer to work through a trust fund, 
such as the proposed World Bank-led Frontier Trust Fund. The 
Czechs, holders of the current EU Presidency, have not 
decided who will represent them at the summit and Pakistan 
will not decide whom to send until they know who will 
represent the Czechs, according to an EU contact. 
 
MURRAY 
.