VZCZCXRO9137
OO RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #1210/01 1540943
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 030943Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3040
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0408
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0524
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 5007
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 1757
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 7357
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 6301
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUMICEA/USCENTCOM INTEL CEN MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 3993
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 9531

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 001210 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM EAID PTER PGOV PINR PK
SUBJECT: ICRC TO LAUNCH PRELIMINARY APPEAL TO PROVIDE 
FULL,SHORT-TERM SUPPORT OF ADDITIONAL 500,000 IDPS 
 
REF: A. ISLAMABAD 1201 
     ¶B. ISLAMABAD 1079 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  The International Committee of the Red 
Cross (ICRC) is likely to issue at least a preliminary appeal 
by June 5 for not less than an additional USD 40 million to 
almost double its program in Pakistan.  The expanded program, 
intended to be massive in scale but limited in time, would 
support an additional 250,000 non-camp IDPs in June and a 
total of 500,000 IDPs in July.  ICRC would use its additional 
funding to provide support to IDPs in Malakand, Buner, and 
Mardan, as well as those coming out of Waziristan and 
conflict-affected people in Swat.  ICRC also currently 
operates, and would continue to operate, a total of six IDP 
camps in Dir, Malakand and Swabi.  The planned expanded 
program would result in an increase in ICRC,s expatriate 
staff from 110-115 to approximately 190 and its local staff 
from 750 to 1,200.  ICRC will also continue to cooperate with 
the hundreds of volunteers of the Pakistan Red Crescent and 
with other national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies 
whose programs in Pakistan will also increase.  End Summary. 
¶2. (SBU) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) 
is likely to issue by June 5 at least a preliminary appeal 
for funding (not less than USD 40 million) to almost double 
its program in Pakistan.  The primary focus of the expanded 
program will be delivery of relief assistance wherever the 
need is greatest in Malakand, Buner, and Mardan, but ICRC 
will also increase its presence in Swat and is gearing up to 
assist expected IDPs from Waziristan, in addition to the camp 
and hosted IDP populations it already serves in Dir, Malakand 
and Swabi. 
¶3. (SBU) ICRC Delegation Head Pascal Cuttat, who just a few 
weeks ago had taken the position that program expansion would 
be ill-advised, said that ICRC and the Pakistan Red Crescent 
are now both of the opinion that a greater response is 
required despite the risks.  ICRC,s intention is to provide 
a massive relief response over a limited time period by 
supporting an additional 250,000 IDPs outside of camps in 
June and a total of 500,000 IDPs by July.  ICRC would provide 
food, non-food items, and health services, as well as shelter 
and water/sanitation as required, whether the IDPs choose a 
camp or non-camp setting.   It will procure most relief items 
locally.  (Cuttat noted that water/sanitation provision in 
Pakistan requires more supervision and capacity-building by 
expatriates than in many other countries.)  Cuttat hopes that 
after July the ICRC program will be able to scale back down 
as IDPs return home and other humanitarian agencies move in. 
¶4. (SBU) ICRC is now functioning with a USD 50 million 
Pakistan budget (of which $11 million was unfunded as of 
about May 27).  With an additional $40 million, ICRC intends 
to roughly double its program in terms of services delivered 
but will not double staff.  ICRC in Pakistan is currently 
staffed by 110-115 expats, 750 local staff, and the 
cooperation of hundreds of Pakistan Red Crescent volunteers. 
 Cuttat would expect to bring in about 80 additional expats 
(for a total of about 190) and to bring ICRC national staff 
up to about 1,200.  Cuttat does not/not expect to maintain 
this staffing level over the entire next year but will push 
hard to staff up quickly for a limited time.  ICRC is 
confident of its ability to implement its expanded program. 
It has already mobilized a rapid deployment unit of about 20 
expatriates who will arrive in days to launch the expansion. 
ICRC is putting among its best and most experienced people 
into this effort, particularly in its choice to open a new 
office in D.I. Khan (currently head of the London office) and 
its choice of humanitarian coordinator for the surge 
(currently head of the delegation in Budapest).  The 
humanitarian coordinator will ensure that ICRC,s program is 
well coordinated, without overlap or surprises, with other 
relief efforts, particularly those of the UN. 
¶5. (U) ICRC,s new IDP support effort will be in addition to 
the support it currently provides to approximately 60,000 
IDPs:   2,000-3,000 IDP families in its 4 camps in Dir, 1,200 
hosted families also in Dir, 2,000-3,000 IDP families in its 
two camps in Malakand, and roughly 3,000 families in Shah 
 
ISLAMABAD 00001210  002 OF 002 
 
 
Mansour camp in Swabi. 
¶6. (SBU) ICRC intends to open a small office in D.I. Khan in 
about ten days and plans, as part of its expanded program, to 
support 50,000 to 100,000 IDPs from Waziristan.  ICRC has a 
fixed wing aircraft and has been pushing hard for access to 
the five airstrips in North and South Waziristan, so far 
without success.  The ICRC plane is able to fly into D.I. 
Khan, however.   Cuttat acknowledged that lack of permission 
to fly into Waziristan thus far was undoubtedly due to the 
military,s security concerns stemming from the anti-aircraft 
capability of the militants. 
¶7. (SBU) National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 
including some already present (i.e. the American, British, 
Canadian, and German societies), are also willing to expand 
their programs.  On June 5, ICRC will coordinate with 
national societies in Geneva to ensure security protocols, 
mobilization, administration and coordination requirements 
are met.  (Note:  Cuttat said that neither ICRC nor the 
American national society has American citizens working in 
Pakistan for security reasons.)  National societies will 
cover unmet needs of a few thousand families in a small area 
east of the Indus in Northwest Frontier Province and will 
also help with ICRC,s already established program and 
operate with host communities in relatively safe areas such 
as Swabi.  ICRC currently operates six camps including Shah 
Mansour Camp which currently has more than 21,000 IDPs in 
Swabi and is one of few camps with additional capacity.  ICRC 
will focus over the next few days on stabilizing Shah Mansour 
to prevent flooding when rains begin. 
¶8. (SBU) With enhanced funding, ICRC will also establish a 
surgical field hospital in Quetta, as it has in Peshawar. 
ICRC is already treating 200 individuals a month in Quetta in 
private hospitals. 
 
 
 
PATTERSON