VZCZCXRO3732
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHRL #0887 2031612
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 221612Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4678
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 0076
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 0149
RUEHDF/AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF PRIORITY 0233
RUEHFT/AMCONSUL FRANKFURT PRIORITY 8110
RUEHAG/AMCONSUL HAMBURG PRIORITY 0319
RUEHLZ/AMCONSUL LEIPZIG PRIORITY 0230
RUEHMZ/AMCONSUL MUNICH PRIORITY 2084
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1515
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0804

UNCLAS BERLIN 000887 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/E (HAMILTON, FIERST), EEB/IFD/ODF (SCOTT), 
EEB/TPP/ABT/ATP (CLEMENTS) IO/EDA AND EUR/CE (SCHROEDER) 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID EFIN PREL PHUM PREF DJ ER ET GM KE SO
UG 
SUBJECT: GERMANS SHARE U.S. CONCERNS OVER HUMANITARIAN 
CRISIS IN EAST AFRICA 
 
REF: STATE 70789 
 
¶1. (SBU) Embassy Berlin A/DCM conveyed U.S. concerns over the 
urgent humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya to 
State Secretary Peter Ammon of the German Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs.  He urged Germany to join the United States in 
stepping up contributions to avoid a further deterioration of 
conditions in the region. 
 
¶2. (SBU) In a companion meeting, Bernhard Kampmann, Head of 
the Humanitarian Task Force, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
told Embassy Berlin Acting Economic Minister-Counselor that 
Germany shared U.S. concerns and had a similar assessment of 
the situation.  Germany has pushed the EU to focus more on 
East Africa, Kampmann explained.  Germany provides 20 percent 
of the EU's humanitarian assistance to the region, which has 
thus far this year totaled 13 million euros in Somalia, 11 
million euros in Kenya, and 6 million euros in Ethiopia. 
Kampmann said this was about half what the EU planned to 
spend for the year.  As for bilateral contributions, Kampmann 
said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide 4.7 million 
euros for Somalia and 1 million euros for Kenya in 2009. 
There has not yet been a contribution for Ethiopia this year. 
 Kampmann confirmed that the MFA has primary responsibility 
for emergency humanitarian assistance, while the Ministry of 
Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) generally focuses 
on longer-term projects. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Germany is "strong on the ground" in Somalia, 
according to Kampmann, and would like the EU to focus more on 
the country.  He said the EU's Political and Security 
Committee (PSC) discusses Somalia at every meeting, and that 
the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) 
will take it up in September.  Germany is helping to 
reconstruct a hospital in Puntland, and is contributing to a 
1-million euro project to improve the port of Mogadishu 
geared towards facilitating World Food Program (WFP) 
distribution.  He added that the EU's ATALANTA mission, to 
which Germany contributes, also provides protection for the 
WFP.  Kampmann remarked that the USG is demonstrating a 
higher level of support for the Somalia's Transitional 
Federal Government (TFG), and Germany is following the U.S. 
lead.  Kampmann said Germany will "look for additional funds 
for Somalia," and will also "push the EU to do more." 
 
¶4. (SBU) Kampmann acknowledged a shortfall in funding for the 
Common Appeals Process (CAP) for Somalia, but noted the 
problem with security for distribution.  Germany supports 
142,000 Somali refugees at a desert camp in east Yemen, 
however, as well as urban refugees in Aiden.  There are 
currently 250,000-280,000 refugees in a Kenyan camp built for 
100,000.  It might be an advantage if the CAP were regional 
rather than country-specific, said Kampmann.  He added that 
he plans to raise this idea in Geneva when he travels there 
for the final ECOSOC meetings this week. (COMMENT: Germany 
seems to prefer looking at funding for Somalia on a 
regionalized basis, as this would reflect a more robust 
German approach to the Somalian refugee crisis.) 
 
¶5. (SBU) Kampmann had the impression that the United States 
emphasized food assistance at the expense of medical 
assistance.  Noting our higher contributions to the former, 
he inquired as to the reasons for the discrepancy.  Acting 
EMIN detailed U.S. contributions on the medical side as 
provided in reftel and assured German interlocutors that both 
objectives are important to the U.S. Post would appreciate 
further guidance on Kampmann's question. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Reftel points were also shared with contacts at the 
German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) 
and Agriculture Ministry (BMELV); Embassy will provide 
additional information as it becomes available. 
Bradtke