VZCZCXRO9367
RR RUEHCD RUEHHO RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS
DE RUEHME #0274/01 0271410
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271409Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0225
RUEHC/USAID WASHDC 0003
INFO ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 000274 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
HAITI EARTHQUAKE TASK FORCE 
USAID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA 
WHA ROBERTA JACOBSON 
NSC DAN RESTREPO 
WHA/MEX EWDWARD LEE 
WHA/CAR V DE PIRRO 
IO/UNP B NARANJO 
IO/UNP M GARUNCKIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID MX HA PREL PHUM
SUBJECT: Mexico Steps Up on Haitian Earthquake Relief 
 
REF: 10 STATE 4090; 10 STATE 4208; 10 STATE 4854 
 
MEXICO STEPS UP ON HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF 
 
 
 
¶1.    Poloff called the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) 
January 21 to express thanks to the GOM for Mexico's abundant 
assistance efforts following the Haiti earthquake.  Poloff 
encouraged the SRE to register the GOM's efforts with the United 
Nation's Financial Tracking System, designed for the organization 
and distribution of international donations.  The GOM's efforts in 
responding to the Haiti disaster demonstrate a willingness to 
assume a wider role in dealing with these kinds of crises. 
 
 
 
¶2.    Poloff conveyed to SRE Director for Technical Cooperation 
with Latin America and the Caribbean, Sonya Gonzalez, the USG's 
thanks for the enormous outpouring of charitable efforts from the 
GOM and Mexican people in response to the earthquake in Haiti. 
Various Embassy offices (e.g. AID, ODC) worked closely with the GOM 
in coordinating delivery of Mexico's assistance.  SRE Director for 
Programs of National Execution, Nadi Cruz, told Poloff January 21 
that the GOM had raised $8 million USD to donate directly to the 
United Nations.  In addition to this financial contribution, the 
GOM responded with the following: 
 
 
 
*         The day following the earthquake, President Calderon held 
a press conference calling on all Mexicans to demonstrate their 
solidarity with Haitians by making donations to the Mexican Red 
Cross and announcing the GOM's assistance package to Haiti. 
 
 
 
*         SRE deployed an Initial Damage Assessment Team to 
determine assistance package requirements.  The Civil Protection 
Chief of Emergency Management was deployed along with approximately 
40 Mexican search and rescue personnel, water distribution 
personnel, and two generators.  The search-and-rescue personnel 
began drawing down last week, returning to Mexico City aboard a 
Mexican Navy aircraft. 
 
 
 
*         The Mexican Air Force (MAF) flew two C-130 aircrafts to 
move GOM personnel to and from Haiti.  The aircraft will fly any 
additional missions necessary.  A "Phase-D" Team (consisting of 
kitchen support, search and rescue teams, dogs, specially trained 
handlers and other unidentified entities) is on standby for 
deployment. 
 
 
 
*         The Mexican Navy (SEMAR) also deployed the hospital ship 
"Huasteco," which arrived in Haiti on January 20.  The vessel has 
an ambulance helicopter and 400 tons of supplies, 25 doctors, 100 
tons of food, light generators, mobile kitchens, four water 
purification plants, and three large tents on-board. 
 
 
 
*         Additionally, the SEMAR ship Papaloapan left Mexico City 
January 22, with the expectation that it will arrive in Haiti 
Wednesday, January 27.   The ship is carrying two Mi-17 
helicopters, 38 tons of food, medicine, and supplies, such as 
blankets and sleeping mats. 
 
 
 
*         SEMAR also deployed a CASA 295 fixed-wing transport 
aircraft to support personnel on the ground.  The Mexican Navy ship 
 
MEXICO 00000274  002 OF 002 
 
 
Oaxaca stands on alert for deployment if needed. 
 
 
 
*         The Mexican Red Cross has already positioned 8,000 tons 
of food in the city of Veracruz, and it sent a shipment of 120 tons 
January 21. 
 
 
 
¶3.    Poloff informed Cruz that the UN Office for Coordination of 
Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) established a Financial Tracking 
System (FTS) to catalogue and distribute international donations, 
and asked Cruz whether SRE had registered Mexico's donations.  Cruz 
said that the SRE had an outdated website that it had used to 
register donations on a much smaller-scale during previous 
disasters, but that keeping track of all the Haiti contributions 
had overwhelmed the office. 
 
 
 
¶4.    Cruz understood the importance of international coordination 
and told Poloff she would make an effort to begin documenting 
contributions made through SRE, other GOM agencies, and the Red 
Cross, before conveying them to the FTS.  Poloff sent Cruz and 
Director General for Technical and Scientific Cooperation, Maximo 
Romero Jimenez, a more detailed description of the FTS and a link 
to the website.   Poloff also suggested that the GOM designate one 
national non-governmental organization that could receive 
individual donations and register them in the FTS. 
 
 
 
¶5.    Cruz expressed frustration to Poloff that the SRE had faced 
difficulty contacting JTF Haiti to reschedule a landing time for 
the GOM's C-130, which will carry additional food and supplies to 
Haiti.  While originally scheduled to land in Haiti on January 22, 
the C-130 was delayed, unable to depart on-time, and lost its 
original landing time.  It was rescheduled for January 27 at 
approximately 2:00 am after countless calls to JTF Haiti, according 
to Cruz.  Poloff reiterated that the Port-au-Prince airport now 
averaged over 100 flights a day, three to four times the pre-crisis 
numbers, simply jamming the airport with landings.  Cruz said 
Mexico would greatly appreciate being informed of whether any new 
cancellations that would allow the GOM's C-130 an earlier arrival. 
(Note: To facilitate the SRE's efforts to secure landing times for 
its planes, the GOM needs to establish an on-the-ground liaison 
officer with the UN and JFT Haiti and not try to coordinate 
disaster assistance from SRE Mexico City.  End note.) 
 
 
 
¶6.       Comment:   Mexico has been working with us and in 
international fora to create an institutionalized capacity to 
respond to disasters on the international scene; its effort in this 
instance has demonstrated an increased political will to tap that 
capacity.  End comment. 
 
MINIMIZE CONSIDERED 
FEELEY