US embassy cable - 04RANGOON1421

UNCLAS RANGOON 001421 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, BANGKOK FOR USAID/RDM ASIA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, EAID, PREL, PGOV, BM, NGO 
SUBJECT: ECHO COMING TO BURMA 
 
REF: RANGOON 1386 
 
1. (U)  Summary:  The EU plans to open a Rangoon branch of 
the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) by the end 
of this year to monitor and supplement the considerable 
humanitarian assistance it currently provides for Burma 
programs from Bangkok and Brussels.  According to one 
Bangkok-based EC diplomat, if all goes well, and EU member 
states approve, ECHO will be the forerunner to a full EC 
delegation office in Rangoon.  In the meantime, the UK is 
looking at providing additional assistance if and when the 
GOB's human rights policies improve.  End Summary 
 
2. (U)  During course of the United Nations Population Fund's 
October 11-13 program in Upper Burma for the diplomatic 
community (reftel), the Charge d'affaires of the European 
Commission delegation in Bangkok (Cauwenbergh) told poloff 
that ECHO will set up shop in Rangoon by the end of 2004. 
 
3. (U)  The Commission and the GOB have both given a green 
light to the proposal, which has long been in the planning 
stage.  ECHO will channel its assistance to Burma largely 
through INGOs and other international organizations, as does 
the Commission.  Cauwenbergh added that the ECHO branch will 
be opened and initially managed by a contract employee 
without diplomatic status, but is envisioned as a forerunner 
to a fully accredited European delegation facility.  The 
eventual up-grade to a full delegation office has not yet 
been approved by EU member states, cautioned the Charge. 
 
4. (U)  He said the European Commission currently provides 
some euros 25 million annually (USD 31-32 million) for Burma 
programs.  (Note:  Some of these funds go to organizations 
working with Burmese refugees in Thailand. End note.)  ECHO 
will likely have a separate assistance portfolio of "several 
million euros."  Whether the latter funds will come from the 
existing budget, or supplement it, was not clear. 
Nevertheless, he expressed hope that on-the-ground monitoring 
would lead to more effective utilization of the EU's overall 
assistance funds. 
 
5. (SBU)  Comment:  The UK is the only EU member state to 
have a Rangoon-based foreign assistance professional working 
in its local Embassy (from the Department for International 
Development--DFID).  The DFID official (Rurik Marsden) is 
assessing economic assistance needs and capacities in civil 
society for absorbing and using foreign assistance.  He is 
currently putting the finishing touches on a country plan for 
Burma--concentrating on health care, HIV/AIDs, basic 
education, improving livelihoods in rural areas, and 
democratization---to have ready "in case of political 
changes" and related improvements in human rights.  In 
addition, the UK has pledged sterling 10 million over three 
years to the United Nations' "Fund for HIV/AIDS in Myanmar" 
(FHAM), which is also supported by Norway and Sweden.  An 
officer in another EU member state embassy recently mused 
about how much of the EU's foreign assistance funds are 
siphoned off by the generals, and expressed hope that the 
presence and attention of ECHO staff will lead to closer 
monitoring of the considerable amounts of money flowing here 
from Brussels.  End comment. 
Martinez