US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO409

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000409 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS 
NSC FOR DORMANDY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, MV, Maldives, Tsunami 
SUBJECT: MALDIVES: FORMER PRESIDENTS BUSH AND CLINTON 
DISCUSS POST TSUNAMI STRATEGY WITH PRESIDENT GAYOOM 
 
REF: COLOMBO 301 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary:  In a February 21 briefing and luncheon, 
former Presidents George H.W. Bush and William J. Clinton 
heard about the tsunami's impact on Maldives and the 
Government of the Republic of Maldives' plans for on-going 
relief and long-term reconstruction.  During the entire 
five-hour visit, Presidents Bush and Clinton had an 
opportunity to discover first-hand the geography -- and 
associated challenges -- that makes Maldives unique.  As 
highlighted by President Gayoom when he hosted the U.S. 
visitors to lunch on a resort island, the Maldives' tourism 
industry is open for business and a return to pre-tsunami 
tourist levels will help the island nation in its recovery. 
End Summary. 
 
2.  (U) During the February 21 visit of Presidents Bush and 
Clinton to Maldives, the two former U.S. leaders heard about 
the challenges of governing and communicating within a 
country that has more water than land within its borders and 
whose citizens are scattered among some two hundred inhabited 
islands covering 1,100 kilometers.  Traveling via both 
motorcades and boatcades, the U.S. delegation learned that it 
takes longer to transit between islands than to drive around 
the capital island of Male'. 
 
A plan to redevelop 
------------------- 
 
3.  (U) After a tour of the National Management Disaster 
Center -- the tsunami relief operations center for the 
Government of the Republic of Maldives (GORM) located on 
Male' -- the two former Presidents listened to a short 
briefing on the tsunami's impact on Maldives.  Notable during 
the briefing were the logistical and redevelopment challenges 
imposed by the country's geography.  The briefer outlined the 
GORM's island rehabilitation and enhancement plan. 
Highlights of the briefing included: 
 
- 190 out of 199 inhabitated islands suffered flooding, 
- 13 inhabitated islands had to be completely evacuated, 
- 19 out of 87 resorts were shut down, 
- Total loss estimated at 62 percent of GDP, 
- Houses on 67 islands require repair or reconstruction, 
- Voluntary migration aimed at consolidating the population 
on to less-affected islands, and 
- Reconstruction costs over three years estimated at USD 406 
million or 54 percent of GDP. 
 
Both U.S. Presidents were impressed with the 
comprehensiveness of the government's strategy. 
 
Post-tsunami needs and challenges 
--------------------------------- 
 
4. (SBU) At a luncheon at Kurumba Maldives, a nearby island 
resort, President Gayoom discussed with Presidents Bush and 
Clinton some of the more serious implications of the tsunami. 
 Similar to President Clinton's description of people in 
Indonesia, Gayoom said the soil on the islands was inundated 
with saline water and it would take several years before the 
soil and agricultural plants were again viable.  The 
Maldivian President added that Maldivians were also praying 
for the monsoon rain to replenish the water tables now full 
of saline water, saying that fresh water was a priority for 
the islands in the initial weeks and months following the 
tsunami.  Ambassador Lunstead added that U.S. Marines had 
 
SIPDIS 
provided over 300,000 gallons of fresh water to some of the 
affected islands. 
 
5.  (SBU) Gayoom said that reverse osmosis desalinization 
plants were one of the major sources of fresh water on many 
islands.  In response, President Clinton described several 
different small-scale technologies for water purification 
that might be less expensive than desalinization units and 
offered to provide information about the manufacturers to 
President Gayoom.  President Clinton added that he hoped the 
world would learn new processes from tsunami reconstruction 
efforts that could then be used throughout the developing 
world.  When President Bush asked what businesses needed 
assistance, President Gayoom said that many small businesses 
needed help, including those in the retail sector, in 
addition to the fishing and tourism industries.  President 
Gayoom said Maldives had lost 140 fishing boats.  Many boats 
were being repaired locally, but replacement engines all had 
to be imported. 
 
6.  (U) In response to a query from President Bush about 
World Bank activity, President Gayoom highlighted the Bank's 
assessment of tsunami damage during a visit to some of the 
most severely affected islands.  Gayoom added that the UN 
would oversee efforts to manage the aid distribution with 
transparency and accountability. 
 
Strengthening the bilateral relationship 
---------------------------------------- 
 
7.  (U) On a more wide-ranging subject, President Clinton 
said he was hoping for more foreign students to study in the 
United States.  President Gayoom spoke at length about the 
GORM's emphasis on education, noting, for example, that only 
30 students sat for the Year 10 exam in 1978, compared with 
over 7,000 students at present.  Gayoom said that most school 
lessons were conducted in English and Maldivians were more 
comfortable in that language than any other, save for their 
indigenous language of Dhivehi.  Ambassador Lunstead added 
that most Maldivians went to either the UK or Australia for 
post-secondary education, but we were hoping to attract more 
Maldivian students to the U.S.  Our Fulbright program which 
was established in 2004 now had its first sets of scholars in 
both countries, and we had recently opened our American 
Corner in Male'.  All of this was part of our heightened 
engagement with Maldives. 
 
Send tourists, tourists, and more tourists 
------------------------------------------ 
 
8.  (U) The stop at Kurumba for the lunch and subsequent 
joint press conference underscored for the former Presidents 
the Maldives' economic dependence on tourism.  Presidents 
Bush and Clinton both said they realized that the return of 
tourists would significantly enhance the GORM's economic 
ability to cope with tsunami disaster. 
 
9.  (U) Former Presidents Bush and Clinton did not have the 
opportunity to clear this cable. 
 
LUNSTEAD