US embassy cable - 05ROME2049

UNCLAS  ROME 002049 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FROM U.S. MISSION TO THE UN AGENCIES 
 
STATE FOR U/S P NBURNS, A/S PA SMCCORMACK 
STATE FOR IO A/S PDIBBLE, DAS RMILLER, DAS MLAGON, IO/EDA, 
IO/PPC, PRM A/S ADEWEY 
USDA/FAS FOR U/S JPENN, JBUTLER, MCHAMBLISS AND LREICH 
USAID FOR DAA/DCHA WGARVELINK, DCHA/OFDA, DCHA/FFP, AID/LPA 
AF/E, AF/PDPA, R, IIP, PA 
NSC FOR EABRAMS, JMELINE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KPAO, OPRC, EAGR, AORC, PHUM, EAID, PREF, SU, LY, XA, FAO, WFP 
SUBJECT: UN WORLD FOOD PROGRAM, ROME-BASED MEDIA REACT 
POSITIVELY TO $674 MILLION AID PACKAGE FOR AFRICA 
 
 
1. (U) Summary: Outreach to World Food Program, UN 
diplomats and locally based international and Italian 
journalists garnered positive reaction to last week's 
Presidential announcement of an aid package to Africa. In 
response to Mission efforts to highlight the 
Administration's initiative, WFP Executive Director James 
Morris praised the United States for its efforts in 
alleviating hunger, and AP, BBC, Bloomberg and Italian 
media ran coverage. End Summary. 
 
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APPRECIATION FROM THE UN 
------------------------ 
2. (U) Following the President's announcement of a new U.S. 
initiative toward poverty in Africa (reftel), Ambassador 
Hall asked for agenda time at the annual session of the 
Executive Board of the United Nations World Food Program 
(WFP) to announce the new U.S. emergency aid package in 
Rome. "This essential aid will save millions of people," he 
emphasized. 
 
3. (U) In response, WFP Executive Director James Morris was 
generous in his praise of the announcement and the support 
from the U.S. and the UK. "Clearly on behalf of World Food 
Program, I express my most profound gratitude to the U.S. 
and the UK for this announcement...This will be an 
incredible boost to our efforts in the Horn of Africa and 
in the continent." 
 
4. (U) Morris pointed out the recent increase in U.S. 
humanitarian aid. "In the last few years the U.S. has 
tripled its support for our work in Africa and doubled its 
overall development budget," he said. "This will touch 
millions of people. This is a very ambitious response to a 
tough problem." 
 
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COVERAGE FROM THE PRESS 
----------------------- 
 
5. (U) Mission's PAO also received an enthusiastic response 
to a press release distributed on the local angle of the 
aid package. An Associated Press release headlined with 
"U.S. famine aid package to be given immediately; package 
wins U.N. praise." AP picked up a post-generated press 
release that focused on comments made by Ambassador Hall 
during the World Food Program regular Executive Board 
session and reaction by Executive Director James Morris on 
the aid package. 
 
6. (U) AP quoted the following: "'Additional funds from the 
United States for the World Food Program's work in Africa 
will answer the prayers of millions of hungry mothers and 
children,' James Morris, executive director of the U.N. 
agency, said in a statement. 'It comes just in time to 
avert massive loss of life from hunger, especially in 
Ethiopia and Eritrea.'" AP also wrote: "The announcement by 
Bush raises U.S. funding for humanitarian crises in Africa 
to more than US $2 billion (euro 1.62 billion), the World 
Food Program said. The United Kingdom's support totals some 
US$300 million (euro 243.43 million), the agency said." 
 
7. (U) Both the AP story and USUN Rome's press release were 
translated into Italian and subsequently picked up by Il 
Velino, an Italian wire service that included Morris' 
praise of the new injection of funds along with Ambassador 
Hall's call for other countries to increase donations. 
 
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AMBASSADOR INTERVIEWS 
------------------------------ 
 
8. (U) BBC Radio Today, with more than 6 million listeners, 
also interviewed the Ambassador this past weekend during a 
 
 
segment where he was coupled with the Ethiopian Ambassador 
to the UK to discuss the aid package and the agreement by 
G8 ministers on debt relief. Ambassador Hall emphasized the 
U.S. commitment to Africa and discussed the aid package as 
having an immediate impact on saving lives. 
 
9. (U) Mission also took advantage of the World Food 
Program's Walk the World event, on Sunday, June 12, where 
walks took place in 90 countries to raise awareness and 
money for school feeding programs. PAO set up an interview 
for the Ambassador with Bloomberg local agency chief. 
Bloomberg subsequently ran a story on the U.S. Mission's 
participation. 
 
10. (U) Thanks to a cooperative effort between USUN Rome 
PAO and Embassy Rome PA office, Ambassador Hall appeared on 
the "Today Show" of Italian television to discuss the aid 
package and the humanitarian situation in Africa. "Uno 
Mattina" is watched by 1.3 million people. The Ambassador 
highlighted details of the aid package, as well as talked 
about the benefits of school feeding programs and how 
individual Italians can help. 
 
11. (U) USUN Rome's outreach succeeded in putting a local 
spin on an international story to increase news coverage. 
Despite some negative reaction in the press regarding the 
aid package (that "P.M. Blair should have gotten more from 
the U.S."), the media generated in Rome was positive. 
 
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CONCLUSION 
---------- 
 
12. (U) This timely announcement, coupled with the G8 debt 
relief agreement, moved the U.S. off the defensive during 
the wind-up to Gleneagles, focusing the spotlight on 
concrete efforts the U.S. is taking to tackle problems in 
Africa and on the U.S. commitment to those in need. 
 
HALL 
 
 
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 2005ROME02049 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED