US embassy cable - 02ROME5360

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 005360 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME 
 
STATE FOR A/S PRM DEWEY, A/S AFR KANSTEINER, IO ACTING A/S 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  05360  01 OF 02  311632Z 
WOOD, NEA/ENA 
USAID FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, AA/DCHA WINTER, DCHA/FFP 
USDA/FAS FOR U/S PENN, RTILSWORTH AND LREICH 
NSC FOR JWDORKEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, AORC, PREF, EAGR, AORC, PREF, EAGR, EU, WFP, UN, EU    EAID, WFP, UN 
SUBJECT: WESTERN SAHARAN REFUGEES IMPERILED BY LACK OF FOOD 
AID - BRIEFING BY AMBASSADOR WILLIAM SWING, SPECIAL 
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR MINURSO 
 
REF: (A) ROME 5324, (B) ROME 5308 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. AMBASSADOR WILLIAM SWING, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE 
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR MINURSO (UN MISSION FOR THE 
REFERENDUM IN WESTERN SAHARA) ADDRESSED WFP'S DONORS ON 
OCTOBER 25. HE UNDERLINED THAT THE LACK OF FOOD AID AND 
INSUFFICIENT FUNDING PRESENTLY THREATEN SOME 155,000 WESTERN 
SAHARAN (SAHRAOUI) REFUGEES LIVING IN FOUR ISOLATED QUARTER- 
CENTURY OLD CAMPS IN THE INHOSPITABLE TINDOUF REGION, SOME 
2,000 KILOMETERS SOUTH OF ALGERIA'S MEDITERRANEAN COAST. 
THESE REFUGEES HAVE FEW OTHER SOURCES OF FOOD AND 
OPPORTUNITIES TO EARN AN INCOME ARE SCARCE. WFP'S FOOD 
PIPELINE IS EXPECTED TO BREAK IN FEBRUARY 2003, WHEN ONLY 31 
PERCENT OF THE FOOD BASKET WILL BE AVAILABLE, WHICH WOULD 
PROVIDE THE REFUGEES WITH ONLY 650 KILO-CALORIES/DAY. 
AMBASSADOR SWING HIGHLIGHTED THAT FOOD SECURITY IS VITAL TO 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  05360  01 OF 02  311632Z 
MOVING THE POLITICAL PROCESS FORWARD AS IT DEMONSTRATES TO 
THE RESPECTIVE PARTIES THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S 
UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO A PERMANENT POLITICAL SOLUTION. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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BACKGROUND 
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2. AMBASSADOR WILLIAM L. SWING, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF 
THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR MINURSO ADDRESSED DONORS ON 
OCTOBER 25 AT WFP HEADQUARTERS. HE DESCRIBED A DRAMATIC 
SITUATION WHERE SOME 155,000 REFUGEES FROM WESTERN SAHARA, 
LIVING IN FOUR ISOLATED QUARTER-CENTURY OLD CAMPS IN THE 
INHOSPITABLE TINDOUF REGION, RELY HEAVILY ON WFP FOOD 
ASSISTANCE. THEY HAVE ACCESS TO FEW OTHER SOURCES OF FOOD. 
THESE CAMPS ARE IN EXCEEDINGLY ARID ZONES WHERE LITTLE 
FLOURISHES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO EARN AN INCOME ARE SCARCE. 
THE STALLED UN-SPONSORED SETTLEMENT PLAN HAS QUASHED HOPES 
FOR A SPEEDY RESOLUTION OF THEIR PLIGHT. 
 
3. AMBASSADOR SWING COMMENTED THAT ERRATIC FOOD DELIVERIES 
AND INCOMPLETE FOOD BASKETS HAVE DRAMATIC EFFECTS ON THE 
NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF VULNERABLE BENEFICIARIES, PARTICULARLY 
PREGNANT AND NURSING WOMEN. CALORIC INTAKE AMONG 
BENEFICIARIES DROPS AS LOW AS 1,288 KILOCALORIES WHEN 
RESOURCES ARE INSUFFICIENT - SUCH AS OCCURRED IN JANUARY 
2002. NOTE: A JOINT WFP/UNHCR NUTRITIONAL SURVEY IS BEING 
CONDUCTED TO DOCUMENT LEVELS OF MALNUTRITION AND VITAMIN 
DEFICIENCIES AMONG THE REFUGEE POPULATION. THE SURVEY REPORT 
IS EXPECTED TO BE RELEASED IN DECEMBER 2002. END NOTE. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        ROME  05360  01 OF 02  311632Z 
 
4. IT WAS ALSO POINTED OUT THAT WFP HAS SPONSORED DONORS' 
VISITS TO THE TINDOUF CAMPS, IN FEBRUARY 2001 AND AGAIN IN 
APRIL 2002, WITH A TOTAL PARTICIPATION OF EIGHTEEN EMBASSIES 
AND THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY'S HUMANITARIAN OFFICE (ECHO). AND 
WFP RECENTLY OPENED A SUB-OFFICE IN TINDOUF. NOTE: THE 
UNITED STATES HAS SUPPORTED A STEPPED-UP UNHCR/WFP PRESENCE 
IN TINDOUF, INCLUDING POST-DISTRIBUTION MONITORING TO ENSURE 
THAT WFP FOOD AID REMAINS WITH THE REFUGEES AND IS USED 
STRICTLY FOR HUMANITARIAN PURPOSES. AN ENHANCED UN PRESENCE 
WILL ALSO FURNISH THE REFUGEE POPULATIONS WITH A BETTER 
UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR RIGHTS AND THEIR OPTIONS FOR DURABLE 
SOLUTIONS. END NOTE. 
 
5. IN ADDITION TO UNHCR AND WFP, THERE ARE SOME 19 NON- 
GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOS) - TWO ALGERIAN, 16 
EUROPEAN AND ONE FROM THE UNITED STATES - OPERATING 
COMPLEMENTARY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IN THE CAMPS. 
 
6. A JOINT WFP/UNHCR APPEAL WAS ISSUED IN GENEVA ON AUGUST 
28 TO FURTHER ALERT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO THE 
HUMANITARIAN NEEDS OF THE REFUGEES AND TO SENSITIZE DONORS 
TO THE LOOMING FOOD CRISIS IN THE COMING MONTHS. NOTE: ONLY 
ONE DONATION (FROM ITALY), AMOUNTING TO 2,322 MT, HAS BEEN 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ4759 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  05360  02 OF 02  311632Z 
ACTION IO-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AF-00    AID-00   AMAD-00  CIAE-00  COME-00 
      CTME-00  INL-00   WHA-00   SRPP-00  EAP-00   EB-00    EUR-00 
      E-00     UTED-00  VC-00    TEDE-00  INR-00   VCE-00   M-00 
      NEA-00   NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OES-01   OIC-02   OMB-01   PER-00 
      IRM-00   STR-00   TEST-00  TRSE-00  USIE-00  EPAE-00  ECA-00 
      PRM-00   SAS-00     /004W 
                  ------------------0198D5  311825Z /38 
P 311527Z OCT 02 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6719 
USDA WASHDC PRIORITY 
INFO AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 
AMEMBASSY CAIRO 
AMEMBASSY RABAT 
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 
EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE 
AMEMBASSY TOKYO 
USEU BRUSSELS 2910 
USMISSION GENEVA 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 005360 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME 
 
STATE FOR A/S PRM DEWEY, A/S AFR KANSTEINER, IO ACTING A/S 
WOOD, NEA/ENA 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  05360  02 OF 02  311632Z 
USAID FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS, AA/DCHA WINTER, DCHA/FFP 
USDA/FAS FOR U/S PENN, RTILSWORTH AND LREICH 
NSC FOR JWDORKEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS:     EAID, AORC, WFP, UN, PREF, EAGR, EU 
SUBJECT: WESTERN SAHARAN REFUGEES IMPERILED BY LACK OF FOOD 
AID - BRIEFING BY AMBASSADOR WILLIAM SWING, SPECIAL 
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR MINURSO 
 
MADE TO DATE. END NOTE. 
 
7. APPROXIMATELY 12,200 METRIC TONS ARE REQUIRED TO MEET THE 
REFUGEES' FOOD NEEDS BETWEEN NOW AND JUNE 2003. MONTHLY 
REQUIREMENTS ARE ABOUT 2,800 METRIC TONS (TO PROVIDE 2,144 
KILOCALORIES PER PERSON PER DAY). THIS COSTS USD 1.25 
MILLION/MONTH. NOTE: THE TWO-YEAR WFP PROTRACTED RELIEF AND 
RECOVERY OPERATION (PRRO) IS VALUED AT USD 29.7 MILLION 
COVERING THE PERIOD SEPTEMBER 1, 2002 - AUGUST 31, 2004. 
ECHO IS ALSO PROVIDING APPROXIMATELY USD 14 MILLION OVER A 
15-MONTH PERIOD IN NON-FOOD AND MICRO-PROJECT SUPPORT. END 
NOTE. 
 
8. GIVEN LACK OF PLEDGES, THE FOOD PIPELINE IS EXPECTED TO 
BREAK IN FEBRUARY 2003. THE CEREALS SHORTFALL IS EXPECTED TO 
STAND AT 73 PERCENT; SUPPLIES OF OIL, SUGAR AND SALT WILL BE 
COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED. IN TOTAL, ONLY 31 PERCENT OF THE FOOD 
BASKET WILL BE AVAILABLE, WHICH WILL PROVIDE THE REFUGEES 
WITH ONLY 650 KCALS/DAY. CONFIRMATION OF CONTRIBUTIONS NOW 
WOULD ENABLE THE WFP COUNTRY OFFICE TO BORROW FROM BUFFER 
STOCKS IN THE COUNTRY TO AVOID A COMPLETE BREAKDOWN OF THE 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  05360  02 OF 02  311632Z 
PIPELINE. IMMEDIATE AID (DECEMBER-MARCH), PREFERABLY IN 
CASH, WHICH WOULD PERMIT PURCHASES IN THE REGION, IS 
REQUIRED. 
 
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COMMENT 
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9. AMBASSADOR BILL SWING HAS HAD A LONG AND DISTINGUISHED 
FOREIGN SERVICE CAREER AND IS UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF OUR HANDFUL 
OF "WISE MEN" ON AFRICA. HE CLEARLY VIEWS A SUFFICIENTLY 
SUBSCRIBED AND PREDICTABLE SUPPLY OF WFP FOOD AID AS A VITAL 
ELEMENT IN MOVING THE POLITICAL PROCESS FORWARD - AS IT 
DEMONSTRATES TO THE RESPECTIVE PARTIES THE INTERNATIONAL 
COMMUNITY'S UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO A PERMANENT POLITICAL 
SOLUTION. IN THIS REGARD HE NOTED THAT SECURITY COUNCIL 
RESOLUTION 1429 (JULY 30, 2002) CALLED INTER ALIA FOR 
SUPPORT TO WFP'S FOOD EFFORTS. HE URGED SOME PROMINENT EX- 
DONORS (BELGIUM AND JAPAN) TO RE-JOIN THE FOOD AID EFFORT. 
HE UNDERLINED THAT FOOD SHORTAGES ACT AS A DE-STABILIZING 
FACTOR IN THE REFUGEE CAMPS AND IMPEDE CONFIDENCE BUILDING 
MEASURES WITH THE CONCERNED PARTIES, BY LIMITING UN 
LEVERAGE. 
 
8. USMISSION STRONGLY SUPPORTS AMBASSADOR SWING'S APPEAL FOR 
ENHANCED ASSISTANCE TO WFP'S ALGERIA PRRO. HALL 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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 2002ROME05360 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED