US embassy cable - 05MADRID3793

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 003793 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA AND EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PHUM, PREL, PK, SP 
SUBJECT: SPANISH PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF EFFORTS 
 
REF: SECSTATE 195483 
 
1.  (SBU)  ESTHOFF made reftel points October 24 to Spanish 
Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) Technical Cabinet 
Director Dolores Martin Villalba, asking for information on 
earthquake-related assistance already provided to Pakistan 
and encouraging Spain to announce further contributions at 
the October 26 Geneva Donors Conference.  Martin Villalba 
briefed ESTHOFF October 27 on Spanish earthquake assistance 
to Pakistan. 
 
2.  (U)  The Spanish assistance effort, according to Martin 
Villalba, began on October 10, two days after the Pakistan 
earthquake.  On that day, AECI dispatched a Boeing 757 with 
40 Spanish relief officials and 8 tons of materiel.  The 
officials included nine firefighters from a special Valencian 
emergency unit and 27 medical personnel from the Madrid 
region.  The medical personnel deployed near the city of Arja 
while the firefighters deployed near the city of Muzafarabad. 
 The flight also contained three "sniffer dogs" to support 
the firefighters and two outdoor mobile hospitals to support 
the medical personnel. 
 
3.  (U)  On October 11, AECI dispatched an Ilyusin 76 
containing two relief vehicles and 20 tons of materiel (i.e., 
medicines, stretchers, wheelchairs, generators, blankets, 
footwear, tarps, tents, body bags, and MREs).  The vehicles, 
(ambulances donated by the Madrid emergency services), were 
turned over to the Pakistani Health Ministry. 
 
4.  (U)  The original 40 Spanish relief officials rotated out 
on October 21 and were replaced by 38 new officials, who 
traveled to Pakistan with an X-ray machine, a water 
purification plant, and additional medicines and MREs. 
 
5.  (U)  The total cost of the Spanish relief effort is 
estimated at 800,000 euros.  This figure includes transport 
costs and the actual value of the relief supplies delivered 
to Pakistan.  Four regional governments participated in the 
effort (i.e., Catalonia, Valencia, Extremadura, and Madrid), 
as did several Spanish NGOs. 
 
6.  (U)  COMMENT:  Spain is providing additional assistance 
via the NATO relief effort.  The Spanish Congress approved 
October 26 the GOS's plan to send 370 troops (mostly 
engineers) to Pakistan to participate in the NATO mission 
there. 
MANZANARES