US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI4713

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 004713 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREL, PHUM, SENV, AE 
SUBJECT: UAEG BOOSTS PLEDGE FOR PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF 
AND RECONSTRUCTION TO $200 MILLION 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 208903 
     B. ABU DHABI 4283 
 
1.  During the November 19 Pakistan Earthquake Relief Donors' 
Conference in Islamabad, the UAE announced an increase in its 
aid pledge to Pakistan from $100 million to $200 million. 
 
2.  UAE Minister for Labor and Social Affairs, Dr. Ali 
Al-Kaabi announced that the UAE is committed to "channel" all 
its energies to continue to meet the needs of the earthquake 
survivors. 
 
3.  Highlighting a relief and reconstruction plan policy, 
Al-Kaabi called for identification of specific needs that 
could be addressed, such as funding reconstruction programs 
for schools, housing and health care.  He said the UAE will 
work closely with the Government of Pakistan and other bodies 
involved in the relief effort, in particular with the 
relevant UN institutions and with the major international 
relief agencies, to make sure that enough aid arrives and 
that it is used in the most effective manner.  He recalled 
that the President, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, 
immediately ordered that a donation of 100 million U.S. 
dollars be allocated for reconstruction work.  Al-Kaabi said 
thousands of tents and hundreds of tons of food and medical 
supplies have been delivered to those areas affected by the 
earthquake.  He said that four water purification plants 
supplied by the UAE are now in operation, in Balakot and 
Muzaffarabad.  He said there has also been an outpouring of 
support from private sector companies and institutions and 
from the public, both through humanitarian organizations and 
through voluntary bodies in the UAE's various communities. 
 
4.  Above paragraph is a synopsis of reports in Al Ittihad, 
Al Bayan, and The Emirates News Agency, November 20, 2005. 
SISON