2:30 P.M. EDT
MODERATOR: Good afternoon and welcome to the Foreign Press Center. This afternoon we will have James Kunder, the Assistant Administrator of USAID for Asia and the Near East, giving you an update on the U.S. humanitarian response in Lebanon. He will have an opening statement and talk about what we're doing and then be happy to take your questions.
MR. KUNDER: Thank you very much. The U.S. Government recognizes that there are serious humanitarian needs in Lebanon and we are responding to the humanitarian needs of the Lebanese people. We're responding in two broad ways. First, we are providing immediate relief needs from U.S. Government stockpiles in the region and those supplies -- things like medical kits to meet emergency medical needs -- have been shipped into Beirut and are being distributed to the Lebanese people. At a separate level, we're responding to the United Nations emergency appeal for Lebanon and providing U.S. Government support to organizations like UNICEF and the World Health Organization as well as the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement through the international community of the Red Cross.
The total of U.S. -- initial U.S. Government humanitarian assistance pledge thus far as announced by Secretary Rice's $30 million. Of that, approximately $11 million is already flowing into the region. The first shipments arrived two days ago of medical kits. These have been turned over to relief organizations and have been shipped to southern Lebanon to Tyre or Sour. We are now attempting to ship those inland to (inaudible) and other places where there are people in need. These emergency supplies will continue to be shipped as long as there is a need for them and we will continue to review the United Nations appeal to see if there are other urgent needs to be met in Lebanon.
Finally, I'll close by saying we are coordinating closely with elements of the international community and with the Government of Lebanon, which is leading the relief effort in Beirut and members of a disaster assistance response team, or DART, as we call it from the US Agency for International Development, are in the region. Some of the members have been on the ground in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon. We have a full-time USAID Mission in Beirut. We have not just started assisting the Lebanon people during this humanitarian crisis, but the U.S. Government has been running a long-term development program in Lebanon for some time, so we have both American and Lebanese employees on the ground. They are also assisting with this relief effort and will continue that assistance as long as there are humanitarian needs in Lebanon.
That's a quick summary of where we are today. I'll be glad to take any questions you have.
MODERATOR: State your name and organization, please.
QUESTION: Joyce Karam at Al Hayat newspaper. My question is mainly what is the mechanism you're using to make sure this money doesn't go to Hezbollah NGOs or Shiite -- NGOs that are sympathetic with the party?
MR. KUNDER: Well, let me say, first of all, in terms of the ultimate recipients, the Lebanese people who receive the aid, the U.S. Government draws no distinction in terms of the ultimate recipient. So we're trying to help the Lebanese people, regardless of what religious background or ethnic background or region of the country. But in terms of the organizations we use to deliver the assistance, the part that is coming directly from the U.S. Government is actual relief commodities. They are giant -- we call them medical kits, which implies that it's something small. But actually they're more like the size of this room. Each kit contains, as we call it, provides basic medical supplies for ten thousand people for 90 days: bandages, intravenous fluids, emergency relief supplies. So we're delivering actual supplies and we're turning them over either to the UN organizations or to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The second part of our aid is going to UN agencies, so I'm quite convinced that the aid is going to reliable organizations who will deliver the aid to the Lebanese people.
MODERATOR: Lambros.
QUESTION: Lambros Papantoniou, Greek correspondent, Eleftheros Tipos, Athens, Greece. Mr. Kunder, so far, how many thousands are Lebanese refugees who need this type of help? And also, do you have a list of the countries which are cooperating with the U.S. Government to this effect?
MR. KUNDER: I'm sorry, the second part of your question again, please, sir?
QUESTION: Somebody's -- do you have a list of the countries which are cooperating with the U.S. Government to this effect, to help otherwise -- in your effort to -- on the humanitarian purpose?
MR. KUNDER: More than 800,000 Lebanese people have been affected by the current crisis and more than 700,000 have been displaced from their home. Some significant number have gone across the international borders and become refugees, but the vast majority of the 700,000 displaced are displaced within Lebanon. So I would say our target population is those 700,000 people who have been displaced from their homes.
In terms of the other international donors who have contributed to this effort, there is a list that -- our Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance provides a list. We try to keep track of all donations from multilateral and bilateral donors, so I'll be glad to provide that list. It's also available on our website at USAID.
QUESTION: On -- for Lebanon, specific, anything to say about the role of the Republic of Cyprus and Greece on this humanitarian crisis?
MR. KUNDER: Well, I know the Greek Government has provided assistance. I cannot give you the exact amount, but I know the Greek Government has been very active and has responded promptly. Also, you know we have been using Cyprus as a staging area. The U.S. Government main relief depot or stockpile in this region is at Pisa, Italy, but because Cyprus has been a transit point, we are providing assistance shipping it from Pisa to Cyprus and then on to Beirut from Cyprus.
MODERATOR: Yes, sir.
QUESTION: Thank you. Hi, I'm from Hong Kong Zhengzhan Liu Phoenix Television. Since the Israeli air strikes are going on, how do you ensure your transportation safely?
MR. KUNDER: How to ensure the transportation? You know, well, there are two parts to that question. One is, how are we going to get supplies into Lebanon and then how are we going to distribute them within Lebanon.
In terms of getting supplies into Lebanon, there are ships and planes and helicopters going in now. What we did was utilize the U.S. military ships and helicopters that were in the region that were involved in the evacuation of U.S. citizens from Lebanon to Cyprus. And to maximize the efficiency, those helicopters, as they brought U.S. citizens out, were loaded up with these medical relief supplies and sent back into Beirut. So fortunately, there were U.S. military supply assets available in the region.
The second part of the question, of course, is once we get it into Lebanon, how to distribute it. And that's always a difficulty in a war zone. There has been coordination with the Israeli Defense Forces by the UN agencies, by the International Committee of the Red Cross, and there have been some shipments now from Beirut to the South and then also inland from Sour or Tyre. And so that is beginning to work, but the U.S. Government has called for complete and full open access so that we can have enough humanitarian corridors to deliver supplies to the Lebanese people in need.
MODERATOR: Yes, ma'am, in the back.
QUESTION: Thank you. Lia Tehune, Washington File. In addition to the medical kits, is the Government sending like, food, blankets, tents, that sort of relief supply for the people who are like, living in parks and things?
MR. KUNDER: What we always do in the U.S. Government relief agencies is try to meet the most immediate needs. And so that's one of the reasons we have a team in the region to assess what the most immediate needs are. And then of course, we're also looking at what the UN agencies are saying are the most immediate needs. By all indications, the most immediate needs are for health supplies and shelter supplies. So the first things we're shipping in are those medical kits, also blankets and plastic sheeting that can be used for temporary shelter, so we're trying to meet the most immediate needs.
We're also looking at possible needs in the area of fuel, which may not seem such a critical issue, but if you're running hospital generators off of fuel, this can easily become an important issue. We're also making sure we're paying attention to those areas where water supply problems or sewage problems could lead to the outbreak of epidemic disease. That's always a major concern in these crises. So again, fuel is critical because that keeps pumps moving and helps supply water and remove waste water.
So those are the most immediate needs. There is food aid going in, but we're trying to meet the most immediate needs first.
MODERATOR: Joyce.
QUESTION: [Joyce Karam, Al Hayat] As for Syria, they've provided refuge for thousands of Lebanese who fled there. Now Syria has warned that -- you know, if this goes for more than a week, they're going to have a humanitarian crisis themselves. Are you sending any money, humanitarian aid to the Government of Syria or how are you communicating with the people who need that aid over there?
MR. KUNDER: Now, the U.S. Government is going to try to assist Lebanese refugees, regardless of where those refugees are. And the U.S. Government has made money available from this $30 million pledge that Secretary Rice announced to two organizations, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and also to the International Organization for Migration, to assist refugees. It's entirely -- while that money all goes into a single pot and I can't tell you where the American dollars are going, some of that money will certainly go to help Lebanese refugees in Syria. The U.S. Government will not attempt to restrict where those refugees will be helped.
MODERATOR: Yes, sir.
QUESTION: Bilal Elkramech from Almustaqbal Alarabi magazine. Is there any plan in the future to use donations and U.S. aid to rebuild what has been damaged or destroyed in Lebanon?
MR. KUNDER: Clearly, after this humanitarian phase of the operation, there is going to be a very large-scale reconstruction need in Lebanon. And I'm sure the U.S. Government will participate. Obviously, at this point, we are focused on meeting the most humanitarian need, because that's the -- the humanitarian needs, because that's the most pressing problem. But I can assure you that the U.S. Government is going to be looking at reconstruction needs in Lebanon as well as humanitarian needs.
QUESTION: [Lambrtos Papatoniou, Elettheros Typos] Mr. Kunder, did you get -- Mr. Kunder, did you get any response from the European Union to send humanitarian aid and also to receive refugees?
MR. KUNDER: Well, I can tell you -- again, I'll provide the exact numbers for you, but certainly, the European community has been very generous as well, as have many donors from around the world; Japan, for example, and both multilateral and bilateral donors have chipped in across the globe, so -- I don't have the exact dollars, but I'll be glad to provide those for you. So I did not get into the business of seeking the locations where refugees -- obviously, the first source of refugees are the immediate surrounding countries. And I think there's hope that those refugees will be able to return home.
QUESTION: And also, did you place any request to NATO to participate in this humanitarian crisis in Lebanon to help to transfer and protect refugees to go to any destination?
MR. KUNDER: Did we ask who?
QUESTION: NATO.
MODERATOR: NATO.
MR. KUNDER: You know, there have been discussions, obviously, of the international community in Rome about some sort of peacekeeping force within the region. I'm -- I work for USAID; I'm not in the peacekeeping business. But I know that certainly, from media reports, that NATO has been mentioned in that discussion. Right now, we're focusing on the humanitarian organizations, the UN organization, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the nongovernmental organizations and bilateral donors like USAID. That's the focus of our effort right now.
QUESTION: I'm not talking (inaudible) about -- I'm not talking about security, I'm not -- I'm talking about NATO participation in your effort to phase the humanitarian crisis, transferring and protect the refugees to any destination they are going.
MR. KUNDER: I'm not aware of any such discussions, sir.
MODERATOR: Yeah, please. Yes. Sure, wait for the mike.
QUESTION: [Joyce Karam, Al Hayat] Forgot my question, sorry. Yeah, what's -- sorry, what's the timeline? I mean, how much are you prepared if this drags for another month? Are you prepared for -- to offer humanitarian aid for as long as one month or three weeks or two months? I mean, is there any timeline you're operating on?
MR. KUNDER: Well, the international humanitarian community, as well as the United States, is providing humanitarian assistance in some crises that have dragged on for some time. I mean, no one -- certainly, we all hope that this crisis does not go on any longer than necessary. But I think the international humanitarian community wants to meet the needs of the Lebanese people. There's certainly no arbitrary timeline or deadline or limit to supplies or dollars committed. We committed $30 million immediately because that was to inject an immediate jolt of assistance to this humanitarian effort. There's certainly no arbitrary timeline or deadline or dollar amount. We're very interested in meeting the ongoing humanitarian needs of the Lebanese people and I think they can count on the generosity of the American people.
MODERATOR: Yeah.
QUESTION: Will there be more --
MODERATOR: If you can wait for the mike, please.
QUESTION: [Lia Tehune, Washington File] Sorry. Will there be more -- another announcement for more money? I mean, Iraq has invested (inaudible) America by, you know, $5 million and I just -- it sounds like there will probably be more money forthcoming. Is that the case? Do you know anything about it?
MR. KUNDER: I can tell you this, that the needs will be assessed on the ground. That's the right way to do this. We need to get folks on the ground. And there's an excellent coordination center being set up in Beirut by the Lebanese Government to which organizations like the U.S. Government, the international donors, the UN agencies are all participating in that. And what you do in that kind of coordination center is try to get a clear picture of what the real needs are. If there are more needs, I think the international community and the U.S. Government are going to step forward to meet those needs, but we're not going to get into some sort of abstract bidding or that's not the objective. The objective is to meet the needs of the Lebanese people.
QUESTION: [Hisham Melham / An Nahar] I came in late. I hope -- you may have addressed this issue, but where is that first shipment now? Is it still in Beirut and what are you doing to provide some sort of a protection for those convoys or the Red Cross, given the attacks in which Red Cross vehicles were attacked by the Israelis? I mean, what are you doing about that, I mean, in terms of logistics, given these shipments to the people who are hurt the most in the south?
MR. KUNDER: The first medical kits that came in from the U.S. Government into Beirut have been shipped already to Sour to Tyre and we believe have gotten inland from there as well. What is being done is coordination both with the Lebanese Government and then with the Israeli Defense Forces, these convoys are not being protected by armed guards. What we're doing in terms of protection is coordinating both with the Lebanese Government and the Israeli Defense Forces with geo positioning and so forth to make sure that there are not accidental attacks on any of these convoys. But thus far, I can report to you from our people on the ground that the initial American medical supplies that were sent in have been sent to the south and are being distributed there through the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
QUESTION: Are you dealing only with the Red Cross and Red Crescent or are you dealing with other NGOs?
MR. KUNDER: We are dealing with many UN agencies, NGOs and the International Red Cross Movement. That happened to be their consignee for the first shipment of medical supplies was the Red Cross.
MODERATOR: Any other questions?
QUESTION: I am Hyung Choi with the Munhwa Ilbo Korea. How many country do you expect to join your -- the U.S. humanitarian assistance activities to this region?
MR. KUNDER: There have always --
QUESTION: (Inaudible.)
MR. KUNDER: There have already been more than a dozen countries providing assistance. Again, I can provide you with a complete list of those countries and I expect that there will -- the international community responds quite generously in these circumstances, especially when the UN issues the kind of emergency appeal they have issued. It's not uncommon for dozens of nations to contribute. And I expect that that's what we'll see in this circumstance as well.
QUESTION: Okay. One more question. Recently, there has been a flood in North Korea and reportedly there was -- has been a thousand of victims, some damage -- serious damage from that because of the flood. So I want -- if USAID have any plan to give aid to North Korea?
MR. KUNDER: We do not. We do not provide assistance to North Korea at this time. No, sir. Excuse me. In the past, we have supported during the famine times U.S. food assistance through the World Food Program -- has met the need of North Korean citizens who were starving in the past. But in terms of responding to this particular flood emergency, we have not responded to that. No, sir.
MODERATOR: Any other questions? Thank you very much for coming.
MR. KUNDER: Thank you.
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