Kerry Sets Visit to Pakistan as US Boosts Flood Aid

[MH1]

Seems like a good thing to do. Hope we can increase aid to help people suffering with this tragedy.

http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Kerry-Sets-Visit-to-Pakistan-as-US-Boosts-Flood-Aid---100582994.html

The State Department says Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry will visit Pakistan next week to survey damage from the country's flood disaster. Kerry is a key sponsor of the long-term U.S. civilian aid plan for Pakistan approved by Congress last year.

The United States has sent scores of civilian and military relief workers and experts to Pakistan, but Senator Kerry will be the highest-level U.S. political figure to visit since the flooding began last month.

Kerry was a co-sponsor of the five-year, $7.5-billion civilian aid program to Pakistan approved by Congress last year.

State Department officials say the Kerry visit is intended to help raise awareness of Pakistani relief needs among the U.S. public, and to discuss how the Kerry-Lugar-Berman aid plan might be recalibrated to deal with flood related needs.

The State Department said Thursday that the U.S. financial commitment to Pakistan flood relief has reached $76 million, and that discussions are underway on how the Kerry-Lugar-Berman program might help in Pakistan's long-term flood recovery.

[YvonneCa]

1. This is how government is...

...supposed to work. Excellent news.

[wisteria]

2. I think this is a good idea too. n/t

[ProSense]

3. This is great.

Posted it here earlier.

[Inuca]

4. He is also going to Afghanistan

http://senatus.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/kerry-plans-visit-to-pakistan-afghanistan/

[JI7]

5. i worry about JK going this time more than before , but there is nobody who understands

this area more than JK. you have idiots spouting off things they know nothing about all based on some stupid personal feelings about things that have nothing to do with the issues at hand.

look at how the big issues that KErry supports are related, Climate Change, relations in South Asia.

and you have dumbasses on the other side who want to make the big election issue a fucking community center ??????????

[Luftmensch067]

6. Oh, you nailed it! n/t

[karynnj]

9. You said it

I really wish more people saw the genuine commitment that Kerry has shown to both using foreign policy to try to make the world better and climate change.

What is scary is that this flood sounds just like the floods that the Generals warned of in their 2007 report and hearing on the national security impact of climate change. What is really sad is remembering the comment in This Moment on Earth, where Kerry wrote of the Rio delegates as being proud that they were going to proactively address a major future problem before it became a crisis. I doubt he thought back then in 1992 that he would not be able to get 60 Senators in 2010 when the scary predictions were becoming items in the news.

[wisteria]

10. I agree and the reason they grab onto the small issues is because this is all they understand

and can twist into something negative.

[MBS]

14. " " " " " " n/t

[karynnj]

7. This could be a major turning point in that region - either way

The disaster there is mind boogling, but the UN will have a donor's conference this week - that Kerry is quoted speaking of in a Pakistan article. This could lead to chaos and instability, which would be deadly to our interests and to India's. It will be tough, but it could lead to some de-escalation in hostilities. One of the first countries to offer aid was India.

Anyway, here's the article - which gives some of Kerry's views and speaks of his upcoming trip. (For once, I wish he were not the most instantly recognizable person in CSPAN Senate coverage - or anywhere else. I'm sure the US will provide as much protection as possible, but this trip scares me.)

Senator John Kerry, who heads the Foreign Relations Committee and co-authored a major multi-year $7.5 billion aid bill for Pakistan, said the United States has immediately accepted Islamabad's proposal for the international meeting, which is due to take place on Thursday.

<snip>
“Secretary (of State) Hillary Clinton has quickly accepted to be there in person as will (Special Representative) Ambassador (Richard) Holbrooke, and they are going to try to rally other people to the cause,” Kerry said.

<snip>
“My visit is really also geared to try to raise the understanding that this is not just about floods, not just about displaced people and the misery that comes with this, which is critical, but it is really about Pakistan's ability to move forward (economically) and to survive the difficult situation,” he elaborated, citing the challenges the country was already confronting because of its “stressed economy
<snip>
“The United States is clearly committed to the people of Pakistan in terms of (dealing with) the disaster. No question about that. That is why we have already committed $ 76 million, that is why (US) helicopters have already resuced some 3000 people, supplies have been delivered, half a million meals have been provided. All of these are very direct efforts,” Kerry noted.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-senator-kerry-to-visit-pakistans-flood-affected-areas-ss-06

[karynnj]

8. More coverage - it sounds like Kerry is the US representative on this per the Indian paper

The United States has said that Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry's visit to flood-ravaged Pakistan next week would help raise the level of international response to the disaster.

Kerry, who is the co-architect of a multi-year 7.5 billion dollar aid measure for Pakistan, will be the first senior US policymaker to visit the country since the disaster, which has claimed of over 1600 people and affected up to 15 million people.

"This will be a critical visit to help raise the profile among publics both in the US and internationally," The Dawn quoted Dan Feldman, US Deputy Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, as saying.

He further said that the trip marks a "continuing US commitment to the South Asian country".

http://sify.com/news/us-says-kerry-s-pak-visit-will-propel-international-response-to-floods-news-international-kioq4cibfhi.html

One might ask why Holbrooke is not there - or if he is why nothing is said of him. Isn't this his area? Yet Kerry was the one to bring Karzai around in Afghanistan and seems to be leading here. Is Kerry the de facto Secretary of State?

Similar - APF article - http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iP40Cq-OWDBXH6vVCZ7KicHTDazw

A more detailed article on what the US has already done.

Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will visit Pakistan next week to assess the damage caused by the devastating floods--the worst in more than eight decades to have hit that country. He will be the highest-level American political figure to visit Pakistan since the floods hit last month.

State Department officials said Thursday Senator Kerry's visit would help raise awareness of Pakistan's relief needs among Americans, and to discuss how the Kerry-Lugar-Berman aid plan could be re-calibrated to factor flood-related needs.

Kerry co-sponsored the five-year $7.5-billion civilian aid program to Pakistan, approved by Congress last year, to shore up the impoverished country's tottering economy. The aid is conditional on assistance by Pakistan in fighting the Taliban.
<snip>
The United States has sent scores of civilian and military relief workers and experts to Pakistan, and, Thursday, it announced USD 16.25 million more as humanitarian aid, bringing the total of Washington's flood aid to Pakistan to more than USD 71 million in less than a week.

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/Policy.aspx?Id=1392605

(Wonder if he'll get articles on the trip in both Boston papers, as Scotty did for his trip to Israel and Jordan - with staff butno other Senators.

[wisteria]

11. Who knows, it seems they all welcome Senator Kerry's help and assitance

and he appears more than willing to do what is asked of him.

[karynnj]

12. Very true

It also is likely that the entire concept behind Kerry/Lugar/Berman was Kerry's - as it's what he always has spoken of.

[karynnj]

13. More

President Asif Ali Zardari has welcomed the visit of UN Secretary General to Pakistan on Saturday August 14 as well as the forthcoming visit of US Senator John Kerry on August to Pakistan to express support and solidarity with the flood affected people.

Spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said that the President has welcomed these visits to the country saying that the colossal damage to life, property, livestock and infrastructure was so huge that it could be faced only with the concerted efforts of all the people of Pakistan with the support and assistance of the international community.

The President also thanked the foreign governments and international bodies which have announced assistance for flood relief and rehabilitation. During the recent visit of the President four countries namely UAE, Syria, France and UK also announced assistance in flood relief and rehabilitation operations, he said. We will mobilise the people internally and sensitize the international community to help the misery stricken victims of floods, the spokesperson quoted the President as saying.

[Inuca]

15. Thanks karyn

for all your research on this. Much appreciated.

[karynnj]

16. You're welcome but it was just "google"

It is rather interesting that the sources are all international and most from India and Pakistan.

[karynnj]

17. Excellent article on the dimensions of the disaster and the political ramifications

(Google found it because Kerry is mentioned in the first line, but this is not about Kerry.)

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/pakistans-misery-is-just-starting/story-e6frg6z6-1225906528063