Transcript: USAID's Natsios in Uzbekistan on Aid for Afghanistan
(Nov. 13: Says "we'll use any means necessary" to move food in) (3850) "We are succeeding in getting food across the border and into the country," USAID Administrator Andrew Natsios told journalists November 13 at a press conference in Termez, Uzbekistan, which is located on the Amu Darya river bordering Afghanistan. Although he expressed optimism about the relief effort, Natsios warned that failure to get the food into Afghanistan on time could lead to large-scale population movements. Of the 22-23 million people in Afghanistan, 12 million have been affected by the drought and the displacement of population. "Of that, 5-7 million are severely affected and need assistance. A million and a half are on the edge of dying," he said. Even more than death from starvation, the people of Northern Afghanistan are threatened by disease and the extreme cold of the looming winter because malnutrition has made them more vulnerable, Natsios explained. Food trucks will be outfitted with snowplows, which will enable them to continue operating through the end of December, he said. All aid traveling via Uzbekistan will have to be off-loaded from the trucks onto barges for transport across the river until the Uzbek government reopens a bridge it has closed due to security concerns, Natsios told the reporters. He said that some of the $320 million the United States has committed will be used for "small-scale reconstruction of wells, road and irrigation systems. "And that will begin as soon as areas are stable. We will not wait until the war is over," the USAID Administrator said. The following acronyms and abbreviations are used in the text: NGO: non-governmental organization UNICEF: United Nations Children's Fund WFP: World Food Program Following is a transcript of the press conference: (begin transcript) Termez, Uzbekistan November 13 PRESS CONFERENCE WITH USAID ADMINISTRATOR ANDREW NATSIOS It's very important that the bridge [Friendship] be eventually opened. We understand the security concerns of the Uzbek government, and we hope that very shortly there will be stabilization on the other side of the bridge, so the bridge can be opened. But in the absence of the bridge, we can move perhaps as much as six or seven hundred tons between these three barges a day. And that will mean a substantial increase in the inflow of food assistance and non-food items into Afghanistan in the next crucial seven weeks. Question: Do you believe the barge will leave tomorrow? Andrew Natsios: I don't know when the barge will leave. The United Nations has a security office and the international community relies on that security office for determining whether or not the situation is stable for any area not just here. Question: When do the mountain passes become impassible? Andrew Natsios: Without any snowplows probably the end of November. But what WFP [World Food Program] is doing now, as I understand it, is purchasing snowplows. We're helping purchase with our money, and the European community is as well. And the food trucks will be outfitted, many of them in the mountain areas with snowplows, and that will allow us to keep the passes open and the food supply moving up through the end of December. I understand UNICEF [United Nations Children's Fund] also moved in 4,000 donkeys to the northeast region of the Panjshir Valley. The donkeys may be used in the wintertime as well in certain areas, in areas that trucks cannot get through. We'll use any means necessary and available to move food in to avoid having high death rates from famine. I might also add that we are discussing now with WFP the provision of an airlift into the highland areas, which are under extreme nutritional distress right now. There are airstrips available up there that could take an airlift. WFP may run its own. We may run our own through USAID through private contactors, which we also typically undertake with these famines. Question: Could you address what sort of money you seeing going into reconstruction long-term? Andrew Natsios: I will in a minute.... This is a WFP vulnerability assessment map. WFP did this prior to September 11, I might add. And this is the means by which decisions are being made on the allocation of food assistance in the nutritionally distressed areas. The red areas are the most severely affected. They are areas that are getting 25 percent of their caloric needs. You can see a lot of them are up near the border areas here although there are some in the south down here near Pakistan as well. The tan areas are moderate distress and the green areas are under least distress, people are basically getting enough calories to survive. So you can see by this map we need to open the three border areas, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan because that is where the focus of the famine is. The basis for this was a field survey that was done by WFP and by data from the NGOs [non-governmental organizations] indicating how severe the drought has been over a long period of time. If you have a drought for three years, generally people cannot cope. One year they can do it. They can't do it for three years. And so this is a good way of showing you the importance of the northern routes into Afghanistan. Question: How far south will the aid be distributed? Andrew Natsios: WFP has a detailed map, which determines the tonnage requirement in each county. And we are all going by that map. We've agreed with the figure that WFP, the NGOs and UNICEF have come up with, in terms of nutritional distress, are objective. They have not been politicized and we will support the food distribution on that basis. Question: Could it be possible to get a copy of that map? Andrew Natsios: This is a public map. You can get if off the relief Web site from WFP. Question: What money is there for the long-term reconstruction? What do you see going into the reconstruction of Afghanistan? Andrew Natsios: We will use some of the $320 million that the President has committed for small-scale reconstruction of wells, roads and irrigation systems. And that will begin as soon as areas are stable. We will not wait until the war is over. We are reviewing NGO proposals now. In certain areas that are stable, we will begin the reconstruction process. In terms of how much money? There are different estimates being made now. The World Bank is working on a proposal, as I understand, for the reconstruction of the country. Once again I think a conference is going to be held very shortly in New York on that subject, but I want to leave it to the UN to announce. Question: Can you put in a general range for us? Andrew Natsios: I can't. Question: How will the events in and around Kabul affect the delivery of aid here? Andrew Natsios: What's happening in Kabul is what I see on TV. Since I'm here and I'm not getting my cable traffic or information, I can't give you any unique insight. When there is fighting going on, particularly on the ground, neighborhood by neighborhood, obviously it's difficult for us to deliver assistance. Question: Will it [aid] possibly be delivered from here? Andrew Natsios: No the delivery to Kabul is logical from the Pakistani border, not here. Although WFP is concentrating, as I understand it, with the NGOs on food aid getting in the Hazarajat, which is the central plain, which has very heavy snowfall in the wintertime. And once that becomes inaccessible then we are going to have problems. So all of the food aid, even from the Pakistani border, is going up through Kabul into the Hazarajat. Kabul will be accessible for the whole winter because they do not have as much snow as they do in the highlands. Question: Will aid be delivered soon? Andrew Natsios: I am reasonably confident that in the near future we'll be able to deliver this. Which day, however, I don' know. Question: You talked to the Uzbek government about opening the bridge. What is their reaction to that? Andrew Natsios: They want to open the bridge. They understand it is in the interest of their own government to avoid large-scale population movements. It's in our interest, from the humanitarian perspective, not to have people leave their villages if they are driven by hunger; die along the way. We've had terrible experiences with other famines and population movements. People will find a way to leave, one way or another, if they are hungry. Even in North Korea during the famine, there were at least a million people on the move in that country, and that's a police state. And so they will certainly be able to move in Afghanistan. If we do not get the food in on time, we will see large-scale population movements, which is a post-famine indicator during the later stages of the famine. The food that is in back of us from WFP right now is in fact wheat. So I want to indicate that the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese are giving assistance and the U.S. is part of that. We remain very committed. We have committed about $320 million to this aid effort by order of the President. We are just off loading 65,000 tons of food into two Iranian ports. Some of that food will be moved from Iran into Western Afghanistan. Some of it will be moved into these three republics by train very shortly -- we expect by early to mid-December. And then another 100,000 tons is being purchased in Louisiana now for shipping. Question: Has the Uzbek government asked for any guarantees of security for the bridge or has the U.S.? Andrew Natsios: They have not asked that. Question: So you say that as much as one-third of the food needed in Afghanistan will come through Uzbekistan? Andrew Natsios: Forty percent. Question: Will that target be met if the bridge does not open? Andrew Natsios: Well you'd have to do the mathematics. One thousand tons a day would be 30,000 tons of food a month. That would be half. The WFP target now is 55,000 tons a month. So if we move 30,000 tons here by barge that would be more than half. So yes, you could meet the 40,000, but it takes longer to load it and unload it. It's much faster just to put it in the truck and move it across the bridge. And I'm sure there is a need for blankets. There are three ways people die in famine. One is obviously from starvation, but secondly, most people actually don't starve to death. They die from communicable disease because their immune system has collapsed from the malnutrition. So, the second problem is disease and that's why the UNICEF effort is so important and that's why there is the NGO effort to immunize children. The third is it is extremely cold in the highland areas in during the wintertime. The temperature goes down below forty degrees below zero Fahrenheit, which is extremely cold. People will die of hypothermia, because if you are acutely malnourished you are much more vulnerable to die from hypothermia than if you are well fed. So the blankets are very, very important, particularly to keep children alive during the winter months. Question: Andrew, the reality is, without the bridge, all of this is decoration really, isn't it? Andrew Natsios: No, no. This will get 1,000 tons of food across a day and 1,000 tons a day is 30,000 tons a month. So we want to get 55,000 tons total. So you could move more than the forty percent across this river by barge. It's just that it takes longer. Question: Are the vehicles actually available on the other side? Andrew Natsios: WFP has bought 320 vehicles in Central Asia. We paid for half of them, and I think the Europeans paid for the other half and the Canadians. Those trucks arrived on the 10th of November. The ones we bought for WFP are four-by-four trucks. They are smaller and for the high mountain passes--for the remote areas. I think the Europeans bought the bigger trucks that will move the food across the border. The smaller trucks move it across the highland areas. So we have enough trucks now. Question: Are you frustrated that the bridge remains closed? Andrew Natsios: Do I feel frustrated? Well frustration is part of the humanitarian relief operations. Every single operation I've been involved in for 12 years has frustrated me at one point or another. Ten days ago I was very depressed; I have to tell you. I didn't think we could do this. The amount of food going into the country has dramatically increased in the last ten days. In the first week of November, 16,000 tons of food was moved into the country which means we'll exceed 65,000 tons by the end of November. That's a very good sign. It means we can move the food in the volume that we were hoping for. Question: So that's a yes, you are frustrated? Do you extend that frustration to President Karimov? Andrew Natsios: No my comment is, ten days ago I was frustrated and a little depressed. Now I am very optimistic. Question: Optimistic that the bridge will be opened? Andrew Natsios: No, optimistic. The bridge is not the important part. The food is the important part. People cannot eat a bridge. Question: But they can get food across it, much more [food] and much faster? Andrew Natsios: We can. But we can get enough food across with these barges if we have to. Question: So you don't need the bridge? Andrew Natsios: We would like the bridge to move things faster. Question: When is it going to happen? Andrew Natsios: As soon as the security situation improves on the other side. The Minister and the Ambassador met with me and have assured that they want the bridge open. They know it is in their interest. For those of you who didn't hear, there is a problem in the latest stages of the famine. People will leave their villages in mass in search of food. We will have very large-scale population movements. We've already had some down to Herat because people have run out of coping mechanisms. Question: What's the soonest the bridge will open and what's the latest? Andrew Natsios: There is no time frame. It's a function of the security situation near the border. They don't want Taliban escaping into Uzbekistan from the fighting on the other side of the river. And if I were them, I would understand that. Question: Do you believe that's possible, Taliban sneaking across the bridge? The Uzbeks don't control the bridge? Andrew Natsios: If the Northern Alliance captures that area, I don't think there will be any Taliban crossing the river. Question: They claim to have already got it? Andrew Natsios: Muzar-e Sharif. There are areas around it. I want to leave the security situations to military experts. I am not an expert in the military situation. Question: What are the American military experts telling you? Andrew Natsios: I care about the amount of tonnage that gets into the country. And as I said before, and I want to repeat again, during the first week of November, WFP and the NGOs got 16,000 tons of food in one week. That means that we will well exceed the 55,000 tons of food that we need to get through this month so that we do not have large-scale losses from the famine. We are succeeding regardless of the security situation. We are succeeding in getting food across the border and into the country. Question: How do the trucks get in that are supposed to pick up the aid? Andrew Natsios: There are trucks on the other side of the river. Question: You have enough trucks? Andrew Natsios: There are trucks moving across Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Seven thousand tons of food was moved across the border from Turkmenistan into Afghanistan in the last few weeks. So those routes are open as well. Question: What is the price on this port? What are the UN and U.S. paying to use this? What's the cost if you didn't need it, and you used just the bridge? Andrew Natsios: I am not aware that we are paying anything for these barges. But you'd have to ask the Uzbek authorities. I've heard no complaints. Question: I have to ask the Uzbek authorities about a U.S. expenditure -- if there is one? Andrew Natsios: Well, we're not paying for the barges. WFP may be. There is a gentleman here. You may want to talk to him afterwards. But the cost of the movement is something that WFP has negotiated with the government. Question: Did you meet with the Prime Minister? Andrew Natsios: I did this morning. Question: Did he have any news for you? Was there any decision, movement coming out of that [meeting]? On the bridge? On the barge? Andrew Natsios: They have given all of the approvals for the movement of food. These three barges are all loaded, as I understand it. Two with food aid, and a third with winter clothing for children and boots and blankets. As soon as the UN security office has completed their assessment and indicates to the international community that the security situation is stable enough to offload on the other side, that will happen. So the Uzbek government is not holding up these shipments. Question: And what did he tell you about the bridge? Andrew Natsios: He said as soon as the security situation is stable on the other side and there is someone in command on the other side that they are assured of will control the flow of population and traffic across the bridge. Question: You're saying the aid is leaving once the security situation is stable. And they're saying they're going to open the bridge. Andrew Natsios: There is a difference. You need less security for these barges. People are not going to escape from the barge. Question: Can you block a bridge? Andrew Natsios: It's much harder to. Question: How do you regard the Uzbek government's effort to tax humanitarian assistance going into Uzbekistan? Andrew Natsios: There was a dispute or issue early on before agreements had been reached. As I understand it, the arrangement now if you buy food in the markets--you pay a tax, regardless of whether you are an Uzbek citizen. If the food is being reimbursed, than there is a reimbursement of the tax. Question: So there's a famine going on and the Uzbek government wants to tax? Andrew Natsios: They don't know who's buying the food in the market. In terms of the food that's being delivered outside of Uzbekistan, they are not charging us a tax as far as I know. Our food is not being taxed. Question: How many people are you hoping to help? Andrew Natsios: There are about 22-23 million people in Afghanistan. Twelve million people are affected by the drought and the displacement of population. Of that 5-7 million are severely affected and need assistance. A million and a half are on the edge of dying. So you have in all emergencies, people of different stages, different levels of risk. The most severely at risk are about a million and a half. There is another population of 5-7 million who are severely affected, but they are not at risk for dying right now. Question: How many are you hoping to help with your barge? Andrew Natsios: This barge is the UN barge. We donor governments, including the U.S., the British government, the EU, go through WFP as a logistical system moving across them. We rely on the NGOs to move it to the villages and distribute to people on the neighborhood level. Question: Of those million and a half, isn't it a mathematical fact that if you take it across the bridge you could save those people? Andrew Natsios: You are really into the bridge. We are concerned obviously. I just have to emphasize to you. The bridge was not opened, and WFP moved 16,000 tons of food the first week. If we get more than 65,000 tons, I don't know what we would do with it because the logistical system on the other side cannot handle more than that. So we are doing well now. Would it be easier if we had the bridge open? Yes it would. Question: Would you save more lives? Andrew Natsios: I'm not sure. Given what we know has happened in the past ten days. Question: Are you worried about the security of the food you are sending to that area? Andrew Natsios: All of my information is from the media. I have not found anything on BBC or CNN or the written reports that I'm getting that there is looting in the city. I have heard that there are pockets of instability where they are still fighting were there is looting going on. I'm not sure there is much left to loot given that the Taliban looted the city, the NGOs and the UN agencies about a month ago of the equipment they had. Location: Hokim al-Termezi Mosque Question: Can I just ask you specifically about the security situation on the other side? Why is it specifically that aid is being held up here? What are your fears? Andrew Natsios: It is not my fears. Over the last ten years there has developed an understanding between the NGOs and UN humanitarian community that we need a systemized way of approaching security, and a UN agency was created to look at security. They are doing a security assessment now and when they come back with a report and when they say it is secure enough to offload and move the non food items, the blankets and the food, then the barges will move and not until. That's just a standard practice. Question: What can you tell us about the opening of the Friendship Bridge? Obviously that would be an easy way to get aid in. Are you hoping that will happen soon? Andrew Natsios: We raised that very question with the prime minister and several other ministers in the cabinet. All understood that it was in their interest to open the bridge, because it will speed the flow of relief commodities. But their concern, which we understand, is about the security situation on the other side. If there isn't a secure situation on the other side, there could be real problems. Question: What kind of problems are you talking about? Are you talking about Afghans coming across the bridge? Andrew Natsios: It could be Taliban coming across the bridge, escaping the fighting. And they don't want that to happen, which frankly, I understand. (end transcript) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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