Bush offers Hu US assistance for quake recovery

13 May 2008 19:35  [Source: ICIS news]

WASHINGTON (ICIS news)--President George Bush spoke by phone with China President Hu Jintao early on Tuesday and offered US assistance in the aftermath of that country’s devastating earthquake, but Hu made no immediate request, White House officials said.

 

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush expressed his condolences to Hu and reiterated his offer to assist in any way possible.

 

Perino said that Hu thanked Bush for the offer but did not request any particular US help at this time.

 

The White House said that the US will immediately provide $500,000 (€320,000) as an initial contribution to International Red Cross relief efforts already under way in China’s Sichuan Province, the epicentre of Monday’s 7.9-magnitude earthquake.

 

“It’s an initial contribution in response to the event,” Perino said.  “As other NGOs [non-government organisations] move toward the area and needs become evident, we’ll consider what, if any, additional funding is needed to help the people of China through our embassy in Beijing.”

 

She said the US State Department is working with the Chinese government to try to assess the damage and determine what additional assistance the Beijing government may want to request.

 

Perino noted that the headquarters for the US Peace Corps in China is located in Sichuan Province and may be available to offer assistance. She also said that all the Peace Corps personnel have been accounted for.

 

In addition, Bush’s assistant for homeland security, Ken Wainstein, is in Beijing on other business - discussing security arrangements for the Olympics - and has had two meetings today with Chinese officials regarding the earthquake and possible US assistance.

 

The White House said that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will lead the federal government’s assistance response to China.

 

David Snider, a spokesman for USAID, said the agency’s staff  “are working very closely with their counterparts in Beijing, and we stand ready to help them in any way we can.”

 

Snider said, however, that “We have not been asked, or rather we are not aware of a request from China for any US search and rescue teams at this time.”

 

The US has already marshalled large supplies of food, water and temporary shelter at airbases in Thailand for relief efforts in Myanmar, hit by a typhoon last week.  Snider said he did not know whether any of those supplies - which Myanmar’s ruling junta has been reluctant to accept - might be diverted to China.

 

($1 = €.64)

By: Joe Kamalick
+1 713 525 2653

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