Attached Please See USAID Lebanon Information Bulletin #4

Humanitarian Assistance to the Lebanese People

• State Department Press Statement
• Excerpts from the July 24 White House briefing
• Attached: July 24 USAID Update on the Humanitarian Situation in Lebanon
  
  Press Statement
  Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman, U.S. State Department
  Washington, DC
  July 24, 2006
  
  
  Today, Secretary of State Rice authorized $30 million in immediate humanitarian assistance to victims of the conflict in Lebanon. We remain deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Lebanon and this response to the appeal from the United Nations and other organizations will help address some of the most pressing needs of conflict victims. To meet the most urgent needs, the United States is dispatching two large-scale medical deliveries that will arrive in Lebanon on July 25. Each of these deliveries contains enough medicine and supplies to meet the basic medical needs of 10,000 people for a three month period. The U.S. will also begin delivering other direct U.S. assistance to Lebanon, including plastic sheeting and blankets, starting July 25. We will continue to do all that we can to support the Government of Lebanon as it seeks to address the needs of its people.
  2006/709

 

Excerpts from the July 24 White House briefing

Tony Snow: The United States believes in a sustainable cease-fire. Secretary Rice is in the region talking about it. She had a very good meeting today with key leaders in Lebanon and they talked about that. They also talked about humanitarian assistance and a number of other topics.

So I think the notion that you have a cease-fire that, at this point, is unenforceable, does not really get us to the point we need to be at. You do not want to give -- you simply don't want to go there.

Let me add something. I'm going to switch this slightly, and you can come back on me if you wish. Secretary Rice also has been speaking with the Lebanese and others about humanitarian assistance. And later today she will be announcing a major U.S. commitment, a significant U.S. commitment in terms of humanitarian aid. And at the order of the President, humanitarian supplies will start arriving in Lebanon tomorrow by helicopter and by ship. We are working with Israel and Lebanon to open up humanitarian corridors.

Also, Secretary Rice did get a full briefing from the Lebanese on the situation, as far as they see it, an on-the-ground reporting. She heads next to Israel, where she is going to meet with Foreign Minister Livni, Prime Minister Olmert and the Defense Minister Peretz, and head after that to Rome.

Q Will the humanitarian aid mute the criticism, do you think, from --

MR. SNOW: You know what, that's not -- the humanitarian aid really is -- this is not a device designed to mute criticism, it is a move that is designed in recognition of the fact that innocent men, women and children are being hurt. And that is an awful thing. We have compassion for all of them, and we want to start giving them as much help and aid as possible, as quickly as possible. And we're calling upon our friends and allies to do the same thing.

It is clear that there are humanitarian concerns that need to be addressed, and will continue to need to be addressed in Lebanon, and that's one of the two missions. Secretary Rice is there to talk about conditions for a sustainable cease-fire and a sustainable peace. And people in that neighborhood know it; they have been through peace agreements that did not yield peace. They understand it, and they understand the importance. And I think the reception she has received -- I guess that's redundant, isn't it -- the reception has been respectful and supportive. So what you're going to see now is a number of our allies meeting in Rome in a couple of days to build upon that.