Cablegate: Czechs Continue to Offer Assistance for Hurricane
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS PRAGUE 001532
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/NCE FICHTE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PREL EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS CONTINUE TO OFFER ASSISTANCE FOR HURRICANE
KATRINA RELIEF
REF: PRAGUE 1348
1. The City of Prague is soliciting Embassy guidance on how
to achieve forward movement on their offer of archive
restoration and retrieval for Hurricane Katrina relief. As
reported reftel (para 3), the City of Prague approved CZK 16
million USD 700,000 for hurricane assistance, and they need
to demonstrate progress on their Plan of Action for
disbursement of these funds. The proposed Plan of Action is
to send a preliminary team of five people to the City of New
Orleans to do a damage assessment, followed by a second visit
of experts to conduct restoration operations. The City of
Prague is wondering whether to go through the U.S. Embassy in
Prague, the Czech Embassy in Washington, DC, the National
Trust in Washington, DC, and/or FEMA to execute their offer
of assistance.
2. Post has advised the Mayor's office to channel all
assistance offers from the City of Prague through the Czech
Embassy in Washington, DC, in coordination with the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. We explained that neither post nor the
Department has an institutional mechanism for communicating
directly with the City of New Orleans, and that Czech Embassy
would be in a better position to serve as the appropriate
intermediary with the City of New Orleans. The City of
Prague has proven expertise in the unique field of archive
restoration and research, as demonstrated in the aftermath of
the 2002 Prague floods. Post believes and hopes the Czech
Embassy will be able to provide appropriate guidance for the
City of Prague to appropriately link their assistance offer
with the needs of the City of New Orleans.
CABANISS