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Annan arrives in Pakistan, appeals for aid for quake victims
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-17 15:40
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed Thursday to donors to give
generously for victims of the devastating October 8 earthquake, as Kashmiri
civilians were poised to cross the disputed territory's frontier.
Arriving in Pakistan on Thursday, Annan's visit comes a day after Pakistani
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf appealed for more than US$5 billion (euro4.3
billion) in aid to rebuild the earthquake-ravaged north.
"What happened here, the earthquake, was something that the world could not
have imagined," Annan told reporters after arriving at an air base at
Rawalpindi, near the capital, Islamabad, on a three-day visit that will include
a tour of the quake zone and an international donors' conference on Saturday.
"I would expect the world ... to be generous, to give and give willingly."
The magnitude 7.6 quake left more than 87,000 dead, mostly in the
Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir. About 1,350 died in India's portion of the
territory, which is claimed in its entirety by both countries but divided
between them by a cease-fire line.
The quake destroyed the homes of about 3 million people, leaving hundreds of
thousands living in tents. An unknown number have no shelter at all.
Annan said additional deaths had been caused by logistical problems in
bringing aid to quake victims and said more could die of cold and hunger.
"We need more resources, not just for the emergency, but recovery and
reconstruction, and I hope that as we rebuild we are going rebuild better
houses," Annan said, appealing to both governments, the private sector and
individual donors to contribute funds.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said 83 Indian citizens had been given approval
to walk into Pakistan at the Chakothi-Uri border crossing on Thursday _ but
officials at the Kashmir frontier said it wasn't clear whether any would
actually cross.
Also, it did not appear any Pakistanis would be traveling to the Indian side,
although some from India who had arrived on a cross-Kashmir bus service before
the quake and were then stranded on the Pakistan side appeared set to return to
the India.
Pakistan and India agreed last month to let people from either side of
Kashmir cross over at five points along the frontier. Yet so far, the two sides
have only exchanged relief supplies.
Delays in letting people cross have been blamed on bureaucratic problems and
Indians' fears that separatist Muslim militants may cross from Pakistan.
Islamic militants have been fighting since 1989 for the Indian-controlled
part of Muslim-majority Kashmir's independence from predominantly Hindu India,
or merger with mostly Muslim Pakistan. More than 66,000 people have died in the
conflict.
Ahead of the aid conference, Musharraf said Pakistan had so far received
"negligible" funds from donors, but expressed confidence it could raise the
US$5.2 billion (euro4.4 billion) needed for relief and reconstruction.
He said the world community should help Pakistan as it did nations hit by
last year's devastating tsunami in Asia. He said that a lack of funds would hurt
national development, particularly in the social sector, but that Pakistan would
fend for itself.
The U.N. is stressing the need for more financial support to sustain its
emergency relief effort through the winter, warning that thousands more could
die from hunger and cold.
The U.N. has so far received only US$119 million (euro102 million), and
another US$40 million (euro34.28 million) in pledges out of US$550 million
(euro470 million) it has been seeking since last month to finance emergency
relief over six months.
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