Posted By Josh Rogin Wednesday, March 13, 2013 SOURCE: FP FOREIGN POLICY
Secretary of State John Kerry announced $60 million in new U.S. aid for the Syrian opposition late last month, but the State Department has refused to detail how that money will be spent. The Cable has obtained the breakdown of the newly pledged funds.
Kerry announced the additional $60 million in aid at a Feb. 28 “Friends of Syria” meeting in Rome, a meeting the Syrian opposition coalition initially refused to attend out of frustration with what it perceives as a lack of assistance from the international community. In total, the United States has now pledged $115 million in support of the Syrian opposition.
In his announcement, Kerry said the extra aid was designed to “strengthen the organizational capacity of the Syrian Opposition Coalition.”
“It will help war-torn communities be able to survive devastating situations with respect to sanitation, food delivery, medical care,” he said. “It will speed the delivery of basic goods and services including security and education. It will help to initiate discussions with those who are providing for public order and for justice as the transition itself unfolds. And we will help the SNC, Free Syrian Army, and the civilian opposition to feed those in need and tend to the sick and the wounded.”
At Wednesday’s State Department press briefing, reporters demanded to know exactly how that money will be spent. Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman and Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford briefed lawmakers on the plan, but outgoing State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland declined to provide any details.
“An actual breakdown of how we’ll budget it? I’m not sure we’ve done that yet,” Nuland said.
In fact, the State Department had already provided Congress with a detailed breakdown, obtained by The Cable, of how it intends to spend the $60 million. Here it is:
$10 million for Middle East Partnership Initiative programming to support local councils inside Syria.
$30 million to create a SOC Support Program within the USAID Office of Transition Initiatives. The OTI Syria program was established with a $5 million reprogramming in late 2012.
$7 million for USAID “repair and maintenance” programs to improve services (may refer to opposition controlled areas and presumably includes water, electricity, and/or public health)
$6 million for State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations to support the their training programs for the SOC and media programs with the opposition
$7 million spread over various programs to support mine and unexploded ordinance safety training, transitional justice programs, and counter-sectarianism program.
The State Department still won’t provide details on how much if any money has been spent on giving aid directly to the FSA. Those funds are being taken from Defense Department accounts and will be used for Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) and other supplies for some elements of the armed opposition.
NOTE BY THE EDITOR: In other words: none of the 60 million $ is going to the Syrians. USAID and other US outfits typically give these grants to US or sometimes international contractors. Only a small fraction of the amount might end up in Syria. Remember: “Staff and office costs” of the US departments working on these programs will need to be paid first.
Categories: Americas, Syria, United States