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U.S. Chargé d'Affaires, a.i. Thomas M. Countryman Interview with Alexandra Voudouri, Athens International Radio, 104.4 FM
Aired on Saturday, September 8, 2007
We've seen that, since almost day one, the U.S. Government has responded to Greece's request over aid. Can you tell us the exact contribution of the United States?
The U.S. Government, led by Deputy Secretary John Negroponte, decided immediately on Saturday, the 25th to assist Greece in the ways Greece needed most urgently. So, the decision to help was immediate, and it took the next couple of days to work out exactly what we could do that would be of the most benefit to the people of Greece. At this time, we have provided, from U.S. Government sources, a total of 1.9 million dollars. This is in a couple of different forms. First, an immediate contribution to the Hellenic Red Cross, starting with 100,000. We've now given $350,000 to the Hellenic Red Cross for emergency humanitarian supplies. Second, we have provided assistance in the form of firefighting equipment that's specifically made – protective gear for firemen to wear while they're fighting, and that arrived yesterday, and also other humanitarian goods that could be of use for the Red Cross. And, finally, we – right now – have a team here for technical assistance that is working with their Greek counterparts.
What is the main aim of this team? We are talking about a U.S. expert fire and disaster relief team, which arrived on Monday to Greece, or yesterday, as you mentioned, and we've seen in a press release that more U.S. aid is on the way. So, what is the main aim of this team here in Greece?
The six-member technical assistance team has been led by the top firefighter from the United States Forest Service, and they include forest specialists and also disaster relief specialists from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Their purpose is to support Greece's immediate response to the current crises and to lay out a plan for providing future technical assistance to help prevent future forest fires. So, they will take their findings about the immediate needs, that is preventing erosion and flooding, and also go back to Washington and write down some good ideas for discussion with the Greek government about how we can work together to prevent a recurrence next year.
Is that the first time that the United States sent help to Greece, facing a natural disaster?
No, I think that the United States responded also to the last major national disaster in Greece, the earthquake in 2000, and in all these cases, not only in that earthquake but in other natural disasters, such as the tsunami in Asia or earthquakes in Pakistan, always you see an even larger response from private citizens in the United States making voluntary donations. And, in all these cases, you see more money and more assistance coming from private sources in the U.S. than even what the U.S. Government can contribute. I know that Greek Americans have started several different major fundraising campaigns in order to help Greece, and I am confident that they will put their efforts together and come up, not only with immediate assistance, but also with long term projects that can make a difference for Greece in areas like reforestation.
And, last but not least, I'd like your opinion about that. What are the lessons taken from such disasters? Should all governments put first on the agenda the issue of the environment, and I'm not talking about only the European Union and the United States, perhaps governments at a world stage?
Well, without question, the United States acknowledges that global warming is the central environmental challenge that the world is facing, and we have to have a worldwide approach that addresses the real causes and reduces CO2 emissions, and the U.S. is spending more money than any other government on the technical research to find solutions to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. So, in the global sense of your question, without question the whole world needs to do more on addressing the root causes of climate change. In terms of specific technical steps that can be taken, this team will share their experience from fighting forest fires in the U.S. – techniques and practices that can minimize the risk, but I have to point out that we're also – this team is taking back lessons from Greece that we may wish to apply in the United States as well about how to fight wild fires the best way and how to prevent them from causing major damage. So, it's technical assistance from the United States to Greece, but we also find it of tremendous value to learn lessons here.