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 | | DCM, Robert Faucher (far right) with Dr. Aodh Quinlivan, Department of Government at UCC (far left); and two winners of their annual awards for scholarship. |
Deputy Chief of Mission, Robert Faucher Visits Cork
The concert choir of the University of Alabama - Birmingham came to Cork on May 3rd to compete for the Fleischman International Trophy in the annual Choral Festival, and the U.S. Embassy was there to lend its support. Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Faucher made his first trip to Cork to take in the festival, and to meet with key figures in politics, religion, business and education over the course of May Bank Holiday weekend. The visit began Friday with a tour of the Pfizer plant at Ringaskiddy and a meeting with area business leaders sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce. The tour came coincidentally as Pfizer was making a major announcement regarding an expansion of its operation there. The DCM's agenda also included the Irish Examiner, where news editor John O Mahony gave the DCM a tour of their new offices and a quick meeting with editor Tim Vaughan. (more)
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United States Offers Initial Earthquake Aid to China
 | A man comforts a grieving woman in Hanwang, Sichuan province, China, May 14, following the 7.9 earthquake. (© AP Images) |
The United States will send China an initial $500,000 toward disaster relief efforts following a massive earthquake and stands ready to send additional aid as needed. President Bush made the offer in a May 13 call to Chinese President Hu Jintao, says White House spokesman Dana Perino. “It’s an initial contribution in response to the event,” said Perino, who added that the White House would consider extending further aid as requested once damage assessments were completed. The funds will come from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) in advance of an expected appeal for aid from the International Red Cross. More than 12,000 people were killed May 12 when a 7.9-magnitude quake struck near Chengdu in China’s Sichuan province, toppling schools, apartments and factories, according to Chinese officials. (more)
America Stands with Lebanon, Bush Says
 | Lebanese forces patrol Beirut May 13. (© AP Images) |
The United States stands with the people of Lebanon against Hezbollah, says President Bush, who urges regional leaders to support Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and step up diplomatic pressure on the militants’ sponsors in Syria and Iran. “I think the Arab world needs to support him,” Bush said in a May 12 interview with Al-Arabiya television, “and I think the Arab world needs to make it clear to the Iranians and Syrians that [they should] allow this good man to govern his country without interference.” As Bush sets off for the Middle East, Hezbollah has followed up seizures of territory in western Beirut neighborhoods and the shutdown of Lebanon's airport with new attacks in Tripoli. At least 61 people have been killed and 200 others wounded since Hezbollah launched attacks May 7, in what local media reports have called the worst unrest since the 1975-1990 civil war. (more)
Bush Brings Optimism to Middle East
 | President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert May 14 (© AP Images) |
Sixty years to the day of Israel's founding, President Bush called on Israelis, who have built the region's most dynamic democracy, to renew their commitment to Middle East peace in that same spirit. "Americans and Israelis can be proud of our past, and the best way to honor our founders is to continue the work they started," Bush said, arriving in Tel Aviv May 14 on the first day of a three-nation visit to the region. Despite many challenges, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have made progress since the U.S.-brokered Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, in late 2007, says National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. Efforts have focused on building confidence between the two sides, along with strengthening the economy and governing institutions of a future Palestinian state, he said. (more)
United States Commits $17.4 Million to Assist Burma
 | Burmese children wait in line to receive emergency relief. (Courtesy GlobalGiving/Save the Children) |
The United States will give $13 million in food and logistical assistance to the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) for relief to Burma, bringing to $17.4 million total U.S. government assistance made available to the country thus far. The total includes an initial $3.25 million channeled through nongovernmental organizations and the United Nations and the value of supplies that have arrived in Burma to date. "Beyond this $17.4 million, we are prepared to provide substantial additional humanitarian assistance, subject to assurances that the initial relief is effectively reaching cyclone victims in the affected areas," said Ky Luu, director of USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance. Henrietta Fore, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator, and Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, May 12 delivered to Burma an initial planeload of bottled water, blankets and insecticide-treated bed nets to protect against malaria. (more)
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