UN official calls US "stingy"

U.N.: Tsunami damage 'unprecedented'

Emergency relief head calls on nations to step up aid

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The United Nations' emergency relief head called the tsunamis that devastated large parts of southern Asia "unprecedented," and warned Monday that it may be weeks before the full effects are known.

The tsunamis were "not the biggest in recorded history, but the effects may be the biggest ever because many more people live in exposed areas than ever before," said Jan Egeland, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief

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In a news conference at U.N. headquarters in New York, Egeland called for a major international response -- and went so far as to call the U.S. government and others "stingy" on foreign aid in general.

"If, actually, the foreign assistance of many countries now is 0.1 or 0.2 percent of the gross national income, I think that is stingy, really," he said. "I don't think that is very generous."

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Mata Musing

Unbelievable. Short of spitting venom and foul words, I am close to speechless. And that ain't easy!

To hear this from the mouth of one associated with an organization that has siphoned of billions with the Oil for Food scandal.. to have to listen to this crap about my country which has always been generous to a fault toward those that regard us with unmitigated hatred is just unconcionable!

At a White House briefing Monday in Crawford, Texas, CNN asked spokesman Trent Duffy about the "stingy" remark. He said he thinks the United States is "the largest contributor to international relief and aid efforts not only through the government, but through charitable organizations. The American people are very giving, so we'll continue to be that and we'll be a leading partner in this effort that lies ahead."

Egeland, at the U.N. news conference, said the cost of the devastation will "probably be many billions of dollars. However, we cannot fathom the cost of these poor societies and the nameless fishermen and fishing villages that have just been wiped out."

"The important thing is that we give and that we as citizens also demand that our countries give generously to those who have been so hard hit."

Mr. Egeland, a Norwegian appointed to the Under-Sec'y General for Humaritarian Affairs August of 2003, apparently doesn't understand the concept of charitable giving in the US. We don't mandate charity. We are more than generous with our gov't funds, but as a free society, private individuals and corporations add to the US dollar totals - ignored by Mr. Egeland - the ability of which is enabled by our capitalistic society. It is, no matter how you look at it, it is American funds since it is a byproduct of our economic structure... the icing on the cake.

The US initially set aside $15 billion in aid for tsunami victims, as well as offering floating naval hospital facilities, cargo flights, etal. Since then, the US added $20 million to the initial total in response to the increasing magnitude of devastation and death.

As a reminder, Sunday had 11,000 dead as the total. Monday and Tuesday have seen those numbers doubling, with no end in sight. While the initial figure cited surely was not the end of the coveted American funding, I can't help to point out the potential folly of obligating to some astronomical figure in advance, and placing it in the hands of those whose management of funds has proven to be corrupt.

The UN spokesman's remark even had Colin Powell steaming.

Powell, irritated by the U.N. official's criticism, toured morning television talk shows to say the Bush administration will follow up its contributions with large additional sums.

"The United States has given more aid in the last four years than any other nation or combination of nations in the world," Powell said when asked about the comments Monday by Jan Egeland, the U.N. humanitarian aid chief.

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Powell chafed at statements that Egeland made at a Monday news conference, at which the humanitarian aid chief exhorted "rich" nations to do more.

"We were more generous when we were less rich, many of the rich countries," Egeland said. "And it is beyond me, why are we so stingy, really ... Even Christmas time should remind many Western countries at least how rich we have become."

Asked about this on ABC, Powell said, "We will do more. I wish that comment hadn't been made."

"We'll make an assessment as the days go by, to see what more is needed of us," he said. "It will take us awhile to make a careful assessment of what is needed ... to see what the specific needs are and then we will respond to those needs."

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In an interview on NBC"s "Today" show Tuesday, Powell said that "clearly, the United States will be a major contributor to this international effort. And, yes, it will run into the billions of dollars."

Mr. Egeland has responded, calling his demeaning remarks "misinterpreted" and not country nor incident specific.

What a twit.