Why is that when countries from all over the world are offering to help in so many ways, that the US is simply turning them away?
Kuwait is offering $500 million in help, Qatar $100 million, third-world/developing countries such as Pakistan and India have also entertained several ways to help. Even countries with ill relations with the US are offering a helping hand, such as Iran offering 20 million in oil and even Venezuela and Cuba offering help!!
Yet after so much international help, the US not only has turned them down, it is specifially asking one entity for help, the EU. This makes absolutely no sense and will only prolong the anti-Americanism that is rapidly increasing in all corners of the world.
I don’t think the US has turned anyone down out of dogmatic political concerns. I think there have been a number of duplicate offers, or a need had already been met through some other means.
this is the press conference from the US State Department, and it specifically says that we have accepted all offers:
MR. MCCORMACK: Good afternoon. I want to start with a brief update on a topic that I know is of interest to everybody here concerning Hurricane Katrina relief and relief efforts as well as on offers of foreign assistance. Let me start off by saying that we have received numerous and generous offers of assistance from foreign governments and foreign organizations. And Secretary Rice after consulting with the White House has made it clear that we will accept all offers of foreign assistance. Anything that can be of help to alleviate the difficult situation, the tragic situation, of the people of the area affected by Hurricane Katrina will be accepted.
I can run through a list, thus far. It’s a list that’s being constantly updated and growing really by the hour. We’ve received general offers of assistance, as well as some more specific offers of assistance from a number of different countries and organizations and includes: Russia, Japan, Canada, France, Honduras, Germany, Venezuela, the Organization of American States, Jamaica, NATO, Australia, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, China, South Korea, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. I’ll try to keep you updated as best we can on those lists. Like I said, it’s growing literally by the hour.