U.S. Embassy
November 12
ndrew S. Natsios, Administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), arrived on Sunday, November 11 in Tashkent. He will spend the week visiting several Central Asia Republics to review the U.S. humanitarian operation to help the people of Afghanistan.
During his November 11-14 visit to Uzbekistan, Mr. Natsios will meet with senior government officials, including Prime Minister Otkir Sultanov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Macroeconomics and Statistics Rustam Azimov, and First Deputy Foreign Minister Sadyk Safaev.
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He will also consult with United Nations officials as well as have discussions with leaders of humanitarian assistance non-government organizations. The purpose of Mr. Natsios' visit to Uzbekistan is to discuss a broad range of issues relating to humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and USAID programs in Uzbekistan. Before leaving for Central Asia, Natsios said: "Our focus is getting food and other aid into northern Afghanistan where the greatest number of people are in critical need of help. With winter rapidly approaching, it's vitally important that we use every available means and every possible route to get aid into Afghanistan immediately." |
While in Uzbekistan, Mr. Natsios will travel to Termez where he is scheduled to meet with Regional Hokim Baytiyor Olimjonov and discuss coordination of humanitarian relief for the people of Afghanistan with United Nations and other international organization officials. In Termez, he will see the port facilities and visit the Imam at-Termezi Mosque.
In late October, USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) deployed a six-member Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Uzbekistan to provide logistical, administrative, communications, information, and food-aid support for humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan was the U.S. Government's number one recipient of humanitarian assistance prior to September 11, and remains so today. The United States has supplied more than 80 percent of all food aid for vulnerable Afghans through the World Food Program and will continue to be the leading food donor to the Afghan people.
To date, in Fiscal Year 2002, the United States Government has provided nearly $120 million in aid to Afghanistan.
Andrew S. Natsios was sworn in on May 1, 2001 as administrator, or director, of the United States Agency for International Development. USAID is the government agency that administers economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide. Previously, Mr. Natsios served at Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance at USAID from 1989-1991 and as Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Food and Humanitarian Response in 1991-1993. He is also a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Andrew Natsios is a graduate of Georgetown University and received a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Mr. Natsios is the author of two books and numerous articles on foreign policy and humanitarian emergencies.