Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said
he has been on the phone to world leaders and potential donors in an effort
to mobilize international assistance to flood-stricken Mozambique.
Mr. Annan told the press at United Nations
Headquarters in New York he had spoken to President Joaquim Chisano of
Mozambique, as well as President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, which has
played a leading role in airlifting victims from treetops and rooftops
to safety.
"We have mobilized the UN system and have also begun very seriously raising money," the Secretary-General said. "We have got some response, but the response could have been better."
A spokesman for the Secretary-General said that Mr. Annan had also been in touch with potential donor countries. On Wednesday, he had discussions with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and then with United States UN Ambassador Richard Holbrooke later in the day.
The Secretary-General was also dispatching his humanitarian coordinator for the Mozambique emergency, Ross Mountain, to Pretoria for Friday's meeting that will bring together representatives from Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe in an effort to take a regional approach to the crisis and identify priority needs.
"I hope once the needs are further clarified, the international community will respond and that those with the capacity to give will give, and give generously," Mr, Annan said