ABBOTTABAD, April 2: France will provide $1.5 million grant for reconstruction of earthquake-affected areas of the NWFP and Azad Kashmir for which a financial protocol will be signed by the end of this month. This was stated by Regis de Belenet, Ambassador of France in Pakistan, while speaking at the closing ceremony of the French fuel camp here on Sunday.

The ambassador said that the French government had provided $35 million for relief activities and pledged $94 million as soft loan for the reconstruction process.

They had selected three areas, housing, water supply and sanitation, he said, adding that $47 million had been allocated for housing and the remaining amount for water supply and sanitation for which technical modalities were being finalised with the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority.

He said that the French development agency and government planned to send experts to monitor execution of rehabilitation projects and utilization of the funds. —-PPI

Our Correspondent adds: A visiting French delegation, headed by Francois Poncet, vice-president, standing committee of the French Senate for foreign affairs and armed forces, attended the closing ceremony of the fuel camp which had been established after last year’s earthquake.

Mr Poncet was accompanied by Senator Andre Trilland and other senior French officials.

The delegation also attended a briefing given by French commander Maj Pierre Giraut.

The French commander said that the fuel farm had refuelled helicopters used in the relief operation at least 1,850 times.

He said that it had refuelled the helicopters used by UN agencies and International Red Cross for which 16 refuelling points were established at two centres, the Frontier Force Regiment centre and the Army Medical Corps centre.

Maj Giraut said that the purpose of the strategic fuel deployment was to facilitate more relief flights closer to the disaster area to refuel faster so goods supply with other relief activates could be speed up.