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CONFIDENTIAL c £: c MINISTRY OF OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ELAND HOUSE STAG Prom the Minister RUNG INSTRUCTIONS FILE No, -~*ipi*r» 5DH 22 November 19 78 UGANDA/TANZANIA L.. Thank you for sending me a copy of your letter of 17 Bryan Cartledge, ft: ovember to Mrs Hart agrees that there may well be a case for some urgent humanitarian assistance north of the Kagera river. What we should do depends on the needs and requests of the Tanzanian Government. The situation in the Kagera salient is not of the kind where our Disaster Unit would ordinarily get involved : but if there is a clear need, particularly for drugs or medical supplies, we can consider urgently what we can do to help. Perhaps your Department would have a word with the Disaster Unit, If the Tanzanians put forward relief requirements which go beyond immediate needs, we should be prepared to consider this. But I should add that we would have difficulty in accepting any role in reconstruct since this is an, area of Tanzania where we have no administrative capacity and where other donors are better placed to implement capital projects. It may also be useful to add that Mrs Hart has just approved a new programme aid grant of £2.5 million for Tanzania. This will be availa for Imports from the UK for developmental purposes in the sectors of natural resources, transport, electricity and health. While this offe has no direct bearing on the hostilities in North West Tanzania and ha indeed been under consideration for some time, we hope that the timing of this offer will be helpful in relation to current exchanges with the Tanzanians. I am copying this letter to Bryan Cartledge (No 10), the Private Secretaries to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Defence, and to Martin Vile (Cabinet Office). (R M Graham-Harrison) Private Secretary J S Wall Esq Foreian and Commonwealth Office CONFIDENTIAL