International donors on Wednesday promised an additional 580 million dollars (480 million euros) in assistance following the earthquake in Pakistan, sowing confusion among UN officials who wanted something firmer.
"We have received new pledges of 580 million dollars," UN emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland told journalists.
Some of the major new donations were announced by the United States, with an extra 50 million dollars, and India, which said it was setting up a special 25-million-dollar fund for Pakistan, UN spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said.
The EU also announced an additional 50 million euros for Pakistan in the meeting that had been outlined earlier in Brussels. China was ready to give 500,000 dollars next week for tents, blankets and heating equipment.
Alessandro Minuto Rizzo, deputy secretary general of the NATO military alliance, which is currently airlifting supplies into Pakistan, also announced the deployment of 1,300 specialist military personnel, including engineers, for the operation.
However, officials emphasised that it was not clear how much of the new pledges were earmarked for the world body's 550-million-dollar (456-million euro) appeal for emergency relief aid over the next six months, or for other efforts including long-term reconstruction.
USAID administrator Andrew Natsios said the fresh American pledge -- which comes on top of an initial promise of 50 million dollars, as well as 56 million dollars spent by the US military -- was for "emergency needs and reconstruction".
"It's flexible enough to be used for either phase," Natsios told journalists.
The Islamic Development Bank announced a 250 million dollar contribution, said Toby Lanzer, who heads funding collection at the UN's humanitarian coordination office (OCHA).
"It's been quite difficult for us to discern what is for the flash appeal, and what is for other initiatives," Lanzer said.
"What we're trying to get is clarity on what is for now," he added, as his staff scrambled around the meeting room to speak to government delegates and phoned up capitals to ask for an explanation of their offers.
A clear picture is not expected for several days despite the warnings that time is running out for some of the 77,000 injured quake survivors and millions of homeless.
"It's important to engage in reconstruction issues, but from our perspective the critical issue right now is emergency relief for the millions of people who are really in very desperate need," Lanzer insisted.
One UN official said relief agencies needed to cover their immediate needs by about 60 percent now in order to prepare enough aid and supplies to cope with winter in the mountains of Kashmir, which is due to set in by mid-November.
Egeland also emphasised that the promises had to be transformed into "actionable contributions" to allow humanitarian agencies to deliver aid and care.
The UN had received 111 million dollars in committed aid on Wednesday, just a fraction of what it is asking for.
Appeals for international funding to cope with disasters are normally marked by initial promises that turn into cash or a concrete type of assistance at a rate of about 15 percent of the amount asked for per month, according to one official.
Despite the doubts about where the fresh promises would eventually go, Egeland said they would boost to the race to deliver aid and care to up to 3.3 million homeless or injured quake victims.
He estimated that about 1.3 billion dollars has been promised for Pakistan through different channels, whether for the short or long term.
