IRAQI RECONSTRUCTION: CANADA OFFERS AIR TRANSPORT,

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 001190

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PMAT, INL, EB, NEA, AND WHA/CAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2013
TAGS: PREL MOPS EAID KCRM KJUS IZ CA
SUBJECT: IRAQI RECONSTRUCTION: CANADA OFFERS AIR TRANSPORT,
DART ENGINEERS AND CIVILIAN POLICE

REF: (A) OTTAWA 1161 AND PREVIOUS (B) STATE 98807 (C)

STATE 102473

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Stephen R. Kelly,
Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Canadian Prime Minister Chretien issued an Iraqi
reconstruction press release on April 29, announcing that
Canada is ready to make available elements of its Disaster
Assistance Response Team (DART); Canadian transport aircraft
to support humanitarian assistance efforts and reconstruction
material movement; and police, corrections and legal
assistance. The transport aircraft would be drawn from three
CC130 Hercules aircraft already deployed in theater as part
of Operation Enduring Freedom. Chretien also discussed these
offers during a press conference following a Cabinet meeting
later in the day. Alex Himelfarb, Clerk of the Privy
Council, told DCM that Chretien decided over the weekend not
to wait for the April 29 Cabinet meeting to respond to our
requests, and that his decision was unequivocal.


2. (C) Just prior to the press release, Jill Sinclair,
Foreign Affairs Director General for International Security,
informed DCM of the Canadian decision on military assistance,
and presented him with a paper on "Canadian Support for
Reconstruction in Iraq" (faxed to WHA/CAN). In addition to
the military and police contributions, the paper notes that
the GoC is considering contributions to the rehabilitation of
health, water and sanitation systems of Iraq, and increasing
its US$3.5 million contribution to the UN Mine Action Service
for Iraq.


3. (C) The GoC paper welcomes the "early efforts on the part
of the occupying powers to work with Iraqis to establish an
interim authority," and calls for the international community
to play in important role. On the UN, the paper notes
Canada's support for UNSC resolutions which would facilitate
the flow of donor assistance, provide legitimacy to an Iraqi
interim authority, and provide a multilateral framework for
"ongoing reconstruction assistance." Sinclair reiterated,
however, that Canada will take a pragmatic approach to
reconstruction assistance.


4. (C) Sinclair said that while the GoC has already taken the
decision on its military offer for post-conflict Iraq, the
Cabinet still needs to make a final decision on the levels
and sources of funding for civil assistance. She expected
final decisions to be taken at the May 6 Cabinet meeting.
Sinclair reiterated strong GoC interest in participating in
the "justice sector" assessment team visit to Iraq beginning
May 8. She noted that the Canadian Government requires a
site visit before deployment of Canadian police teams abroad,
and that it would greatly expedite getting Canadian police on
the ground if Canada could be there with the U.S. and other
national representatives. Canada would propose to send two
RCMP officers for the assessment visit, one with a
corrections background and the other with a justice
background.


5. (C) COMMENT: The PMO's message was more positive and
straightforward than the message we received from Foreign
Affairs, and more in line with what we had been expecting.
Canada is offering the types of support we had expected for
post-conflict Iraq, plus a bit more with the DART engineers.
Canada will now want to hear from us, as soon as possible, on
how to best incorporate these offers with what we and other
coalition partners are doing. In the first instance, we
strongly encourage a positive response to the Canadian
request to be included on the police assessment team visit to
Iraq.
CELLUCCI