TFIZ01: UN FLASH APPEAL: ITALY UPDATE ON

UNCLAS ROME 001503 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL PREF EAID IT IZ IRAQI FREEDOM SUBJECT: TFIZ01: UN FLASH APPEAL: ITALY UPDATE ON HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE REF: A. SECSTATE 89192 ¶B. ROME 1431 ¶1. (SBU) ECONOFF DELIVERED REF A POINTS ON APRIL 8 TO LUIGI MACCOTTA, MFA OFFICE DIRECTOR FOR IRAQ AND DEPUTY COORDINATOR OF ITALY'S IRAQ TASK FORCE. MACCOTTA UPDATED EARLIER FIGURES OF ITALY'S PLANNED CONTRIBUTION TO IRAQ HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (REF B). HE SAID THE TASK FORCE HAS RECEIVED PM BERLUSCONI'S APPROVAL TO SUBMIT FOR PARLIAMENTARY APPROVAL AN EMERGENCY FUNDING BILL CALLING FOR EUROS 85 MILLION IN ASSISTANCE. APPROXIMATELY 20 MILLION WILL GO TO BILATERAL PROGRAMS, WITH THE REMAINING EUROS 65 MILLION GOING TO THE UN FLASH APPEAL. (NOTE: THESE ARE THE AGGREGATE IRAQ HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FIGURES FOR THE GOI SO FAR, AND ENCOMPASS SMALLER AMOUNTS FLOATED BY VARIOUS ITALIAN OFFICIALS IN DIFFERENT FORA LAST WEEK. THE FIGURES DO NOT, HOWEVER, INCLUDE ITALIAN FUNDS THAT WILL BE DIRECTED TO THE UN THROUGH THE EU. SEMBLER NNNN 2003ROME01503 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED