IRAQ ASSISTANCE: MAY 25-26 DOHA MEETING ON IRAQ

UNCLAS ROME 001950 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE EB/ODF FOR ROLAND DE MARCELLUS STATE EB/IRAQ FOR MARK KISSEL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN PREL IT IZ IRAQI FREEDOM SUBJECT: IRAQ ASSISTANCE: MAY 25-26 DOHA MEETING ON IRAQ TRUST FUND REF: A. SECSTATE 108776 ¶B. ROME 1805 THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. NOT FOR INTERNET PUBLICATION. ¶1. (SBU) ECONOFF RAISED REF A POINTS WITH GIANNI GHISI, COORDINATOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA AT THE MFA'S DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION. ECONOFF ALSO DELIVERED REF A POINTS TO CARLO MONTICELLI, G7 FINANCIAL SOUS-SHERPA AT THE FINANCE MINISTRY. GHISI SAID HE AND GUGLIELMO GIORDANO, DESK OFFICER FOR IRAQ AT THE DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION, WOULD REPRESENT ITALY AT THE DOHA MEETING. ¶2. (SBU) ITALY WILL CONTRIBUTE EURO 10 MILLION (APPROXIMATELY US$12 MILLION) TO THE INTERNATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION TRUST FUND FACILITY, GHISI SAID. HE ADDED THAT HE "HOPED" PAYMENT OF ITALY'S FUND FACILITY CONTRIBUTION WOULD BE COMPLETE PRIOR TO THE DOHA MEETING. IF NOT, GHISI SAID HE WOULD AT LEAST ANNOUNCE THE DONATION AT DOHA AND SIGN A LETTER OF AGREEMENT WITH THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM UNDP. GHISI REMARKED THAT THIS YEAR ITALY STILL PLANS TO DISPERSE AN ADDITIONAL EURO 20 MILLION OF ITS EURO 200 MILLION MADRID PLEDGE IN THE FORM OF A SOFT LOAN (REF B). VISIT ROME'S CLASSIFIED WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/EUR/ROME/INDEX.CF M SKODON NNNN 2004ROME01950 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED