SLOVAK PARTICIPATION IN OSLO DONOR'S CONFERENCE ON

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000262 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL EAID ECON LO SUBJECT: SLOVAK PARTICIPATION IN OSLO DONOR'S CONFERENCE ON SUDAN, APRIL 11-12 REF: SECSTATE 56724 (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel demarche March 30 to Peter Hulenyi, Director of the Department for Development Cooperation at the MFA. Hulenyi said State Secretary Jozsef Berenyi had previously planned to attend the conference but had decided to send Hulenyi instead after consultation with the Slovak Ambassador in Oslo. The Slovak Government will not announce any additional pledge for Sudan at the conference. Hulenyi noted that the Slovak Government provided Sudan 240,000 USD in 2004, including 20,000 Euros in cash assistance for food aid. Hulenyi said that one third of Slovakia's approximately five million USD bilateral development and humanitarian assistance goes to Serbia and Montenegro. The Slovak Government finds it difficult to justify spending scarce development resources in a region where it has no historical or cultural ties, although Sudan remains one of Slovakia's thirteen priority donor recipients. THAYER NNNN