SLOVENIA SENDS AID TO BURMA AND WORKS ON LARGER EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000207 SIPDIS EAP/MLS AARON COPE E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID BM SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA SENDS AID TO BURMA AND WORKS ON LARGER EU PACKAGE REF: STATE 48651 Classified By: CDA Maryruth Coleman for reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) In a meeting with MFA State Secretary Matjaz Sinkovec on May 9, Charge d,Affaires Maryruth Coleman inquired about the GOS relief efforts to Burma and urged the GOS to join the U.S. in encouraging the Burmese regime to allow international relief teams access to the affected areas as soon as possible, per reftel. Sinkovec stated that the GOS was donating 50,000 euros in aid--likely transferred through the Red Cross--and noted that his colleague, MFA State Secretary Andrej Ster, was working with Brussels to coordinate the aid response within the EU. Sinkovec said that he would contact us when he found out the details of the EU coordinated effort. ¶2. (U) Note: On May 6, the Slovenian EU Presidency released a statement that the EC would provide 2 million euros for the victims of the cyclone to be implemented by the Commission's Humanitarian Aid Directorate General (ECHO) and channeled through humanitarian partner organizations. End Note. COLEMAN