SLOVENIA WILL REQUEST MORE DOCUMENTATION REGARDING

UNCLAS LJUBLJANA 000529 SIPDIS STATE FOR EEB/IFD/OMA - DAVID FREUDENWALD, EUR/CE - CLAIRE PIERANGELO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID EFIN KTIA OPDC SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA WILL REQUEST MORE DOCUMENTATION REGARDING USAID LOANS REF: A. STATE 83849 ¶B. LJUBLJANA 370 ¶1. Ambassador Ghafari has received the following message from Minister of Finance Dr. Andrej Bajuk, dated 20 November 2008, presented through Andrej Kavcic, Head of the Ministry of Finance International Finance Department. (Note: Former minister Bajuk left office on 25 November, the new Minister of Finance is France Krizanic. End note.) The originals will be forwarded by diplomatic pouch. ¶2. Begin text: Dear Assistant Secretary Sullivan, I received your letter requesting my cooperation in regard of the bilateral debt issue between our countries that remained unsolved as a part of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) non-allocated finance related succession issues. Thank your (sic) for the supporting documentation that you enclosed as a follow up to the March 22, 2004, Slovenian-US consultation on succession of agreements concluded between the former SFRY and the USA. At the time of the above mentioned meeting we presented the position of Slovenia in this regard, i.e. that Slovenia would be ready to acknowledge its proportional share of unallocated debt obligation of former SFRY provided that a well documented, substantiated and audited outstanding obligations of former SFRY to USA or its agencies can be confirmed to exist. We also stressed that since the Agreement on Succession Issues in the meanwhile came into force, the issue of any outstanding un-allocated obligations of the SFRY should be presented to and approved by the Joint Financial Committee of the successor states, established din accordance with the provisions of Annex C of the Agreement. This position has so far not been changed. After the first examination of the enclosed supporting documentation we find it still incomplete (one agreement missing - only a copy of the summary, one copy of the agreement unsigned) and we note some inconsistencies with the statements made by the US delegation during the last Slovenia-US consultation of March 22, 2005 (one of the agreements said to be fully repaid). As indicated in your letter a detailed list requesting all missing relevant documentation and questions for clarification will be submitted to Ms Andrea Finnegan at the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana in due course. This said I would like to express willingness of Slovenia to acknowledge the debt and enter into negotiations to conclude an agreement to settle its share once all relevant documentation has been submitted and examined by the Joint Financial Committee of the successor states and open questions have been clarified. Sincerely, /s/ End text. GHAFARI