CANADA: NO NEW PLEDGES AT AD HOC LIAISON COMMITTEE

UNCLAS OTTAWA 001232 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/IPA (LENTZ); WHA/CAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CA EAID IS KPAL PGOV PREL WBG SUBJECT: CANADA: NO NEW PLEDGES AT AD HOC LIAISON COMMITTEE MEETING; SUB-MINISTERIAL DELEGATION TO ATTEND REF: A. STATE 97393 ¶B. 07 OTTAWA 2272 ¶C. OTTAWA 581 Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (sbu) Canada plans no new pledges at the September 22 Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) meeting in New York, according to Louise Corbin, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) Deputy Director for Israel, West Bank, and Gaza. Corbin told Econcouns that Canada had pledged C$300 million (to be dispersed over five years) at the December 2007 Paris Donor Conference (refs b and c) -- and that the first C$15 million in direct budget support of the Palestinian Authority had just been released in August. Corbin said no more funds would be dispersed in 2008, but she expected another C$45 million would be released before the end of Canada's fiscal year on March 30. ¶2. (sbu) Corbin stated that because of Canada's ongoing election campaign, no ministers or deputy ministers would attend the AHLC. Instead, Canada will be represented by DFAIT Assistant Deputy Minister James Fox, DFAIT Middle East Director General Michael Grant, and Isabelle Berard, Director of the Middle East Division at the Canadian International Development Agency. Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada BREESE