CANADA TO PLEDGE C$3 MILLION AT GEORGIA DONORS'

UNCLAS OTTAWA 001343 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/ACE (WASHELESKI AND KATZMAIER) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: GG RS KMCA EAID EFIN PREL SUBJECT: CANADA TO PLEDGE C$3 MILLION AT GEORGIA DONORS' CONFERENCE REF: A. SECSTATE 109212 ¶B. OTTAWA 1243 Sensitive but unclassified (sbu) Canada plans to pledge C$3 million at the Georgia Donor's Conference in Brussels on October 22, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) Southern Caucasus and Central Asia Desk Officer Nancy Clark told Econcouns. Clark said Canada's delegation to Brussels would be led by Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Helena Guergis and include DFAIT's Director General for Europe, Robert Hage. Clark noted that Canada's pledge comes on top of the C$3 million that the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) announced in August that it was providing to Georgia via the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (C$1 million),UNICEF (C$700,000), the World Food Programme (C$500,000),World Vision Canada (C$300,000),and the International Committee of the Red Cross (C$1 million). Clark stated that Canada's additional C$3 million would be distributed by DFAIT's Global Peace and Security Fund and would go toward "stabilization" efforts, such as a U.S.-Canada de-mining project (C$1.1 million) and policing (C$2.9 million). Given the relatively small amount of Canada's pledge, Clark said, DFAIT wanted to find niches -- such as de-mining -- where even limited funds could make a difference. Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada BREESE