CANADIAN AID TO KOSOVO (AND BALKANS) TO END BY 2010

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 000312 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2013 TAGS: PREL EAID EU KV CA SUBJECT: CANADIAN AID TO KOSOVO (AND BALKANS) TO END BY 2010 REF: STATE 18802 Classified By: PolMinCouns Scott Bellard, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Acting Director General for Europe of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Sean Boyd confirmed to PolMinCouns on February 29 that Canada was in the processing of "wrapping up" all of its assistance programs in the Balkans, including Kosovo, with an end date of 2010. He noted that the Canadian government had taken this policy decision "two or three years ago" as part of the ruling Conservative Party's determination to focus aid on key countries and regions, notably Afghanistan, the Americas, China, and India, Total Canadian assistance in the Balkans 2005-2010 was about C$500 million (approximately the same in US dollars),of which $135 went to Kosovo; almost all of these programs have now concluded, he added. Remaining programs in Kosovo include about C$2 million through the Council of Europe and World Bank to promote the rule of law, and also Canadian representatives to the OSCE mission in Pristina. ¶2. (C) Boyd noted that CIDA's regional representative in Sarajevo would attend the technical meeting of donors for Kosovo in Brussels on March 5, but would merely confirm the "graduation" of the Kosovo and Balkan programs. ¶3. (C) Boyd declined to speculate whether Canada's eventual recognition of Kosovo might spark a new political decision to resume aid to Kosovo. He confirmed that he and his counterparts at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade had informed their senior policy makers of reftel demarche and the hope of "friends and allies" that Canada would join other donors in helping the newly independent Kosovo. Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada WILKINS