U.S. CONTRIBUTION TO THE UN ELECTORAL ASSISTANCE

UNCLAS STATE 061888 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNSC PREL PHUM ZI XA ZU SUBJECT: U.S. CONTRIBUTION TO THE UN ELECTORAL ASSISTANCE TRUST FUND FOR ZIMBABWE ELECTION OBSERVERS ¶1. This is an action request. The Department instructs USUN to deliver the letter in para 2 below to the UN Electoral Assistance Division as soon as possible. No original will follow. A follow-up letter will be supplied once the funds can be formally obligated. The follow-up letter will include the terms and conditions of the award, and will require UN acknowledgment of the award. End action. ¶2. Begin text of letter: Dear Mr. Jenness, Thank you for your letter dated May 21, 2008, which requested U.S. financial support for the United Nations Trust Fund for Electoral Assistance. We appreciate the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division,s effort to support the rapid deployment of election observers from the African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for the second round of Zimbabwe,s presidential elections scheduled for June 27, 2008. The United States intends to contribute $1.35 million to the United Nations Trust Fund for Electoral Assistance to support election observation for the June 27 run-off election in Zimbabwe. We will send to you very shortly another letter that will be used as an award of the funds, but we are still in the process of making the funds available so they can be formally obligated. Again, we thank you for your efforts in supporting the AU and SADC in their mission to observe the run-off election in Zimbabwe. We will watch the election process carefully, and believe the AU and SADC election observers can help ensure that the election proceeds smoothly in a fair and transparent fashion. Sincerely, Kristen Silverberg RICE