FURTHER INFORMATION ON GREECE'S 5 MILLION USD

UNCLAS ATHENS 000341 SIPDIS PASS TO NEA/IPA: ANDREW LENTZ E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAM KWBG EFIN PGOV PHUM PTER GR EAID SUBJECT: FURTHER INFORMATION ON GREECE'S 5 MILLION USD PLEDGE AT MARCH 2 CONFERENCE IN SHARM AL-SHEIKH REF: SECSTATE 20388 ¶1. (U) EconOff delivered reftel points on March 6 to Dr. Nike-Catherine Koutrakou, Director of Emergency Humanitarian and Food Aid Programs, Hellenic Aid. On March 18, Koutrakou advised EconOff that the $5 million pledged by the GoG at the March 2 conference would be used for various reconstruction needs in Gaza and would be transferred to and programmed through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza. Specifically, $4 million will be earmarked for the reconstruction of a school and a hospital in Gaza. The remainder will be earmarked for various smaller works projects, including possibly repairing a bridge. Koutrakou believes that the money will be transferred shortly and that the projects will commence sometime in 2009. She advised that the GOG's $5 million pledge is additional to (1) 400,000 euro already donated through the World Food Program; (2) over 1 million euro worth of in-kind humanitarian assistance already delivered via plane and boat shipments since January; and (3) a previous pledge of $7.6 million made by the GoG at the Paris Conference (of which, the GoG has already disbursed over $5 million as budget support in the health and education sectors). Koutrakou promised to update Post as more details become available. SPECKHARD