SWISS RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE SEEKING DONOR SUPPORT

UNCLAS BERN 000330 SENSITIVE SIPDIS PASS TO AF/E (M.WALSH),AF/E (P.FIERST),AND EUR/CE (Y.SAINT-ANDRE) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER KPKO PGOV EAID SO SZ SUBJECT: SWISS RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE SEEKING DONOR SUPPORT FOR THE SOMALIA TFG FOLLOWING AGREEMENT WITH PWC REF: SECSTATE 79853 ¶1. (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel demarche on August 7 to Anja Zobrist-Rentenaar, Regional Coordinator for Southern Africa at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), and Jenny Piaget, Deputy Regional Coordinator. Piaget responded that Swiss government funding for Somalia is solely tied to humanitarian support. She said that Switzerland has not pledged money for security, and does not plan to do so. Piaget added that the GoS would like to support humanitarian programs in Somalia more actively and directly, but that the situation on the ground precludes the Swiss from doing so. ¶2. (SBU) Zobrist-Rentenaar and Piaget underlined that Switzerland has substantially increased its humanitarian aid to Somalia, going from CHF 2 million (approx. USD 1.9 million) two years ago to a current level of CHF 8 million (approx. USD 7.5 million) in annual funding. Piaget added that the GoS has allocated CHF 200,000 (approx. USD 187,000) for peace promotion in Somalia through the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS). CARTER