SLOVENIA TO ANNOUNCE ASSISTANCE TO GAZA AT SHARM

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000042 SIPDIS NEA/IPA FOR ANDREW LENTZ E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/19/2019 TAGS: PHUM EFIN PGOV PTER KPAL KWBG SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA TO ANNOUNCE ASSISTANCE TO GAZA AT SHARM EL-SHEIKH, ASKS FOR SUPPORT REF: STATE 14575 Classified By: CDA Brad Freden, reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. (U) This is an action request; see paragraph 5. ¶2. (C) Slovenia's Foreign Minister, Samuel Zbogar, plans to present details on Slovenia's assistance efforts at the March 2 donors' conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, according to Polonca Smole of the MFA's Middle East section. She told us on February 20 that the GoS has not finalized the cost of its assistance package yet, but the International Trust Fund for Demining and Victims Assistance (ITF) would be a prominent element of the package. When asked about the budget, President Danilo Turk said it was still being worked out, but our rough estimate from talking to the implementers is that a minimalist version of the proposal would cost about one mission U.S. dollars for the first year, with roughly 75 percent of the money going to the ITF for explosive ordinance disposal and the remainder divided between the Rehabilitation Institute and Slovene Philanthropy, which provides psychological support for children. Turk said the Slovenian government would contribute 100,000 euros for the first year. ¶3. (U) President Turk visited Gaza in late January to assess the feasibility of Slovenia providing humanitarian assistance. Turk then briefed representatives of donor countries in Ljubljana on February 15, outlining the participation of ITF, Slovene Philanthropy, and the Rehabilitation Institute (proposal emailed to EUR/CE on February 11). He noted that Slovenia would not necessarily provide large quantities of material aid, but, through these organizations' expertise, would contribute significantly to recovery efforts in Gaza. ¶4. (C) Comment: On February 20, the Japanese ambassador asked emboff about the U.S. reaction to ITF's lead role in assistance and whether or not we would be giving money to ITF specifically for this project. His inquiry reflects a "wait and see" attitude tat seems characteristic of other ITF donors as wel. President Turk's modest assistance proposal s designed to carve out a specialized niche for Slvenia on a humanitarian issue about which Slovenans care deeply. But without further details on the plans for ITF's engagement in Gaza, we see the value of the "wait and see" stance until the GoS makes its intentions (and level of assistance) clear. Given the President's unusual personal presentation for donors, we do, however, want to be responsive. We recommend the U.S. support the project in principle, but withhold any specific commitment until the details are fleshed out. ¶5. (U) Action Request: Please provide initial Department feedback on the Slovenian proposal prior to the March 2 donors conference. FREDEN