Cablegate: Iraq Assistance: No Changes to Date On Spanish

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS MADRID 001857

SIPDIS

STATE PASS EB/ODF ROLAND DE MARCELLUS AND EB/IRAQ MARK
KISSEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN IZ PREL SP
SUBJECT: IRAQ ASSISTANCE: NO CHANGES TO DATE ON SPANISH
PLEDGE

REF: A. SECSTATE 108776

B. MADRID 1806

1. We discussed the status of Spain's pledge for Iraq
reconstruction with Directorate General of International
Finance Technical Adviser Ines Menendez de Luarca Bellido.
Menendez said that her Director General and Secretary of
State for Economy have not yet been able to discuss this
matter with the new Vice President and Minister of Economy
Pedro Solbes.

2. Menendez expects this conversation to take place shortly.
She confidently predicts Spain will begin the disbursement
process of its 2004 multilateral pledges from the Madrid
Donors' Conference, which include USD 20 million for the
IRFFI and USD 5 million for the IFC Small Business Facility,
shortly thereafter. The bureaucratic procedure for
assistance transfer requires approximately one month. She
could not offer any information on new assistance plans.
ARGYROS

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