Cablegate: Stockholm Donors Conference: Swiss Aid to Lebanon

VZCZCXRO1397
RR RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHKUK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHSW #1571 2371512
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 251512Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY BERN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2903
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BERN 001571

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR NEA, EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PREL SZ SW
SUBJECT: STOCKHOLM DONORS CONFERENCE: SWISS AID TO LEBANON

REF: A. SECSTATE 139903

B. BERN 1505

1.(SBU) Switzerland will be represented at the Stockholm
donors conference on Lebanon by an expert delegation led by
the head of the Swiss Development Agency (SDA) humanitarian
relief office, Toni Frisch. Accompanying Frisch will be
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Middle East advisor Amb.
Nicolas Lang and international humanitarian law specialist
Daniel Klingele.

2.(SBU) Yet to be determined is the level and focus of Swiss
aid. The Federal Council (cabinet) on August 23 balked at
Foreign Minister Calmy-Rey's proposal for Swiss Francs 20
million (nearly $16 million) in aid for Lebanon, deferring a
decision on aid until after the Stockholm meeting. Part of
the reason for postponing the decision appears to have been
anger at Calmy-Rey's outspoken criticism of Israel, which
some Swiss believed was not in keeping with Switzerland's
policy of neutrality. However, Swiss aid officials also came
under fire for financing and erecting tent cities in the
north of Lebanon that ended up not being used when displaced
southerners returned home.

3.(SBU) DFA Lebanon desk officer Leo Trembley told Poloff
during reftel demarche that representatives of the DFA, SDA,
and Swiss Defense Department would meet later on August 25 to
draw up proposals, but that decisions would be taken only
after officials had an overview of what the rest of the
international community was planning. Asked to guess on the
range of possible Swiss donor support, Trembley said SFr. 20
million ($16 million) was the maximum, but that it could be
less than half of that. Everything depended on the needs
assessment. For their part, Defense officials would likely
discuss possible medical donations, de-mining efforts, or the
erection of temporary bridges, but all of this was
speculative. A government spokesman earlier this week tamped
down any discussion of Swiss uniformed military participation
in UNIFIL (see ref B).
ROSEN

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