US embassy cable - 04WELLINGTON840

UNCLAS WELLINGTON 000840 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EB/ODF, EB/IRAQ AND EAP/ANP 
 
E.O. 12356: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, ECON, EFIN, PREL, IZ, NZ 
SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND ON IRAQ ASSISTANCE AND OCTOBER 13-14 
TOKYO DONORS' MEETING 
 
REF: (A) STATE 196084; (B) WELLINGTON 420; (C) WELLINGTON 
 
303 
 
1. The New Zealand government is not yet able to report 
whether it has disbursed the remainder of the NZ $5.5 
million (U.S. $3.3 million) that it had pledged for Iraq 
assistance at the Madrid Donors' Conference, according to 
Matt Dalzell of the New Zealand Agency for International 
Development (NZAID).  The government did not expend the 
remainder by June 30 as expected (ref B).  To determine 
whether any of its pledge still must be disbursed, the 
government is waiting for its Defense Forces to account for 
the amount spent in Iraq by its engineering battalion from 
July 1 until its departure from Basra in late September. 
 
2. Dalzell on October 5 also reported that his agency was 
working on a submission to government ministers on proposed 
funding for Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan.  Thus, it was 
difficult to predict when New Zealand could announce its 
plans for future assistance to Iraq's reconstruction. 
 
3. The charg at New Zealand's embassy in Tokyo, Michelle 
Slade, tentatively will represent her government at the 
October 13-14 donors' committee meeting in Tokyo. 
 
4. Post delivered ref A talking points September 14 to 
NZAID.  While the government's response is disappointingly 
slow, post will follow up. 
 
BURNETT