US embassy cable - 03OTTAWA1190

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 001190 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR PMAT, INL, EB, NEA, AND WHA/CAN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2013 
TAGS: PREL, MOPS, EAID, KCRM, KJUS, IZ, CA 
SUBJECT: IRAQI RECONSTRUCTION: CANADA OFFERS AIR TRANSPORT, 
DART ENGINEERS AND CIVILIAN POLICE 
 
REF: (A) OTTAWA 1161 AND PREVIOUS (B) STATE 98807 (C) 
 
     STATE 102473 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Stephen R. Kelly, 
Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Canadian Prime Minister Chretien issued an Iraqi 
reconstruction press release on April 29, announcing that 
Canada is ready to make available elements of its Disaster 
Assistance Response Team (DART); Canadian transport aircraft 
to support humanitarian assistance efforts and reconstruction 
material movement; and police, corrections and legal 
assistance.  The transport aircraft would be drawn from three 
CC130 Hercules aircraft already deployed in theater as part 
of Operation Enduring Freedom.  Chretien also discussed these 
offers during a press conference following a Cabinet meeting 
later in the day.  Alex Himelfarb, Clerk of the Privy 
Council, told DCM that Chretien decided over the weekend not 
to wait for the April 29 Cabinet meeting to respond to our 
requests, and that his decision was unequivocal. 
 
2. (C) Just prior to the press release, Jill Sinclair, 
Foreign Affairs Director General for International Security, 
informed DCM of the Canadian decision on military assistance, 
and presented him with a paper on "Canadian Support for 
Reconstruction in Iraq" (faxed to WHA/CAN).  In addition to 
the military and police contributions, the paper notes that 
the GoC is considering contributions to the rehabilitation of 
health, water and sanitation systems of Iraq, and increasing 
its US$3.5 million contribution to the UN Mine Action Service 
for Iraq. 
 
3. (C) The GoC paper welcomes the "early efforts on the part 
of the occupying powers to work with Iraqis to establish an 
interim authority," and calls for the international community 
to play in important role.  On the UN, the paper notes 
Canada's support for UNSC resolutions which would facilitate 
the flow of donor assistance, provide legitimacy to an Iraqi 
interim authority, and provide a multilateral framework for 
"ongoing reconstruction assistance."  Sinclair reiterated, 
however, that Canada will take a pragmatic approach to 
reconstruction assistance. 
 
4. (C) Sinclair said that while the GoC has already taken the 
decision on its military offer for post-conflict Iraq, the 
Cabinet still needs to make a final decision on the levels 
and sources of funding for civil assistance.  She expected 
final decisions to be taken at the May 6 Cabinet meeting. 
Sinclair reiterated strong GoC interest in participating in 
the "justice sector" assessment team visit to Iraq beginning 
May 8.  She noted that the Canadian Government requires a 
site visit before deployment of Canadian police teams abroad, 
and that it would greatly expedite getting Canadian police on 
the ground if Canada could be there with the U.S. and other 
national representatives.  Canada would propose to send two 
RCMP officers for the assessment visit, one with a 
corrections background and the other with a justice 
background. 
 
5. (C) COMMENT: The PMO's message was more positive and 
straightforward than the message we received from Foreign 
Affairs, and more in line with what we had been expecting. 
Canada is offering the types of support we had expected for 
post-conflict Iraq, plus a bit more with the DART engineers. 
Canada will now want to hear from us, as soon as possible, on 
how to best incorporate these offers with what we and other 
coalition partners are doing.  In the first instance, we 
strongly encourage a positive response to the Canadian 
request to be included on the police assessment team visit to 
Iraq. 
CELLUCCI