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DE RUEHOT #0701/01 1441953
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O 231953Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7907
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2244
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1350
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0061
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0418
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 2367
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON 0452
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 1519
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3354
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0252
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0425
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 000701 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
EAP/MLS (COPE) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PGOV PHUM CA BM
SUBJECT: CANADA AND THE BURMA CONFERENCE 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 55244 
 
     ¶B. OTTAWA 646 
     ¶C. OTTAWA 621 
 
¶1. (SBU) Canada will highlight its current Cyclone Nargis aid 
pledges (see paragraph 2 and ref b) at the May 25 UN-ASEAN 
Conference in Rangoon and will stress the need for increasing 
access for international relief efforts in Burma, Foreign 
Affairs and International Trade's (DFAIT) Director of 
Humanitarian Affairs and Disasters Response Group Leslie 
Norton told Econcouns in response to ref A points on May 23. 
Norton said Canada will be represented in Rangoon by the 
Director General of DFAIT's Stabilization and Reconstruction 
Task Force (START) Secretariat, Robert Derouin.  Derouin is 
one of three START members who have been granted seven-day 
visas by the Burmese regime and who are currently in country, 
Norton said.  She also commented that Canada believes that 
needs assessment work would naturally follow once 
humanitarian access is achieved.  Norton said Canada wants to 
keep political concerns separate from humanitarian relief 
efforts, and has no plans to issue a statement regarding the 
next round of Burma's constitutional referendum or the 
expected renewal of Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest. 
 
¶2. (U) Earlier on May 23, Minister for International 
Cooperation Beverley Oda announced additional Canadian 
humanitarian support for "the people of Burma." 
 
Begin announcement text: 
 
The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International 
Cooperation, today announced that the Government of Canada is 
partnering with the United Nations and Canadian and 
international organizations to provide much-needed additional 
humanitarian assistance to the people of Burma affected by 
the cyclone that devastated the country. 
 
"Our government remains deeply concerned about the growing 
impact of the cyclone on the people of Burma and we are 
pleased to see Canadian aid entering the country," said 
Minister Oda.  "We are working with the United Nations and 
other trusted Canadian and international organizations to 
provide supplementary relief efforts such as food 
distribution and critical shelter, health and nutrition, and 
water and sanitation initiatives." 
 
This additional support will be going to trusted Canadian and 
international partners with direct access to the affected 
population.  Although Canadian aid is getting through to the 
people of Burma, Canada will continue to urge Burmese 
authorities to provide full and unhindered access to 
humanitarian organizations to allow them to assist with 
relief efforts. 
 
Minister Oda made this announcement alongside David Morley, 
Chief Executive Officer for Save the Children Canada - one of 
the Canadian non-governmental organizations that the 
Government is partnering with to help the people of Burma. 
 
"Save the Children's partnership with the Government of 
Canada will mean that we can extend our existing relief 
efforts to provide mobile health services to 90,000 people in 
the Irawaddy Delta," stated David Morley, President and Chief 
Executive Officer of Save the Children Canada.  "Save the 
Children has been operational in Burma for 13 years and has 
hundreds of local staff providing food, water, plastic 
Qhundreds of local staff providing food, water, plastic 
sheeting, malaria nets, temporary safe play areas, and school 
tents to over 160,000 cyclone survivors." 
 
The additional support today means that up to $12 million 
will be added to Canada's initial $2 million contribution for 
immediate relief efforts made on May 8, 2008 and to funds 
that will be raised through the Burma Cyclone Relief Fund 
announced last week. 
 
End announcement text. 
 
 
OTTAWA 00000701  002 OF 002 
 
 
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada 
 
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