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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 014575 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIN PGOV PTER PHUM KPAL KWBG
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE: U.S. PLANS FOR MARCH 2 CONFERENCE, 
SHARM AL-SHEIKH 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action request.  Please see paragraph 3. 
 
¶2. (U) The United States sees the March 2 conference in Sharm 
al-Sheikh as an opportunity for the international community 
to demonstrate unequivocal support for the Palestinian 
Authority (PA) and address the urgent humanitarian needs of 
the Palestinian people.  The U.S. will be represented at a 
high level and intends to make a substantial pledge against 
priorities and activities identified by the PA and the 
February 2 United Nations' Consolidated Appeal (CAP), titled 
the "Gaza Flash Appeal."  Long-term reconstruction of Gaza 
must be in line with PA priorities and only should be 
delivered in the context of a durable ceasefire that leads to 
a two state solution under a PA government with which the 
international community can work.  This cable requests that 
posts engage host governments to share U.S. expectations for 
the March 2 conference.  End summary. 
 
¶3. (U) Action Request:  Department requests that action 
addressees demarche relevant government officials to achieve 
the objectives listed below and report responses via front 
channel cable.  Egypt has not yet released the list of 
invitees to the March 2 conference, which necessates that 
this cable be sent to a large number of posts.  Embassies 
should use their discretion in responding to this demarche if 
they know that their host government is not participating or 
is not likely to be a substantial contributor. 
 
¶4. (U) Objectives: 
 
-- Inform countries that the U.S. intends to use the March 2 
conference in Sharm al-Sheikh to make a substantial pledge of 
humanitarian, economic development and early recovery 
assistance to both the PA and to UN and other humanitarian 
organizations.  Secretary Clinton will lead the U.S. 
delegation, which also will include Special Envoy George 
Mitchell. 
 
-- Encourage countries to attend at the highest level 
possible and be prepared to make similar large pledges of 
assistance that empower the PA and address the humanitarian 
needs of Gaza, including through contributions to the UN CAP. 
 
-- Emphasize that the PA must be front-and-center.  Donors 
should focus pledged support to meet the PA's priorities, 
including budget support, and on projects that can be funded 
through the PA and other existing trusted mechanisms - e.g. 
the UN CAP, World Bank Trust Fund (TF), PEGASE, the PA's 
single treasury account - without supporting Hamas. 
 
-- Reiterate that the international community should pursue a 
phased approach to assistance delivery that focuses initially 
on meeting immediate humanitarian needs, including the 
renovation of essential infrastructure.  Broader 
reconstruction assistance should be in line with PA 
priorities and come in the context of a durable ceasefire. 
 
-- Stress that a successful conference empowers the PA, 
strengthens the position of Arab moderates and meets the 
 
STATE 00014575  002 OF 003 
 
 
immediate humanitarian and early recovery needs of Gaza. 
 
-- Emphasize that the conference should be followed by a 
meeting of the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) that would 
help identify the policies of donors, the PA and Israel that 
are required to ensure the maximum effectiveness of 
international assistance. 
 
Reporting Deadline 
- - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶5. (U) Please report all host country responses to NEA/IPA 
Desk Officer Andrew Lentz by February 23. 
 
Background 
- - - - - - 
 
¶6. (SBU) Secretary Clinton will use the conference to 
announce a substantial pledge that includes humanitarian 
assistance as well as support for the PA and the Palestinian 
Reform and Development Plan (PRDP). 
 
¶7. (U) We anticipate that the PA will present a comprehensive 
statement of its needs in the context of its 2009 and 2010 
operational and development budget.  Prime Minister Salam 
Fayyad will use the March 2 conference to detail his early 
recovery and reconstruction plan for Gaza, including a $600 
million project to provide grants and loans through 
commercial banks to Gazans whose houses were damaged during 
the fighting.  Fayyad also is expected to seek direct budget 
support in order to pay public sector salaries in the West 
Bank and Gaza.  Donors should be encouraged to fully support 
Fayyad's plan and the PA's financial needs. 
 
¶8. (U) The UN CAP provides one of the best and most reliable 
vehicles for channeling donor assistance to Gaza without 
supporting Hamas and its institutions.  UN Agencies such as 
the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian 
Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the activities of which 
comprise over half of the CAP, UNICEF (the lead UN agency on 
water and sewage issues), and the World Food Program (WFP), 
have extensive distribution networks already in place in Gaza 
and are recognized by the PA and the Government of Israel 
(GOI) as the primary entities for the coordination and 
distribution of humanitarian assistance.  UN agencies are 
providing essential health services, food, cash assistance to 
the neediest, materials for housing repair, and fuel to run 
generators, and report that they need consistent flows of 
donor assistance to meet immediate humanitarian needs.  On 
February 2, the UN announced a new, aggregate appeal for 
relief and early recovery needs totaling $613 million. 
 
¶9. (SBU) International humanitarian organizations have 
expressed concern that lack of access into Gaza for 
reconstruction materials, such as glass, cement, spare parts, 
and raw construction materials, will hinder early recovery 
efforts.  The United States continues to engage with the GOI 
to find a mechanism that facilitates the entry of needed 
materials into Gaza, while addressing Israel's security 
concerns. 
 
¶10. (U) The conference should focus on addressing the 
immediate humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza, 
empowering the PA, and cementing support for the leadership 
 
STATE 00014575  003 OF 003 
 
 
of Egypt and other Arab moderate states.  Broader 
reconstruction should be considered in the context of a PA 
with which the international community can work.  Naturally, 
this would be a PA that rejects violence, recognizes Israel's 
right to exist, and engages with Israel on the basis of past 
agreements.  These are not obstacles, but the necessary 
elements for a Palestinian state and for the unity of the 
West Bank and Gaza. 
 
Point of Contact 
- - - - - - - - 
 
¶11. (U) The point of contact is NEA/IPA Desk Officer Andrew 
Lentz, ext. 7-2268, email lentzan@state.gov. 
CLINTON