ADVOCATING THE U.S. POSITION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF

UNCLAS AMMAN 007089 SIPDIS USDA/APHIS FOR DUNNAHY, KLAG, GREIFER USDA/FAS FOR SIMMONS EB/TPP/ABT FOR D. MALAC NEA/ARN FOR A. SCHEDLBAUER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR TBIO JO FAO WTO SUBJECT: ADVOCATING THE U.S. POSITION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF IPPC STANDARDS ON LMO'S REF: STATE 294225 ¶1. While receiving reftel points on October 28, Ministry of Agriculture Director's Assistant for Plant Protection Mohammad Kateh-Bader noted that he was reviewing extensive technical comments on living modified organisms (LMO's), including from the U.S. and the EU. We left with him reftel non-paper. ¶2. Kateh-Bader took on board the suggestion to append the guidance on LMO's as an Appendix III to ISPM-11. His only substantive remark was that the discussion of LMO's as pests was a complex one that included the definition of a pest. ¶3. Kateh-Bader also received reftel questions and promised to try to respond this week. On October 30 he said that he had consulted the responsible parties, but still had no answers. Embassy will email responses, as we receive them, to the desk and to EB/TPP/ABT. ¶4. BIOGRAPHIC NOTE: Kateh-Bader is a member of Standards Committee Seven at the Interim Commission for Phytosanitary Measures. He is also a member of the Disputes Settlement committee in the IPPC. Kateh-Bader received a B.S. in plant protection and an M.Sc. in Plant Pathology from the University of Jordan, Amman. GNEHM