CANADIAN VIEWS ON UNECE EFE MINISTERIAL

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000869

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAN (Running) OES/ENV (Matuzak) IO
(Turak)

GENEVA for Poulton

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAID EU IO KSCA AORC CA
SUBJECT: CANADIAN VIEWS ON UNECE EFE MINISTERIAL

REF: SECSTATE 75080


1. EST Counselor and EST Specialist made the demarche
requested in reftel to Jean-Louis Wallace of the
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(DFAIT). According to Wallace, Canada shares USG
concerns about the draft Environment for Europe
ministerial declaration. Wallace indicated that he and
others in GoC had been dismayed as the draft
declaration expanded in scope. Like the U.S., Canada
would like to see the declaration deal primarily with
issues that have broad consensus within the ECE and
less with issues that only have limited support or that
apply only to specific UNECE sub-regions.


2. Our discussion with Wallace revealed that Canada
shares nearly every point of U.S. concern noted in
reftel. Wallace told EST Counselor and EST Specialist
that there would be an interagency meeting, including
DFAIT and Environment Canada, in Ottawa this week at
which he would bring our demarche up for discussion,
and he intended to circulate USG talking points to his
interagency colleagues prior to the meeting to
facilitate further coordination. Wallace also told us
he would be very willing to participate in a conference
call with U.S. counterparts in the run-up to UNECE
meetings to coordinate positions.

Cellucci