EVALUATION OF AETN DIALOGUE ON "WTO AGRICULTURAL

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000065

SIPDIS

FOR WHA/PDA,(MBUCKLEY, MPROCTOR, WWANLUND); IIP/G/WHA
DIPASQUALE; PA/OBS/P (DSCHACKNER); EB/EPPD DCLUNE,
MDEUTSCHER; USTR AGASH
EMBASSIES FOR PAOS, IOs

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KPAO OIIP HO ETRD USTR
SUBJECT: EVALUATION OF AETN DIALOGUE ON "WTO AGRICULTURAL
INITITATIVE" - JANUARY 08, 2003, 1800-1900 UTC



1. Description of the activity: A one-hour interactive AETN
Dialogue on the "WTO Agricultural Initiative."


2. Date: January 8, 2003; Fiscal year: FY-03, QTR 1


3. Objective: To provide the local media an opportunity to
discuss the issues of the new U.S. Agricultural Initiative
with Alan Larson, Under Secretary for Economic, Business and
Agricultural Affairs, and Ambassador Allen F. Johnson, Chief
Agriculture Negotiator for the Office of the U.S Trade
Representative (USTR).


4. MPP Goal: Regional Economic Development


5. Audience reached: 30 guests, including Honduran media,
the trade advisor for the Central American Economic
Integration Agency (SIECA),and USAID and Economic officers.


6. Result/Impact: Excellent. The program met post's
objective of providing an opportunity for the media to focus
attention on the U.S. agricultural initiative and making a
pitch for Honduras to become active in WTO initiatives to
remove subsidies. The local media responded with enthusiasm
and the program received excellent press coverage. We expect
to see more reports this week.


7. The panelists were Sammy Castro, economic journalist from
the daily "El Heraldo;" Leonila Madrid, economic journalist
from a leading TV news program, "Abriendo Brecha;" and
Sandra Moreno from the nightly news program, "Telenoticias".

Tegucigalpa's participation in the January 8th AETN dialogue
on subsidy reductions with U/S Larson and Johnson served to
explain the importance to WTO negotiations of achieving
subsidy reductions and alerted the media to the historic
importance of the launch of CAFTA negotiations in
Washington.

Ambassador Johnson and U/S Larson's strong pitch for
Honduras to become active in the WTO initiatives to remove
subsidies grabbed the attention of the reporters covering
the AETN dialogue. "La Tribuna" carried banner headline:
"United States seeks to eliminate subsidies"; daily "Tiempo"
headlined:" CAFTA negotiations will bump agricultural
products". The AETN program appeared on major Honduran
national television news programs. Abriendo Brecha and
Telenoticias' nightly news gave full coverage to the AETN
dialog with Larson and Johnson. Other national news programs
including TV-11, TV-63 and Radio HRN (nation-wide) provided
excellent coverage of the program.

After the AETN dialogue was over, journalists took the
opportunity to interview USAID Agricultural Officer Raymond
Waldron and Director of Economic Development Programs Duty
Green and Alvaro Sarmiento, trade advisor for the Central
American Economic Integration Agency (SIECA).
Both USAID Officers pointed out the success Honduras has had
in developing new products for export to the US. Sarmiento
stressed the importance of the integration and harmonization
of standards and laws governing export products. This
discussion focused on the issues raised by the AETN dialogue
and the relationship of these issues to the CAFTA launch.
The three panelists here in Honduras energetically supported
the AETN panelists by emphasizing the importance of
Honduras' supporting the US position at the WTO on subsidy
reductions.

PAS provided a copy of the AETN dialogue to the Minister of
Agriculture, the Minister of Commerce, the Honduran
Counselor for Private Enterprise (COHEP),the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (SENASA),and the Inter-
American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).


8. Non-USG sources of funding: None


9. Quality of USG support: Excellent. Post would like to
thank EB/EPPD Daniel Clune and Martha Deutscher, WHA/PDA
Martha Buckley and William Wanlund, and PA/OBS/P Debra
Schackner for this initiative and for facilitating a
flawless program.

Palmer.