VATICAN HAPPY WITH TRIPS MORATORIUM, PRESSES FOR

UNCLAS VATICAN 000531

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD PHUM PREL VT
SUBJECT: VATICAN HAPPY WITH TRIPS MORATORIUM, PRESSES FOR
FINAL AGREEMENT

REF: A) STATE 26895 B) VATICAN 307 C) 02 VATICAN 6064


1. DCM SHARED REF A FOLLOW-UP POINTS ON THE TRIPS MORATORIUM
WITH VATICAN DFM MONS. PIETRO PAROLIN AND IO DIRECTOR MONS.
OSVALDO NEVEZ ON FEBRUARY 2. BOTH EXPRESSED GRATITUDE FOR
THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND REAFFIRMED THE HOLY SEE'S
APPRECIATION FOR THE U.S. NEED TO DEFEND INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY IN ORDER TO ENSURE CONTINUED RESEARCH AND
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DEVELOPMENT AGAINST INFECTIOUS DISEASES. THEY WELCOMED THE
U.S. MORATORIUM AS A TEMPORARY MEASURE TO ENSURE
PHARMACEUTICAL ACCESS FOR THE NEEDIEST COUNTRIES, BUT
REITERATED THEIR DESIRE TO SEE AN AGREEMENT REACHED AS SOON
AS POSSIBLE TO IMPLEMENT THE DOHA DECLARATION.


2. MONSIGNOR NEVES WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO EXPLAIN THAT
FOREIGN MINISTER TAURAN'S DECEMBER NOTE VERBALE URGING THE
U.S. NOT TO BLOCK CONSENSUS ON DOHA (REF C) WAS THE RESULT OF
PRESSURE ON THE HOLY SEE DELEGATION IN GENEVA FROM "A NUMBER
OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES" AND REFLECTED THE HOLY SEE'S
PERCEPTION AT THAT TIME THE USG WAS BLOCKING CONCLUSION OF A
FINAL AGREEMENT. THEY SAID THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY OTHER
COUNTRIES WITH R AND D INTERESTS WERE WILLING TO SUPPORT THE
TEXT, WHILE THE U.S. WAS NOT. THE HOLY SEE NOW HAS A MORE
COMPLETE APPRECIATION FOR THE U.S. POSITION, HOWEVER, AND
BOTH OFFICIALS REPEATED THAT THE U.S. TRIPS ENFORCEMENT
MORATORIUM WAS A "VERY IMPORTANT" MEASURE. PAROLIN AND NEVES
UNDERSCORED THAT THE HOLY SEE WAS "PLEASED" WITH THE FACT
THAT THE USG WAS GOING AHEAD WITH THE MORATORIUM IMMEDIATELY
AND HAD BEEN JOINED BY THE EU.


3. LOOKING TO THE NEXT ROUND OF NEGOTIATIONS IN GENEVA,
NEVES SAID THE HOLY SEE WOULD CONTINUE TO PRESS FROM A
PRINCIPLED HUMANITARIAN POSITION FOR A FINAL AGREEMENT ON
IMPLEMENTING DOHA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. NEVES OFFERED THAT
THE DISCUSSIONS HAD REACHED A "TECHNICAL LEVEL" AT WHICH HE
BELIEVED MIDDLE GROUND COULD BE REACHED QUICKLY. ASKED WHAT
INSTRUCTIONS THE HOLY SEE WOULD SEND ARCHBISHOP DIARMUID
MARTIN, ITS GENEVA PERMANENT OBSERVER, THEY SAID HE WOULD
RECEIVE INSTRUCTIONS TO "PRESS ALL SIDES TO REACH A FINAL
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AGREEMENT." (NOTE: MARTIN WILL VISIT ROME IN MARCH AND WE
WILL SEEK TO REVIEW THE HOLY SEE'S POSITION ON TRIPS WITH HIM
AT THAT TIME.)


4. IN CONCLUDING, DEPUTY FM PAROLIN, IN AN EFFORT TO SMOOTH
OVER DIFFERENCES ARISING FROM THE CRITICAL STANCE THEY HAD
ADOPTED IN DECEMBER (REFS B AND C),INTERJECTED THAT THE HOLY
SEE "WANTED TO STRESS THAT IT IS HAPPY AND SUPPORTS" THE
PRESIDENT'S STATE OF THE UNION ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE USG
WOULD INCREASE HIV/AIDS FUNDING BY USD 10 BILLION. HE ALSO
NOTED THAT THE HOLY SEE IS AWARE THAT AMERICAN PRIVATE SECTOR
SUPPORT FOR HUMANITARIAN AND MEDICAL RELIEF IN THE DEVELOPING
WORLD IS AN IMPORTANT, ALBEIT SOMETIMES OVERLOOKED,
CONTRIBUTION. (NOTE; THE CATHOLIC CHURCH'S CONTRIBUTION IS
ALSO IMPORTANT AND OFTEN OVERLOOKED -- IT PROVIDES NEARLY 25
PERCENT OF AIDS CARE WORLD-WIDE).

NICHOLSON

UNCLASSIFIED

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2003VATICA00531 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED