Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04TEGUCIGALPA2644
2004-11-24 20:26:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Cable title:  

HONDURAS SHARES CONCERNS OVER VAGUE UNESCO DRAFT

Tags:  ETRD ECON HO WTO UNESCO 
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UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 002644 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/TPP/MTA/MST, IO/T, AND WHA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD ECON HO WTO UNESCO
SUBJECT: HONDURAS SHARES CONCERNS OVER VAGUE UNESCO DRAFT

REF: State 238056

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 002644

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/TPP/MTA/MST, IO/T, AND WHA/CEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD ECON HO WTO UNESCO
SUBJECT: HONDURAS SHARES CONCERNS OVER VAGUE UNESCO DRAFT

REF: State 238056


1. Post delivered reftel talking points to Ambassador Mario
Fortin, Director of Foreign Policy at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, and to Norman Garcia, Minister of Trade and
Industry, on November 8. EconOff then raised the points in
a meeting with Minister Garcia and other Trade Ministry
officials on November 9, and confirmed, as suggested in
reftel, that Trade Ministry officials were indeed entirely
unaware of the UNESCO negotiation or its potential
implications for a country's international trade
obligations.


2. In response, Honduran Trade Ministry officials contacted
their counterparts at the Ministry of Culture, Art and
Sports responsible for the UNESCO negotiations. Together,
they drafted a report outlining the potential trade-related
ramifications of the UNESCO draft and presented this report
to Director of Trade Policy Melvin Redondo on November 19.
Speaking with EconOff on November 23, Redondo stated that
while he does not see precisely how the agreement would
impact a signatory's international trade obligations, the
very fact that the language in the current draft is so vague
and open-ended raises the concern that it might. Redondo
stated that Honduras does not favor approval of such a
vaguely worded document, and assured EconOff that the Trade
Ministry will stay engaged as negotiations proceed so that
their concerns will be addressed.

Palmer

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