SCENESETTER: DUTCH ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY'S

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 002894 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/UBI/HOLLIDAY AND G/DOBRIANSKY STATE PLEASE PASS TO EPA FOR ADMINISTRATOR LEAVITT USAID FOR ADMINISTRATOR NATSIOS WHITE HOUSE FOR CEQ/JAMES CONNAUGHTON ENERGY FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY MCSLARROW TANSPORTATION FOR TYLER DUVALL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV ENRG PREL NL SUBJECT: SCENESETTER: DUTCH ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY'S WASHINGTON MEETINGS ¶1. Summary: Dutch State Secretary for the Environment Pieter van Geel will travel to Washington November 15 to meet with USG energy and environment officials. He wants to explore possible next steps for a broad, post-Kyoto dialogue on climate change. His vision for future climate change discussions includes IFIs, development banks, and donor country finance and development agencies and their developing country counterparts. In Washington the environment secretary will also raise clean energy partnerships and SIPDIS research, the Montreal Protocol, and sustainable mobility. End Summary. ¶2. State Secretary for the Environment Pieter van Geel will be traveling to Washington November 15 to discuss with Washington officials the possibility of a new dialogue with developed and developing countries that looks beyond the Kyoto Protocol. His schedule is as follows: November 15, 2004 11:00-11:30 James Connaughton, Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality 13:00-13:45 Andrew Natsios, USAID Administrator 14:00-15:00 Mike Leavitt, EPA Administrator 15:30-16:30 Kyle McSlarrow, Deputy Secretary of Energy 16:45-17:30 Paula Dobriansky, U/S of State for Global Affairs. ¶3. Van Geel told the embassy he wants to explore next steps for managing climate change. With Russian ratification of the protocol, van Geel believes now is the time to begin a discussion on climate change that both goes beyond the Kyoto Protocol, and involves developing and developed country emitters that are not participating. ¶4. Van Geel seeks to involve IFIs and development banks, as well as donor and developing countries' finance, economic and development ministries in discussions on next steps to curb climate change. He is looking for ways developed countries can encourage, and where necessary, incent developing countries to adopt more environmentally sustainable mobility, energy, manufacturing and natural resource management. ¶5. In addition to exploring the next steps for a global dialogue on climate change, in Washington the environment secretary will likely raise the Montreal Protocol on methyl SIPDIS bromide, vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency standards, renewable energy research, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell cars, and the International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy (IPHE) and Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) with appropriate USG officials. Van Geel has told us the Dutch intend to join the IPHE and CSLF as soon as possible. ¶6. Comment: Van Geel is an honest and cooperative interlocutor. He is a pragmatist who understands the U.S. position on Kyoto and our continued commitment to curbing climate change. Van Geel is respected and outspoken among his EU colleagues. In their meetings with van Geel, Washington officials have an opportunity to take useful soundings and to influence him on our vision for global climate change cooperation. In return, van Geel, in typical Dutch fashion, is likely to speak plainly about what he judges is doable and what is not, and the direction these discussions are taking in the EU context. End Comment. SOBEL