WTO DDA NEGOTIATIONS ON ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS:

UNCLAS CAIRO 006911

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

USTR FOR PRESCOTT
DOC/ITA FOR ODOM AND SONENSHINE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ETRD EG WTO USTR
SUBJECT: WTO DDA NEGOTIATIONS ON ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS:
EGYPTIAN RESPONSE

REF: STATE 157878


1. (SBU) Post delivered reftel demarche to Walid Nozahy,
Head of the WTO Department, Ministry of Foreign Trade and
Industry. El Nozahy had no reaction to the lists of
environmental goods put forward by other member states. As
for Egypt, he said that the Ministry of Foreign Trade and
Industry was working with the Ministry of Environment and
industry groups to develop Egypt's position on the
environmental goods issue. Any list of environmental goods,
he added, would be drawn up by the Ministry of Environment
based on this process. In the meantime, El Nozahy said he
had instructed his representatives in Geneva not to take any
position on the issue at the upcoming meeting of the Trade
and Environment Special Session.


2. (SBU) El Nozahy said that he would not be able to attend
the USG-hosted workshop prior to that meeting, but expected
that Egypt's Geneva-based representatives would attend.


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