SLOVENIA ON FOOD AID AND THE WTO

UNCLAS LJUBLJANA 000634

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR EUR/NCE, EB/TPP/ABT/ATP/SHANNON
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USAID/DALE SKORIC, USDA/FAS/ELIZABETH
AUTRY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EAGR SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA ON FOOD AID AND THE WTO

REF: SECSTATE 155973


1. (U) Econoff delivered reftel nonpaper 31 August to Marko
Verbic, Head of the EU Coordination and International Affairs
Service at the Slovene Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Food. Acknowledging the need for CSSD reforms, Verbic said
he felt concerns over transportation costs could be one of
the challenges in reaching an agreement at the forthcoming
meetings in Geneva. Verbic said that while Slovenia has very
minimal surplus food stock, it might be able to assist the UN
World Food Program by "covering the costs" of shipping
surplus food from other countries. (Note: Slovenia maintains
a busy and growing port in the Adriatic coastal city of
Koper. End note.) Verbic told Econoff that the general
manager of the World Food Program had visited Slovenia in
April 2005 and that Slovenia made the offer to donate
transportation at that time.
COLEMAN


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2005LJUBLJ00634 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED



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