CANADIAN VIEWS ON THE CONGO BASIN FOREST

UNCLAS OTTAWA 001079 SIPDIS KINSHASA PASS BRAZZAVILLE, YAOUNDE PASS BANGUI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV PREL CA CIDA SUBJECT: CANADIAN VIEWS ON THE CONGO BASIN FOREST PARTNERSHIP AND CONTINUING USG ROLE REF: STATE 51280 ¶1. Demarche requested in reftel was made to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). While Canadian officials were unable to respond on substance at the time of the demarche, they subsequently provided the following comments on the U.S. position. ¶2. Text of Canadian Response We are very appreciative of the important role the U.S. Government has played in launching the Partnership and facilitating its first two years. It is good to know that you plan to continue contributing to the Partnership. We share your view that the CBFP is an informal forum for information sharing and coordination and is neither an implementation mechanism nor a sub-structure of COMIFAC. We also agree that the CBFP should maintain as its principal reference point the COMIFAC Plan de Convergence, given the importance of country leadership in establishing priorities and the imperative of working towards a common agenda. Regretfully, we are not currently in a position to support your request for a view on the composition of the Consultative Committee, as Canada is not currently a Partner of the CBFP. We continue to follow the evolution of the CBFP with great interest and hope to clarify our status over the coming months once we have greater certainty regarding the nature of our engagement in the forest sector in Central Africa over the coming years. End Text. Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa DICKSON