Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05PARIS4307
2005-06-17 14:54:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:  

FRENCH REACTION TO EU ENERGY DIALOGUE WITH IRAN

Tags:  IR EPET ETTC PARM PREL 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 004307 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/ESC JIM EIGHMIE AND ANDREW DOWDY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/17/2015
TAGS: IR EPET ETTC PARM PREL
SUBJECT: FRENCH REACTION TO EU ENERGY DIALOGUE WITH IRAN

REF: A. (A) SECSTATE 105983


B. (B) 04 PARIS 8019 (PARAS 6 AND 7)

Classified By: ECON SECTION CHIEF KEN MERTEN, REASONS 1.4 (B AND D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 004307

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/ESC JIM EIGHMIE AND ANDREW DOWDY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/17/2015
TAGS: IR EPET ETTC PARM PREL
SUBJECT: FRENCH REACTION TO EU ENERGY DIALOGUE WITH IRAN

REF: A. (A) SECSTATE 105983


B. (B) 04 PARIS 8019 (PARAS 6 AND 7)

Classified By: ECON SECTION CHIEF KEN MERTEN, REASONS 1.4 (B AND D)


1. (C) EconOff delivered reftel demarch to Jean-Claude Nolla,
Deputy Director for Energy and Transport (DAS-equivalent) in
the MFA Economic Directorate. Nolla was unaware of the recent
pronouncements by Francois Lamoureaux, the European
Commission's DG for Energy. Nolla promised to look into it,
but as far as he knew, Lamoureaux did not have prior approval
from member states -- at least, not from the GOF -- before he
made these statements.


2. (SBU) EconOff also mentioned our concerns during a
meeting on June 15 with Total executives, Carolina Malaussena
and Yves LeBail, both of whom work under Senior Vice
President for International Relations Jacques de Boisseson,
who was in Vienna for the recent OPEC meetings. Malaussena
and LeBail also reacted as though they were unaware of
Lamoureaux's declaration. LeBail said that the European
Commission cannot take such actions without explicit
agreement from member states. However, he suspected that
Lamoureaux's statements were yet another example of
Commission officials in Brussels taking action beyond their
mandate, for which French voters signalled their disapproval
on May 29.


3. (SBU) Malaussena said that this is a delicate time in
Iran with elections soon and the nuclear freeze extended only
until August. Total has signed no new agreements with
Iranian officials in recent months, apart from a framework
agreement for Pars LNG, signed in December 2004, that only
commits them to feasibility studies and not/not to any actual
infrastructure investments.
WOLFF