UNESCO CULTURAL DIVERSITY CONVENTION: FRANCE CALLS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 006080 SIPDIS FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS STATE PASS USTR BALASSA IO/UNESCO FOR JANE COWLEY EUR/ERA FOR PETER CHASE L/EUR FOR PETER OLSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SCUL ETRD EU CJAN FR UNESCO SUBJECT: UNESCO CULTURAL DIVERSITY CONVENTION: FRANCE CALLS ON THE WORLT TRADE ORGANIZATION TO STAY OUT OF THE DEBATE. REF: PARIS 5990 ¶1. Summary. Agence France Press (AFP) reported that during a September 5 meeting with new WTO chief Pascal Lamy, the GOF Minister of Culture Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres said Sept. 5 that the WTO should not interfere in CD matter. The AFP report says that de Vabres quoted Lamy as saying that WTO will not take a position, as there is no consensus in the WTO. End summary. ¶2. The following is a translation in substance of an AFP report of a September 5 meeting between the French Minister of Culture, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, and new WTO Chief Pascal Lamy. The original French text appears in para 4. ¶3. Begin Translation in substance. Agence France Press Cultural Diversity: France calls on the World Trade Organization to stay out of the debate. Geneva, 5 September (AFP) The French minister of Culture, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, on Monday (September 5),called on the World Trade Organization to stay outside the current debate within UNESCO about putting into place ("mettre en place") a convention on cultural diversity. The WTO has not imposed particular rules in the preparation of the document elaborated by UNESCO, declared the French Minister to the press after a meeting in Geneva with the new Director General of the WTO, Pascal Lamy. UNESCO must debate at the end of October the putting in place of a convention about cultural diversity, which proclaims the specificity of cultural items in comparison to the rules of normal commerce. The francophone countries are ardent partisans of this convention, which is opposed by countries like the United States, Japan, Israel and Australia. The concept of cultural diversity, recognized as a principle by the majority of the countries of the world, is applicable to each country and to each international organization, opined Mr. Donnedieu de Vabres. The wish of states is expressed within UNESCO for the putting into effect ("mise en oeuvre") of this Convention on cultural diversity. No other organization will interfere with that wish, he affirmed. The new head of the WTO, Francais, Pascal Lamy, told Mr. Donnedieu de Vabres that there was no consensus on the question of cultural diversity among the 148 members of the WTO and that he was therefore not able to take a position on that subject, he indicated at the headquarters of the organization based in Geneva. Last year, UNESCO had asked several international organizations, including the WTO, to communicate their point of view concerning the draft Convention. Because of an absence of consensus within its membership, the WTO was not able to respond to the UNESCO demand. End translation in substance. ¶4. Following is the original French text. OMC-France-Unesco Diversit culturelle: la France appelle l'OMC rester en dehors du dbat GENEVE, 5 sept 2005 (AFP) - Le ministre franais de la Culture, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, a appel lundi l'Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC) rester en dehors du dbat en cours l'Unesco sur la mise en place d'une convention sur la diversit culturelle. "L'OMC n'a pas imposer de rgles particulires la prparation de ce document labor par l'Unesco", a dclar le ministre franais la presse aprs une rencontre Genve avec le nouveau directeur gnral de l'OMC, Pascal Lamy. L'organisation des Nations Unies pour l'ducation, la science et la culture a science et la culture (Unesco) doit dbattre fin octobre de la mise en place d'une convention sur la diversit culturelle, qui proclamerait la spcificit des biens culturels par rapport aux rgles commerciales normales. Les pays francophones sont d'ardents partisans de cette convention laquelle s'opposent des pays comme les Etats- Unis, le Japon, Isral ou l'Australie. "Ce concept de la diversit culturelle, reconnu comme un principe par la plupart des pays du monde, s'applique chaque Etat et chaque organisation internationale", a estim M. Donnedieu de Vabres. "La volont des Etats s'exprime au sein de l'Unesco pour la mise en oeuvre de cette convention sur la diversit culturelle. Aucune autre organisation internationale n'interfrera avec cette volont", a-t-il affirm. Le nouveau patron de l'OMC, le Franais Pascal Lamy, a dclar M. Donnedieu de Vabres qu'il n'y avait pas de consensus sur la question de la diversit culturelle parmi les 148 membres de les 148 membres de l'OMC et qu'il ne pouvait donc pas prendre position ce sujet, a-t-on indiqu au sige de l'organisation base Genve. L'an dernier, l'Unesco avait demand plusieurs organisations internationales, dont l'OMC, de lui communiquer leur point de vue sur le projet de convention. Faute de consensus en son sein, l'OMC n'avait pas pu rpondre la demande de l'Unesco. ¶5. Comment. As reported ref, GOF Presidential and Ministerial public support for the UNESCO preliminary draft Convention on cultural diversity has long been backed up by strong GOF and EU demarches in capitals and monetary support for events in developing countries. The GOF meeting with brand-new WTO chief Pascal Lamy exemplifies the level and strength of its diplomatic interventions urging adoption of the preliminary draft Cultural Diversity Convention. Oliver Oliver