RESULTS REPORT: U.S. FARM OFFICIAL FINDS FERTILE

UNCLAS PRETORIA 004477

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PD - TROOKARD; AF/S - MTABLER-STONE
USDA FOR FAS/PUBLIC AFFAIRS/MAUREEN QUINN AND
FAS/FAA/RANDY HAGER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO SF
SUBJECT: RESULTS REPORT: U.S. FARM OFFICIAL FINDS FERTILE
GROUND FOR FREE-TRADE MESSAGE; MPP GOALS: EP-ECONOMIC
PROSPERITY AND SECURITY



1. Activity: Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator

A. Ellen Terpstra's October 29-November 1 visit to South
Africa as leader of a farm trade and investment
delegation resulted in print and broadcast media
interviews that provided an excellent platform for
explaining US agricultural trade policy, particularly the
latest US offer at World Trade Organization talks. The
nation's largest-circulation newspaper also ran an op-ed
piece under her byline encouraging South African support
for US trade policy.


2. The Administrator's first media event was an
interview for AgriTV taped on October 31. AgriTV is an
early morning television program carried by the South
African Broadcasting Corp. that has a viewership of about
200,000. She discussed her trade mission and U.S. trade
policy. The two four-minute segments air the week of
November 7.


3. On November 1 the administrator hosted a one-hour, on-
the-record discussion with five journalists from leading
publications. She spoke on the latest agricultural trade
proposal put forth by the USG at WTO talks, on US
subsidies, and on bilateral trade. The discussion
resulted in three favorable articles the following day:
in Business Day (circ. 40,000) under the headline "EU
Plan for Farm-Aid Cuts Not Aggressive Enough - US
Official;" in Business Report, which appears in a number
of papers including The Star (circ. 170,000),under the
headline "Washington Offers to Scrap All Farm Subsidies
in 15 Years;" and in Beeld, an Afrikaans-language daily
with a circulation of 100,000, under the headline "US
Slams EU Agricultural Proposals."


4. Finally, PAS submitted an op-ed piece under Terpstra's
byline to the Sunday Times (circulation 505,000). The
article, which appeared on the Nov. 6 opinion page of the
paper's business section under the headline "Bold Action
Needed to Boost Global Growth," urged South Africa to
support U.S. efforts to push forward WTO trade talks and
discussed the general benefits of reducing barriers to
trade.


5. Results: Pretty darned good. Although not a high-
profile figure in South Africa, Terpstra was covered by a
number of leading media. She effectively delivered the
message that the US was making a bold agricultural trade
proposal to help ensure a successful Doha round of WTO
talks and that it was in South Africa's interest to
support that US proposal and free-trade in general.

HARTLEY