SACU MEETING ON FTA DEPUTIES GROUP INVITATION

UNCLAS PRETORIA 000796 SIPDIS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED DEPT FOR AF/S KGAITHER; AF/EPS; EB/TPP/BTA USDOC FOR 4510/ITA/IEP/ANESA/OA/JDIEMOND COMMERCE ALSO FOR HVINEYARD TREASURY FOR BRESNICK DEPT PASS USTR FOR FLISER, CMOORE AND PCOLEMAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD SF USTR SUBJECT: SACU MEETING ON FTA DEPUTIES GROUP INVITATION REF: 2004 WINDHOEK 905 (U) This cable is sensitive but unclassified. Not for Internet distribution. ¶1. (SBU) Econoff spoke today with Victor Mashabela, head of the Americas desk in the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),about the SACU meeting in Namibia that took place February 24-25. Mashabela, who attended with SACU FTA Chief Negotiator Xavier Carim, said most of the meeting of the senior officials addressed institutional issues and that the meeting went well. They also addressed the February 8 invitation from AUSTR Florie Liser to the Heads of Delegation (HODS) to have a Deputies Group meeting in Geneva on March 18. Mashabela said SACU was drafting a response that he thought would be cleared and sent by early next week. Pressed, he expected it would probably be a positive response agreeing to March 18, but he did not know who would attend from SACU. He noted the positive results of the December 10 meeting in Walvis Bay between Ambassador Zoellick and SACU ministers on finding a way forward on the FTA (reftel). At the same time, presumably drawing on discussions by the senior officials at last week's meeting, he offered his personal view that both sides remain far apart on some difficult issues. FRAZER