NEW ZEALAND RESPONSE ON MERCURY ISSUE AT UNEP

UNCLAS WELLINGTON 000125

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/ANP, OES/ENV JTHOMPSON
BRUSSELS FOR USEU

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV AORC ETRD PREL NZ
SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND RESPONSE ON MERCURY ISSUE AT UNEP
GOVERNING COUNCIL MEETING

REF: STATE 18970


1. Poloff provided reftel demarche points to Lesley Woudberg,
Environment Division, NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Trade (MFAT.) Woudberg stated that the GONZ would support
the partnership concept advocated in the US draft resolution.
She noted that the GONZ advocates a bilateral or national
approach to the management of mercury as opposed to a new
legally binding international regime. However, the GONZ will
not be taking a prominent role in the mercury debate at the
upcoming Governing Council (GC),and is not in a position to
lead partnership initiatives in any particular sector on the
management of mercury.


2. Woudberg noted that Donald Hannah, NZ Environmental Risk
Management Authority (ERMA) has been involved in a number of
conference calls with the US, Canada, Australia and South
Korea on the further management of mercury. She added that
reduction of mercury is not a priority for New Zealand, which
has few major mercury emitters and where any man-made
emissions are "overwhelmed by natural sources of mercury
emissions from volcanoes." The GONZ has taken a number of
steps over the last twenty years to reduce both the use of
mercury and any man-made emissions.
Swindells