GERMAN RESPONSE TO AARHUS GUIDELINES DEMARCHE

UNCLAS BERLIN 000939 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECE KTIA SENV UNAUS XG GM SUBJECT: GERMAN RESPONSE TO AARHUS GUIDELINES DEMARCHE REF: STATE 53503 ¶1. (U) Global Affairs officer delivered points in reftel demarche April 6 to Hans-Peter Hofmann, Head of the MFA Taskforce on Environmental and Biopolitical Issues and to Oliver Lorenz, desk officer for North America in the same department. Hofmann replied the German Ministry of Environment (BMU) has the lead on the Aarhus Convention and is representing Germany at the April 5-7 meeting in Geneva. Hofmann said he was unaware of any consultation on the German position between the BMU and MFA prior to the Geneva meetings. ¶2. (U) Lorenz added that he had heard of some ongoing discussion between the BMU and other parts of the German government regarding the access rights of NGOs to international environmental fora. Although he did not have details, he said the general tenor of the discussion was also one of concern about the implications of NGO presence. Hofmann told Global Affairs officer he would communicate demarche points to the BMU and the German representative at the Geneva meeting and would provide a more throrough explanation of the German position on the issue as soon as possible. ¶3. (U) Global Affairs officer repeatedly tried to communicate demarche points to BMU, but relevant staff were unavailable or had already departed Germany for the Aarhus Convention meeting in Geneva. TIMKEN JR