C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 000371

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/PGI HEATHER TSAVARIS AND FOR AIAG DAN
SINGER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2015
TAGS: KFLU PREL PGOV EI
SUBJECT: IRELAND QUESTIONS NEED FOR NAME CHANGE OF
EU-HOSTED AVIAN FLU MEETING

REF: STATE 52705

Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Mary E. Daly; Reasons 1.4 (
B) and (D).


1. (C) On April 4, Post delivered reftel demarche to Teresa
Cody, Department of Health and Children Assistant Principal
Officer for Primary Health Care (Post's primary POC on AI),
who responded on April 7 that Ireland would attend an EU
Friends of the Presidency meeting in Brussels on April 11
that would address reftel's concerns about the Vienna avian
flu conference in June. Cody confided that Ireland saw no
need to change the name of the conference and that the GOI
was unclear about the EU Presidency's approach to the issue.
The Friends of the EU Presidency meeting, she added, would
attempt to ensure that the Presidency did not work in
isolation from the Member States on the structure of the
conference.


2. (C) Also on April 7, Post discussed reftel points with
Gearoid McNamara, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) First
Secretary for EU Common Policy, who welcomed USG willingness

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to expand the IPAPI core group. McNamara explained that
friction over the Vienna Conference stemmed in part from
uncertainty as to whether the UK had joined the core group in
2005 as an individual country or in its capacity as EU
President. Inclusion of the EU Presidency and/or Commission
in the core group, he believed, might help to resolve
reftel's concerns. Echoing Cody, he questioned the need to
change the name of the conference, noting that such
superficial issues should not interfere with international
cooperation on avian flu.


3. (U) Comment: Irish agencies dealing with AI are on high
alert after the April 6 confirmation of the H5N1 virus in a
dead swan in Scotland and after the discovery of six dead
birds in Northern Ireland the same day. Agriculture Minister
Mary Coughlan publicly noted that she would confer with GOI
experts and UK veterinary officials on any possible
Government measures to be taken as a result of the Scottish
case.
KENNY