AVIAN FLU: WORLD ANIMAL HEALTH ORGANIZATION (OIE)

UNCLAS PARIS 000198 SIPDIS FROM USMISSION UNESCO STATE FOR IO/EDA SHARON KOTOK, IO/T AMY BRIDGMAN IO/UNESCO KEVIN PILZ, OES HAROLD FOSTER, BARRIE RIPIN, OES/STAS ANDREW ¶W. REYNOLDS, OES/IHA JOHN S. BLODGETT STATE FOR NSC GENE WHITNEY STATE FOR NSF INTERNATIONAL OFFICE STATE FOR USDA PETER FERNANDEZ, RON DEHAVEN, AND MICHAEL J. DAVID STATE FOR USAID DENNIS CARROLL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO KSCA SUBJECT: AVIAN FLU: WORLD ANIMAL HEALTH ORGANIZATION (OIE) DG ACCEPTS INVITATION TO JANUARY 19 SIDE MEETING AT BEIJING PLEDGE CONFERENCE REF: State 2890 ¶1. Dr. Bernard Vallat, Director General of the World Organization for Animal health (OIE) is pleased to accept the invitation, conveyed reftel, to the January 19 side meeting at the January 17-18 International Conference on Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza. ¶2. Dr. Vallat and other OIE delegation members will, however, depart Beijing on January 19 via a flight departing at 1350. They estimate they will need to leave for the airport at 1130. ¶3. Dr. Vallat's contact information is as follows: Dr. Bernard Vallat, Director General, World Organization for Animal Health, 12, rue de Prony, 75017 Paris France. Telephone: 33-1-44-15-18-88, Fax: 33-1-42-67-09-87, e-mail: b.vallat@oie.int. ¶4. Point of contact for Dr. Vallat is Dr Christianne J.M. Bruschke, World Organization for Animal Health, 12, Rue de Prony 75017 Paris; Tel: 33-1 44.15.18.88; fax: 33 1 42.67.09.87 ; email: c.bruschke@oie.int. Dr. Bruschke will accompany Dr. Vallat to Beijing. She can be reached both in Paris and in Beijing by cellphone 33-6-32-46-96-40. ¶5. In addition to Drs. Vallat and Bruschke, the OIE delegation to Beijing will include Dr. Dewan Sibarti. They will all stay at the Great Wall Sheraton (site of the Conference). Drs. Bruschke and Sibarti will arrive on Sunday, January 15 at 1140; Dr. Vallat will arrive Monday. January 16 at 1140. ¶6. The OIE delegation would very much appreciate receiving information about the time and venue of the January 19 side meeting, as well as the agenda, as soon as these are available. ¶7. Please note for future reference that USG relations with the OIE are handled by the US Mission to UNESCO, rather than by the bilateral mission. Incoming cables relating to the OIE should be sent to Embassy Paris, slugged for the U.S. Mission to UNESCO. The U.S. Mission to UNESCO would very much appreciate being copied on the Department's email correspondence with the OIE (coopernj@state.gov). Oliver