ATTENDANCE AT THE APEC POLICY DIALOGUE ON

UNCLAS WELLINGTON 000125 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR EAP/ANP/RICCI USDA FOR FAS/ITP/ZIMMERMAN AND MIRELES, FAS/BIG/TABOR, PETLOCK, PASSINO, AND RICHIE, AND FAS/FAA/YOUNG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD ECIN EAGR ETTC SENV TBIO NZ APECO SUBJECT: ATTENDANCE AT THE APEC POLICY DIALOGUE ON AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE 3RD MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY REF: SECSTATE 22023 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: New Zealand will participate at the Vietnam meeting of the High Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology (HLPD) and at MOP3 in Brazil. End Summary ¶2. (SBU) Rupert Holborow, New Zealand's APEC Senior Official, received U.S. Senior Official Michalak's letter (reftel) and shared it with other key government officials to ensure New Zealand was appropriately represented at these meetings. The letter reinforced earlier inquiries regarding New Zealand's participation made by the Embassy's Agricultural Attach with appropriate New Zealand officials in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Agriculture; and Research, Science and Technology. ¶3. (SBU) Holborow and Nik Green, a member of New Zealand's delegation to the Senior Officials Meeting, will participate in the HLPD. Holborow will attend the HLPD on Sunday, February 26, from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. while Green will attend the same day from 2:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. Holborow arrives Hanoi on Saturday, February 25, in the early afternoon and is scheduled to have a bilateral with U.S. Senior Official Michalak at 3:30 p.m. ¶4. (SBU) New Zealand is still formulating its tactics and strategy for the upcoming MOP3 meeting in Brazil. Alan Cook, Director, Environment Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT),will lead New Zealand's delegation at MOP3. The delegation also will include Sarah Wynn-Williams from MFAT's Environment Division. Additionally, the delegation will likely include the successor to Jane Coombs, who led past New Zealand delegations to Biosafety Protocol meetings. Although not yet confirmed, that delegate is expected to be Christine Bogle, who will soon become the Environment Division's Deputy Director responsible for biosafety issues and will support Cook at MOP3. The remainder of the New Zealand delegation to MOP3 has not yet been finalized but is expected to include two to three officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and a representative from the Department of Conservation. ¶5. (SBU) The Embassy will host a digital video conference between U.S. and New Zealand officials/delegates to MOP3. Pending confirmation with Washington, it is scheduled for Tuesday, March 7, 9:00 a.m. (New Zealand time). New Zealand also would welcome the opportunity to meet the U.S. delegates to MOP3 in Curitiba on Saturday or Sunday before the meeting begins. McCORMICK