FOOD SECURITY/HUMANITARIAN ACTIONS COOPERATION

UNCLAS BERLIN 000115 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT. FOR EUR/ERA, EB, EUR/AGS, F USAID FOR PPC, AFR, DCHA, EGAT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON GM SUBJECT: FOOD SECURITY/HUMANITARIAN ACTIONS COOPERATION DURING GERMAN G-8/EU PRESIDENCIES ¶1. SUMMARY. On January 18, USEU Development Counselor and Embassy Berlin Econoff discussed opportunities for cooperation on development assistance with German officials in light of Germany's concurrent EU/G-8 presidencies. Development Ministry interlocutors expressed interest in U.S. proposals on food security/humanitarian actions discussions and in coordination during Germany's G-8 African development agenda. Foreign Ministry officials welcomed U.S. proposals to work collaboratively on development and called for additional political support. All German interlocutors demonstrated keen interest in U.S. foreign aid reform. END SUMMARY. ¶2. In meetings at German Development Ministry, Devcounselor and Econoff, accompanied by Embassy Berlin Deputy Agriculture Attach, met with Director Kerstin Faehrmann and Deputy Director Ilse Hahn in the Office of Food Security. Exploring U.S.-EU collaboration opportunities on humanitarian assistance and food security, Devcounselor noted U.S. interest within the G-8 context for donors to channel resources collaboratively, citing as a model the Ethiopian Safety Net Program sustained through the 2005 and 2006 G-8's. German interlocutors expressed enthusiasm for additional attention to development cooperation, particularly within Africa, and emphasized the importance Germany places on programs promoting good governance. Faehrmann acknowledged U.S. suggestions about possibly teeing up the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) to the G-8 agenda. Faehrmann and Hahn recommended follow-on meetings with Dr. Christoph Kohlmeyer, the Development Ministry's Director for Rural Development and Food Security Division. They extended an invitation for U.S. participation in a German-hosted EU food aid conference in early May. Hahn also highlighted the differing points of view within the EU on the role of food aid and indicated Germany's modest expectations on this area of its presidency. In Germany's most optimistic scenario, the EU would emerge from the May conference with a draft paper of proposals -- but no approved language -- that would serve as the basis for the EU position on renegotiation of the Food Aid Convention. ¶3. Devcounselor expressed hope that broadening dialogue would identify additional opportunities for agreement and explained the major restructuring of U.S. government development assistance mechanisms initiated by Secretary Rice in 2006. Faehrmann and Hahn inquired at length about the new U.S. foreign aid reforms, particularly about the newly-created Office of the Director of Foreign Assistance, and identified a need for Germany to formulate a strategy more clearly defining the roles of governmental and non-governmental actors in the country's development programming. ¶4. In meetings at the German Foreign Ministry, Devcounselor and Econoff met with Director Gerhard Thiedemann and Desk Officer Patrick Schaefer in the Office of Development Assistance. Thiedemann explained Germany's EU presidency ambitions would focus on Africa policy in light of Federal President Koehler's close engagement with the continent and Germany's G-8 Africa priorities. He added that the new 18-month EU agenda, in cooperation with follow-on EU presidencies in Portugal and Slovenia, would ensure greater continuity while underscoring the need to support the process through political mechanisms. He added that the impacts of HIV/AIDS, competition for resources, and climate change on the developing world would figure prominently in the German EU agenda, in line with the broader German policy themes of its presidency. ¶5. Thiedemann demonstrated keen interest in the restructuring of U.S. foreign aid and inquired about the development attitudes of the new U.S Congress. He added Germany's concern for the rising influence of China on Germany's development ambitions, particularly in Africa, and the challenge China's alternative strategies presented to German development models emphasizing concurrent economic and political development. Germany's continued aid to that country, he claimed, enabled it to maintain dialogue with the Chinese on other sensitive topics. TIMKEN JR