THE D-8 SECRETARIAT: AN INSTITUTION IN SEARCH OF A

UNCLAS ISTANBUL 000437 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS USDA/FAS/OCRA/JFLEMINGS USDA/FAS/OFSO/JDEVER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECIN PREL TU IR SUBJECT: THE D-8 SECRETARIAT: AN INSTITUTION IN SEARCH OF A MISSION ¶1. (SBU) Summary: We met recently with Dipo Alam, the newly arrived Secretary General of the Developing Eight (D-8) organization. According to Alam the D-8's primary focus is fostering economic development through closer trade ties among the member states as well as cooperation with the United States and the European Union. It remains to be seen however, whether the D-8 can carve out a niche as an effective non-regionally-based multilateral organization. End Summary. ¶2. (U) The Secretariat of the "Developing Eight" (D-8) group of countries rotates every two years among the member states - Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan , and Turkey - and is currently based in Istanbul. Secretary General Dipo Alam described the organization as a SIPDIS grouping that grew out of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in the late 1990's and is now focused on trade and economic cooperation among the member states. According to Alam, the impetus for the creation of the organization was a friendship between then-Turkish President Erbakan and then-Indonesian President Habibi, both of whom were graduates of Aachen University in Germany. The D-8 was established on June 15, 1997 in Istanbul. The organization holds a summit meeting every two years and meets annually at the foreign minister level on the margins of UNGA. The next summit meeting will take place in Kuala Lumpur in 2008. ¶3. (U) On May 14, 2006, at the Bali Summit seven of the eight member states (all except Bangladesh) signed a preferential trade agreement designed to promote cooperation and foster trade among the member states. The D-8 has an internal trade volume of approximately $31 billion and a combined population of over 800 million, approximately 14% of the world population. Alam expressed his hope that internal trade would double or triple as a result of the agreement, but agreed that the geographically diverse nature of the group complicated this effort. ¶4. (U) Alam expressed his organization's interest in increasing exports to both the United States and European Union. He sought assistance in learning more about regulations governing the export of agricultural products, particularly organics, to the United States as well as more detail on environmental regulations that might affect agricultural trade. Alam cited alternative energy, particularly the production of biodiesel or other biofuels from palm oil or olive oil as a subject of particular interest for the D-8, noting that a working group on alternative energy would meet in Cairo in the autumn. ¶5. (SBU) Comment: Alam is an engaging interlocutor, U.S.-educated and familiar with the workings of the U.S. government courtesy in part to his wife's tenure as an employee of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. However, it is unclear whether the D-8 will evolve a unique development role. In separate conversations with us and Ankara-based FAS counselor Alam was unable to describe how the D-8 would bring something new to the table that would distinguish it from other regional or sub-regional groupings. End Comment. JONES