PORTUGAL: CEQ CHAIRMAN CONNAUGHTON AND AMBASSADOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LISBON 002503 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/13/2017 TAGS: SENV KGHG ENRG EU PO SUBJECT: PORTUGAL: CEQ CHAIRMAN CONNAUGHTON AND AMBASSADOR GRAY DISCUSS MAJOR ECONOMIES MEETING REF: STATE 109658 Classified By: Inga Heemink, Pol/Econ Officer, Embassy Lisbon, Reasons 1.4(b) and 1.4(d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In Lisbon September 12-13, Chairman of the White House Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) James Connaughton and USEU Ambassador Gray discussed with Portuguese officials the upcoming Major Economies Meeting (MEM) on climate change and energy security. The Portuguese interlocutors warmly welcomed the President's initiative but underscored their hope that the MEM would feed into, not rival, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) talks in Bali in December. The Portuguese expressed great concern about the speaking times allocated to Portugal, as EU president, and the European Commission (EC) in the current MEM agenda - citing that the need for them to treated as separate entities. The Portuguese delegation to the MEM will be led by Secretary of State for Environment Humberto Rosa and include representatives from the Ministry of Environment, the Prime Minister's Office, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Portugal has selected the countries that will provide the four senior-level technical experts: Portugal, Slovenia, Poland, and Denmark. End Summary. Meetings -------------- ¶2. (U) On September 12, Ambassador Hoffman hosted a dinner for Chairman Connaughton and Ambassador Gray attended by Minister of Environment Francisco Nunes Correia, key Portuguese officials responsible for climate change policy, and French and British diplomats. On September 13, they met with State Secretary for Environment Humberto Rosa; Fausto Brito e SIPDIS Abreu, Advisor to Humberto Rosa; Tiago Antunes, Prime Minister Socrates' Advisor for Climate and Energy; Nuno LaCasta, Ministry of Environment Director-General for Climate; and Miguel Sousa e Almeida, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Deputy Director-General for Technical and Economic Affairs. Connaughton and Gray also met separately with Joao Conceicao, Energy Advisor to the Minister of Economy. Portugal Welcomes U.S. Engagement on Climate Change -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) In all their exchanges, Connaughton and Gray explained the objectives of the Major Economies Meeting and general U.S. views on climate change and energy security, and highlighted measures taken by the United States to tackle the effects of climate change. Minister Nunes Correia and State Secretary Rosa warmly welcomed the President,s initiative SIPDIS and determination to take a leadership role in the climate change and energy security dialogue. Nunes Correia, in particular, praised the U.S. decision to "re-engage" in post-2012 global climate change talks. Conceicao also appreciated the U.S. linkage of energy security and climate change, agreeing with Connaughton that environment specialists might articulate the problem but it was the economic and finance ministries who were entrusted to finance the solution(s). MEM Must Be Part of UN Framework -------------- ¶4. (C) Both Nunes Correia and Rosa noted that it was essential for the MEM to be part of the UNFCCC process, not parallel to it. Rosa in particular feared that any thing that detracted attention from Bali would generate a "climate of suspicion" in world public opinion. Connaughton underscored that the President's initiative was never intended to rival the UNFCCC but rather help accelerate the process of post-2012 talks. By having the major economies meet in a small group and agree on general principles for a global framework, with a focus on nationally defined mid-term goals and sector-based approaches, it would then be easier for a larger group of nations to start negotiating the finer details in Bali and in subsequent meetings. LISBON 00002503 002 OF 002 Delegation to MEM -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Humberto Rosa will lead the Portuguese delegation to the MEM. He will be accompanied by Fausto Brito e Abreu, Tiago Antunes, and Nuno Lacasta. As EU president, Portugal was also asked to select four senior-level technical experts to attend the meeting. Rosa reported that he has chosen representatives from Portugal, Slovenia, Poland, and Denmark but the names of the specific individuals have not yet been confirmed. The Portuguese technical expert will be either Miguel Almeida e Sousa or Paulo Nascimento, MFA Director for International Economic Organizations. The rationale behind the selection of technical experts was Slovenia,s upcoming assumption of the EU presidency on January 1, 2008, Poland,s hosting of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP-14) in 2008 in Poznan, and Denmark,s hosting of the same event in 2009 in Copenhagen. Press coverage -------------- ¶6. (C) Chairman Connaughton and Ambassador Gray granted separate interviews on September 13 to the Portuguese newswire agency Lusa. Connaughton highlighted U.S. measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and noted that Portugal is well-positioned to harness sun, wind, and water as alternative sources of energy. Ambassador Gray, in turn, urged Portugal to consider investing in nuclear energy as one means of addressing the question of energy independence. Asked about Kosovo final status negotiations, Ambassador Gray underlined that the U.S. and EU are collaborating in the search for a solution. The interviews were published on the Lusa website under the headlines "U.S. Believes that Portugal Should Invest in Nuclear Energy" and "USA wants Accord With EU in the Fight Against Climate Change". We will forward separately full translations of the articles. ¶7. (U) This cable was cleared by Chairman Connaughton and Ambassador Gray. Hoffman