Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MADRID722
2007-04-20 07:26:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Madrid
Cable title:
SPAIN STRONGLY SUPPORTS U.S. PROPOSAL TO LIMIT
how-toVZCZCXYZ0004 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHMD #0722 1100726 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 200726Z APR 07 FM AMEMBASSY MADRID TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2316 INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0681 RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0615 RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0503 RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 5050 RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 0334 RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0856 RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 1501 RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0022 RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 1858 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0876 RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 0996 RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0816 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0125 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 2433 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1278 RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 0180 RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 1297 RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 2112 RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 0489 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0695 RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA 0741 RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 3085 RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 7252 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0696 RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW 0131 RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0113
UNCLAS MADRID 000722
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE AND OES/OA (EVAN BLOOM AND LAWRENCE
HUGHES)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC KTIA SENV TPHY KSCA AY SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN STRONGLY SUPPORTS U.S. PROPOSAL TO LIMIT
ANTARCTIC TOURISM
REF: SECSTATE 42866
UNCLAS MADRID 000722
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE AND OES/OA (EVAN BLOOM AND LAWRENCE
HUGHES)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC KTIA SENV TPHY KSCA AY SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN STRONGLY SUPPORTS U.S. PROPOSAL TO LIMIT
ANTARCTIC TOURISM
REF: SECSTATE 42866
1. ESTHOFF made reftel points April 19 to MFA Special Envoy
for the Antarctic Treaty Ambassador Juan Martinez-Cattaneo
Hingston, urging Spain to support U.S. proposals to limit
Antarctic tourism at the May thirtieth Antarctic Treaty
Consultative Meeting (ATCM) in New Delhi. Martinez-Cattaneo,
who will lead the Spanish delegation to New Delhi, had
already obtained a copy of the U.S. working paper containing
our tourism-related proposals for the meeting. He said that
Spain would support "these magnificent U.S. initiatives" in
their entirety.
2. Martinez-Cattaneo briefed ESTHOFF on two recent accidents
involving tourist boats near one of the two Spanish Antarctic
facilities. He said these two accidents, which occurred in
November 2006 and January 2007, illustrate the pressing need
to better limit Antarctic tourism and will be described in
the Spanish presentation in New Delhi. He said a major
tourism-related fatality causing accident in the Antarctic is
inevitable and that we needed to act now to limit Antarctic
tourism before it was too late. He said Spain would be
willing to support proposals even stronger than those
contained in the U.S. paper. For example, Spain would
support banning the landing of passengers from boats
containing 400 or more passengers (compared to 500 or more in
the U.S. proposal). Spain would also support making this ban
binding (vice non-binding as in the U.S proposal).
3. Martinez-Cattaneo also said that Spain believes that the
ATCM should consider tailoring the passenger landing ban to
different Antarctic ecosystems. While some areas might be
able to support larger landings, there were other areas being
visited that clearly require even more stringent restrictions
on the number of people allowed to land at any given time.
Spain believes that a one-size-fits-all approach does not
make sense.
Aguirre
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE AND OES/OA (EVAN BLOOM AND LAWRENCE
HUGHES)
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC KTIA SENV TPHY KSCA AY SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN STRONGLY SUPPORTS U.S. PROPOSAL TO LIMIT
ANTARCTIC TOURISM
REF: SECSTATE 42866
1. ESTHOFF made reftel points April 19 to MFA Special Envoy
for the Antarctic Treaty Ambassador Juan Martinez-Cattaneo
Hingston, urging Spain to support U.S. proposals to limit
Antarctic tourism at the May thirtieth Antarctic Treaty
Consultative Meeting (ATCM) in New Delhi. Martinez-Cattaneo,
who will lead the Spanish delegation to New Delhi, had
already obtained a copy of the U.S. working paper containing
our tourism-related proposals for the meeting. He said that
Spain would support "these magnificent U.S. initiatives" in
their entirety.
2. Martinez-Cattaneo briefed ESTHOFF on two recent accidents
involving tourist boats near one of the two Spanish Antarctic
facilities. He said these two accidents, which occurred in
November 2006 and January 2007, illustrate the pressing need
to better limit Antarctic tourism and will be described in
the Spanish presentation in New Delhi. He said a major
tourism-related fatality causing accident in the Antarctic is
inevitable and that we needed to act now to limit Antarctic
tourism before it was too late. He said Spain would be
willing to support proposals even stronger than those
contained in the U.S. paper. For example, Spain would
support banning the landing of passengers from boats
containing 400 or more passengers (compared to 500 or more in
the U.S. proposal). Spain would also support making this ban
binding (vice non-binding as in the U.S proposal).
3. Martinez-Cattaneo also said that Spain believes that the
ATCM should consider tailoring the passenger landing ban to
different Antarctic ecosystems. While some areas might be
able to support larger landings, there were other areas being
visited that clearly require even more stringent restrictions
on the number of people allowed to land at any given time.
Spain believes that a one-size-fits-all approach does not
make sense.
Aguirre