Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ROME323
2007-02-15 15:40:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Rome
Cable title:  

GOI WILL WORK TOWARDS DOHA SUCCESS SO LONG AS

Tags:  EUN WTRO ECON ETRD EAGR IT 
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VZCZCXRO9080
PP RUEHAG RUEHAP RUEHDE RUEHDF RUEHGI RUEHHM RUEHLZ RUEHMA RUEHMR
RUEHPA RUEHPB RUEHRN
DE RUEHRO #0323 0461540
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 151540Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7202
INFO RUCNWTO/WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC PRIORITY 4406
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY 4484
UNCLAS ROME 000323 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

USEU FOR DAN MULLANEY
DEPARTMENT PASS TO USTR
USDA/FAS FOR RCURTIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EUN WTRO ECON ETRD EAGR IT
SUBJECT: GOI WILL WORK TOWARDS DOHA SUCCESS SO LONG AS
GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS ARE INCLUDED

REF: A. STATE 15811

B. 2006 ROME 2877

C. 2005 ROME 4186

D. 2005 ROME 3845

UNCLAS ROME 000323

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

USEU FOR DAN MULLANEY
DEPARTMENT PASS TO USTR
USDA/FAS FOR RCURTIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EUN WTRO ECON ETRD EAGR IT
SUBJECT: GOI WILL WORK TOWARDS DOHA SUCCESS SO LONG AS
GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS ARE INCLUDED

REF: A. STATE 15811

B. 2006 ROME 2877

C. 2005 ROME 4186

D. 2005 ROME 3845


1. (SBU) Summary. Econoff delivered ref A non-paper on
the Doha Round negotiations and the President's January 31
speech on the state of the economy to the Ministry of Foreign
Trade. Ministry officials agreed the time is ripe for
progress in the Doha Round, and expressed hope progress
before end-March will encourage Congress to speed Trade
Promotion Authority (TPA) renewal and "set a new pace" for
Doha Round negotiations. Ministry officials noted
geographical indications (GIs) remain a priority issue for
the GOI and that the GOI views progress on GIs as essential
to offset concessions on agriculture market access and
agricultural subsidies. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On February 9, Econoff delivered ref A talking
points on the Doha Round and a copy of President Bush's
January 31 speech on the state of the economy to Amadeo Teti,
Ministry of Foreign Trade Director General for Trade, and
Stefano Santacroce, a technical expert in the Trade
Directorate. Teti agreed the time is ripe for progress in
the Round, and said the GOI would open its agricultural
markets and work with other EU members to cut
trade-distorting agricultural supports and lower agricultural
tariffs, if there is progress in the services and
non-agricultural market access (NAMA) negotiations. Teti
predicted that EU Trade Commissioner Mandelson would receive
increased flexibility in his negotiating mandate at an EU
Trade Ministers dinner held in mid-February.


3. (SBU) Teti said that "I have one prayer for this round,
an agreement on geographical indications," and that an
agreement on a registry of geographical indications is an
essential "win" for the GOI to offset "losses" on lower
agricultural subsidies and lower tariffs. "Our farmers can
compete," said Teti, "but they need to have a registry of GIs
to protect their products." He reported that Trade Minister
Bonino was "very pessimistic" regarding an agreement on GIs
after her recent meeting with USTR Schwab, and thought that
the USG position is set by "USTR lawyers," whose "juridical
culture is biased against the idea of a registry."


4. (SBU) Econoff responded that U.S. trademark law already
protects many products that would be included in the GOI's
proposed GI registry. He said once a registry is opened,
there is potentially no end to the products submitted for
protection. Teti responded that the registry would not be
"an open book," and that GIs would have to meet agreed-upon
criteria to be included. Santacroce proposed that the
definition of GIs in the TRIPS agreement be used to set
limits on what could be included in the GI registry. Teti
also proposed an expensive fee for the inclusion of a product
in the registry to deter frivolous filings. "Seeking
inclusion in the registry is not something that a business
will undertake lightly," he concluded.


5. (SBU) Comment. The GOI trade position remains
essentially unchanged since the December 2005 Hong Kong
Ministerial (refs C and D). As reported ref B, the current
center-left government, in determining the GOI trade
position, is less sympathetic to agricultural interests than
the previous center-right government, and recognizes the
dominant roles that manufacturing and services have in the
modern Italian economy and in a GOI trade-negotiations
position. Post clearly understands the USG position on GIs,
but takes at face value, repeated GOI assertions that
progress on a GI registry is Italy's highest priority in the
agriculture negotiations. End comment.
SPOGLI