Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SANTIAGO790
2007-05-15 16:05:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Santiago
Cable title:  

NEWLY-APPOINTED UN SPECIAL ENVOY ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Tags:  ECON ENRG IO PINR PREL SENV UNGA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSG #0790/01 1351605
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 151605Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1487
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0016
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0228
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 3625
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1379
RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 0027
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0149
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 1137
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0205
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 0051
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0182
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0317
C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTIAGO 000790 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/13/2017
TAGS: ECON ENRG IO PINR PREL SENV UNGA
SUBJECT: NEWLY-APPOINTED UN SPECIAL ENVOY ON CLIMATE CHANGE
RICARDO LAGOS MEETS IN SANTIAGO WITH OES A/S MCMURRAY

Classified By: Ambassador Craig Kelly for reasons 1.5 (b and d).

------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTIAGO 000790

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/13/2017
TAGS: ECON ENRG IO PINR PREL SENV UNGA
SUBJECT: NEWLY-APPOINTED UN SPECIAL ENVOY ON CLIMATE CHANGE
RICARDO LAGOS MEETS IN SANTIAGO WITH OES A/S MCMURRAY

Classified By: Ambassador Craig Kelly for reasons 1.5 (b and d).

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) Ricardo Lagos, one of three newly-appointed UN Special
Representatives on Climate Change, told visiting OES A/S
Claudia McMurray May 11 that it would be imperative for all
nations -- including developing ones -- to agree on an agenda
for addressing climate change. But it would also be
important to recognize that countries could adopt different
approaches to the problem, "a variable geometry" which takes
into account the capabilities and needs of each nation.
Lagos also broke down which nations - 25 in total - for which
each of the three Special Representatives would take
responsibility, stressing that UN SecGen Ban Ki-moon would
deal with the United States. Lagos noted that he serves as
the Club of Madrid's (a grouping of former presidents and
prime ministers) representative to a climate change group
organized by the UN Foundation. He suggested the group would
produce a "blueprint" for post-2012 (post Kyoto) by the end
of 2008. End summary.


2. (U) Embassy Santiago arranged for OES A/S Claudia
McMurray, in Santiago to co-chair the U.S.-Chile Joint
Commission Meeting on Science and Technology Cooeration (JCM)
(septel),to meet May 11 with Ricardo Lagos, former president
of Chile and one of three recently-named UN Special
Representatives on Climate Change. A/S McMurray was
accompanied by the Ambassador and E/Pol Counselor.

--------------
Climate Change Omnipresent
--------------


3. (C) McMurray congratulated Lagos on his appointment and
observed that the issue of climate change was "coming up
everywhere," including the issuance of three major reports by
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change within the past
year. The U.S. had made positive contributions to these
reports and to the overall debate. "The United States takes

the issues very seriously and has accepted each report."
The U.S. will be active in several upcoming meetings where
climate change will be on the agenda, including at the G-8 in
June. Lagos noted that UN SecGen Ban Ki-moon would seek to
organize a dinner on the margins of the UNGA, after
high-level meetings on climate change. The thought now would
be to have leaders from only 15 nations attend the dinner;
Lagos wondered if this was an unrealistic number. It was
likely that all G-8 nations would be invited. Those
countries - plus five more that together with the G-8
accounted for 75 percent of total emissions - would leave
only two additional spots at the table and one of those would
be allotted to a Small Island Nation. The dinner was clearly
an important meeting and Lagos implied the circle of invitees
should be wider.


4. (C) McMurray said China appeared anxious to play a
positive role on climate change and that the USG was doing
what it could to encourage Beijing. Treasury Secretary
Paulson has a high-level dialogue with the Chinese on
economic issues and energy and environmental topics are key
elements of that discussion. Lagos replied it was "not
possible" for developing nations (such as China) to "postpone
a reckoning" by pleading that for "historical reasons" they
should be allowed to continue to produce emissions now and
attack environmental problems later. "This is not
manageable. Everybody has to reduce, everybody has to
agree." Still, Lagos chided gently, while he understood USG
reluctance to agree to treaties such as Kyoto when countries
such as China and India are not bound, it was important for
the U.S. to step up as well.


5. (C) Lagos noted he is a member of the Club of Madrid,
which brings together former presidents and prime ministers.
He is the Club's lead representative on environmental issues,
including to a climate change group that the UN Foundation
has organized. This group hopes to produce a blueprint by

the end of 2008, addressing post-2012 (post-Kyoto) issues.
He expects that the Bali meeting in December 2007 will also
push for faster action to address climate change, perhaps
with recommendations that would be implemented beginning in
2010, a schedule Lagos thought might be too ambitious.
McMurray agreed, saying that any such blueprint had to be "a
thoughtful piece" which offered realistic solutions, taking
into account different approaches to the challenges in
different countries.

--------------
Divvying Up Responsibilities
--------------


6. (C) After A/S McMurray briefed on U.S. cooperation with
several nations (inter alia, Japan, Australia, Korea, India
and China) - to provide seed money to private enterprise
seeking to develop new "green" technologies, Lagos described
the division of labor among the three Special
Representatives. Of the 25 nations that are the UN's focus,
Lagos had agreed to take responsibility for Mexico, Brazil,
Venezuela, Grenada (as chair of the Small Island Nations
Group),the UK and France. Ban Ki-moon had also asked him to
take on discussions with Nigeria and Saudi Arabia but he had
not yet decided whether to do so. Lagos said that he would
begin talks first with Brazil -- "I want to ask them their
views on how to deal with Chavez."


7. (C) Former UN General Assembly President Han Seung-soo
would be responsible for India, Australia, New Zealand and
China (Lagos smiled, "good luck with China") and perhaps a
handful of other Asian countries. Norwegian ex-PM Gro Harlem
Bruntland would take on several Eastern European countries
and Russia. Lagos stressed that Ban Ki-moon would be solely
responsible for talks with the U.S.

--------------
"Variable Geometry"
--------------


8. (C) McMurray noted there seems to be tremendous interest
from some countries to develop solutions and begin
negotiations by the time of the Bali meeting in December.
Lagos replied that he didn't think it would be possible to
reach accord on workable solutions by that time, even for
those countries that have ratified Kyoto. Moreover, it was
important to consider what he called "variable geometry."
Countries could propose different tracks, dependent on
national capabilities and needs. For example, one might
focus on capping emissions, another on exchange of credits, a
third nation would seek to develop new technologies. It is
hard to find a "one size fits all" approach. We can agree
that we have a common position - human beings are responsible
for creating the problem - but then each country can offer
its own viable solutions. Lagos said he believes President
Bush understands this approach.

--------------
Comment
--------------


9. (C) Lagos, who has been on the receiving end of some local
NGO opposition to his nomination. ostensibly because of a
poor record on the environment during his stint as president,
was clearly well-informed on the state of play of debate on
climate change, rattling off the names and conclusions of
several key reports. He seemed both enthusiastic about his
new reponsibilities and pragmatic about the need to promote
realistic policies, to not place blame, and to work
cooperatively. End comment.


10. (U) A/S McMurray has cleared this message.
KELLY