DANES SUPPORTIVE OF U.S. IWC WHALING PROPOSALS

UNCLAS COPENHAGEN 000348 SENSITIVE SIPDIS EMBASSY SANTIAGO PLEASE PASS TO OES:JOHN FIELD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV EFIS KSCA PREL IWC ETRD DA SUBJECT: DANES SUPPORTIVE OF U.S. IWC WHALING PROPOSALS REF: STATE 57319 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Danish government is supportive of the IWC Chair's recommendations and plan of action, and recommends incorporating a mix of geographic and 'ideological' balance in the small working group to develop a possible package of initiatives. The Danes also support procedural improvements for the IWC, and concur that the ramification of any alternative language to "aboriginal subsistence whaling" be carefully considered. FM Moeller has publicly committed Denmark's support for a moratorium on whaling in the South Atlantic. End Summary. ¶2. (U) PolOff presented reftel demarche including U.S. priorities for the upcoming IWC meeting in Santiago, Chile June 23-27 to Christen Krogh, Head of Section, Department for Nordic Cooperation, the Faroe Islands and Greenland in the Danish MFA. Denmark's IWC commissioner, Ole Samsing, is based in Brussels and will not be visiting Copenhagen prior to the Santiago meetings. In the interim, however, we have received Samsing's written responses to our questions, which are reproduced in para four, below. ¶3. (U) Danish Foreign Minister Moeller told the press on June 12 that Denmark would vote in favor of a whaling moratorium in the South Atlantic. FM Moeller acknowledged that such a measure would be largely symbolic, since no whaling currently occurs there. Moeller said Denmark would continue to support whaling based on Qa scientific and sustainable foundationQ as occurs in Greenland and the Faroe Islands. ¶4. (SBU) Danish IWC Commissioner's responses to U.S. questions: ¶Q. The Chair's recommendations and plans for the future of the IWC are posted on the Commission's website. The United States support these. What are your impressions of the recommended course of action between now and the 2009 annual meeting? ¶A. We will be able to support the proposed course of action (i.e. to appoint a group to prepare a spring meeting). We can furthermore endorse that the Chair is trying to push the matter to a solution already next year Q a solution is very much overdue. ¶Q. If the Commission establishes a small working group to assemble a package of policy solutions for 2009, what sort of representation should the group have? What minimum size working group would be appropriate? A: It is of paramount importance that the extreme sides in the IWC are represented (i.e. for example Australia and Japan),but it is also important that countries in the middle of the organisation are represented, because they will try to be build bridges. Denmark is such a country Q Sweden also. Then the group should also have a representative from Latin America, Africa and Europe (other than Denmark Q because Denmark is not part of the common EU-position on whaling). Q: Outside experts and Commissioners have suggested a number of procedural improvements for the IWC (these are posted on the IWC website from the March intercessional). What, if any, changes would you like to see in the way the IWC conducts business? A: The chair's proposal also contains provisions relating to the good conduct of member states in the IWC and we can of course support them. Polite and diplomatic language does not harm anyone, but will be a novelty in the IWC. Q: The U.S. is opposed to advancing any new terminology to substitute for "aboriginal subsistence whaling" until the ramifications are better understood. What is your position on this proposed change? A: We will, like USA, want to understand new wording very well before we might take a decision on this matter. CAIN