IRISH RESPONSE ON PLEDGES TO WIAP AND CHINA'S AND

UNCLAS DUBLIN 000167 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KGHG SENV ENRG EUN IEA TRGY KPAO KSCA EI SUBJECT: IRISH RESPONSE ON PLEDGES TO WIAP AND CHINA'S AND INDIA'S ENGAGEMENT WITH THE IEA REF: A. STATE 26870 ¶B. STATE 14271 ¶1. On March 28, ECONOFF met with Sara White, Deputy Secretary General (and most senior energy official) in the Irish Department of Communications, Energy, and Natural Resources, to deliver reftel demarches. Regarding additional pledges to the Washington International Action Plan (WIAP) (Ref A), White said that she was not in a position to make any pledge to the WIAP but that she would discuss with other government officials. If Ireland decides to make a commitment, White said she would inform Post immediately. ¶2. Per Ref B, White, who is Ireland's representative on the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Governing Board, said that she agreed with the U.S. position on the need to get China and India into the IEA structure. She said that the benefits of doing so outweigh the inherent challenges but that the process needs to be a gradual one in order to "finesse some of the difficulties," including the requirement that IEA members must also be members of the OECD. White noted that fulfilling the requirements of IEA membership posed internal challenges for, in particular, China and it must be given time to "set its own house in order." She said that a decision on timelines to bring these countries in should be made as soon as possible and suggested that the 2009 IEA Ministerial could be the most appropriate target for conveying full membership. FOLEY