PORTUGAL: ECONOMY MINISTER TO HEAD WIREC 2008

UNCLAS LISBON 000222

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/WE (KEVIN OPSTRUP); OES/PCI (STAN SPECHT,
LORI BRUTTEN AND CAMILLE HILL); COMMERCE FOR CS ENERGY TEAM
(CYNTHIA TORRES); WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ENRG SENV TRGY EPET EAID SOCI KSCA KGHG KPAO
OPDC, PO
SUBJECT: PORTUGAL: ECONOMY MINISTER TO HEAD WIREC 2008
DELEGATION

REF: A. STATE 005963



B. 07 STATE 138428


C. 07 LISBON 002646

The Ministry of Economy, which is responsible for energy
matters, confirmed in a January 17 letter to the Embassy that
Minister Manuel Pinho will lead the Portuguese delegation to
March 4-6 Washington International Renewable Energy
Conference (WIREC). Subsequently, MFA General Director for
Economic and Technical Issues Paulo Jorge Nascimento told
post on January 23 that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and
Environment do not plan to send representatives, although he
implied that the MFA may reconsider if other EU member-states
do so. (He was particularly interested in the composition of
the French delegation.) Nascimento also mentioned that a
Portuguese Embassy representative in Washington would
participate in WIREC and that the Ministry of Economy would
decide how to fill the remaining slots. Nascimento requested
a detailed agenda with scheduled speakers and inquired about
the format and if there were restrictions on the number of
delegates at any of the meetings. The WIREC POC at post is:
Tiffany McGriff: mcgrifftl@state.gov, 351-21-770-2575 (IVG
884).
Stephenson