FRENCH RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON CHINA, INDIA

UNCLAS PARIS 000327 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS EUR/WE, EEB, EEB/ESC - KOPP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV IEA ENRG FR SUBJECT: FRENCH RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON CHINA, INDIA MEMBERSHIP IN THE IEA REF: SECSTATE 14271 ¶1. (SBU) EEB A/S Daniel Sullivan raised reftel demarche points with MFA Director for Economic and Financial Affairs Christian Masset February 13. Masset said he believed the beginnings of a GOF consensus on the issue were emerging. As a general principle President Sarkozy was in favor of greater inclusion of India and China in international institutions, and Elysee staffers with whom Masset had discussed the idea of IEA membership had not raised specific objections to it. France had not taken a decision on the issue yet, but in his view it would best to focus on outreach in the context of a technical dialogue in the initial stages, rather than to proceed directly to the question of changing OECD membership statutes, a matter of principle. Outreach and increased dialogue with India and China as a first step could help to build consensus around the issue among OECD members. ¶2. (SBU) Econoff also discussed reftel demarche February 13 with Pascal Schuster, International Strategy Chief of the General Directorate for Energy and Raw Materials (now part of the Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development). Schuster noted that in previous years the idea of an associate membership for Russia had been discussed, and that this discussion would no doubt build on that. Full membership would require fulfillment of stockpiling requirements, which was clearly a goal that would receive considerable support. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm PEKALA