SUBJECT: FORMAL INVITATIONS TO ATTEND THE

UNCLAS STATE 014866

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ENRG EPET KGHG KPAO KSCA OPDC SENV SOCI TRGY KPAL
SUBJECT: SUBJECT: FORMAL INVITATIONS TO ATTEND THE
WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RENEWABLE ENERGY
(WIREC) MARCH 4-6, 2008

REF: A) STATE 138428 B) STATE 80334

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ACTION REQUESTS
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1. Action Requests: Consul General or appropriate senior
consulate official is requested to deliver the text in
paragraph 5 as a letter over Post Official's signature
to either the Palestinian Authority Foreign minister or,
if known, the PA's designated Minister-level head of
official delegation to WIREC 2008. Post at its
discretion may cc other ministers who have indicated an
interest in attending WIREC. Post is asked to confirm
delivery of the letter via return cable. Please include
name and contact information for post's WIREC POC in the
response cable.


2. Post is requested to inform the host government that
Official Individual Country Ministerial-level delegations
may consist of a maximum of 10 individuals per country,
composed of up to three Ministers, including the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Energy, Agriculture, or
Environment (or the equivalent Ministers covering those
portfolios) and three subnational government
representatives. We defer to the Palestinian Authority's
Minister of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to determine their
government's precise makeup of the 'Official WIREC
Ministerial Delegation,' as well as to inform us of their
head of delegation, assuming more than one Minister-level
delegate is part of the official delegation. However, we
appreciate Consulate engagement with the MFA to ensure
that the delegation is comprised of appropriate Ministers
and subnational government representatives.


3. Post is requested to inform host government that
each member of the delegation must submit an individual
registration form to confirm attendance at WIREC 2008.
Official delegates may register for the conference via
the internet at http://
www.usea.org/WIREC/official party registration pub 0001.pdf.


4. The Palestinian Authority has approached OES'
contractor, the US Energy Association (USEA) to request an
invitation for Dr. Omar Kettaneh, Energy Minister at the
Palestinian Energy Authority. Post is requested to cc
Dr. Kettaneh on the formal invitation if he is not the
head of delegation.

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TEXT OF LETTER
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5. Begin text of the letter:

Dear Mr./Madam Minister: (or other appropriate salutation)

The U.S. State Department will host the Washington
International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC 2008)
in Washington on March 4-6, 2008. WIREC 2008 is the
third global ministerial-level event on renewable energy
after Bonn in 2004 and Beijing in 2005. WIREC will serve
as a global platform for ministers And senior leaders
from the private sector, sub-national governments, and
civil society to discuss and share information about the
benefits of renewable energy, identify best practices and
barriers, and consider policy options and measures needed
to encourage the rapid development of renewable energy in
their countries.

I am pleased to invite the Palestinian Authority to send an
official delegation to WIREC 2008. Approximately 2,000
delegates will participate in the three-day conference at
the Washington Convention Center, and we envision
participation by U.S. Cabinet secretaries and senior
White House officials.

In the spirit of the International Action Program that was
agreed to at the Bonn Conference, I am inviting your
government to consider making a voluntary national pledge
at WIREC to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy
in your territory. The consolidation of national
governments' pledges, as well as pledges from other major
stakeholders (sub-national governments, international
organizations, the private sector, civil society, and
multi-stakeholder partnerships) will be one of the
major outcomes of WIREC.

I look forward to your official delegation's active
Participation in WIREC 2008.

Sincerely,
(insert name of Consul General or appropriate senior
consulate official)

End text.

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DEADLINE
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6. Post is asked to deliver the formal invitation letter
to the minister who has been designated to head the
official delegation, if known, or, if a head of delegation
has not been decided, to the foreign minister, no later
than OOB Friday, February 15. Response cables should be
slugged for OES for WIREC Action Group Leader Stan Specht
and OES Special Assistant Camille Hill.

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POC FOR QUESTIONS
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7. For additional information about WIREC 2008, contact
OES' WIREC Action Group Leader Stan Specht (OES/PCI) at
SpechtSH@state.gov and consult the official WIREC website
at www.wirec2008.gov.
RICE