WIREC 2008 - AUSTRIAN DELEGATION AND PLEDGE INFO

UNCLAS VIENNA 000267

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR OES (STAN SPECHT AND CAMILLE HILL) AND EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ENRG EPET SENV EAID SOCI TRGY KPAO KGHG KSCA AU

SUBJECT: WIREC 2008 - AUSTRIAN DELEGATION AND PLEDGE INFO

REFS: A) STATE 15566 B) STATE 9421 C) STATE 563 D) VIENNA 50


1. On February 21, EmbOff contacted Elfriede More from the Ministry
of Agriculture and Environment, to discuss the Austrian delegation
to the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC),
March 4-6, 2008. More, who is Austria's inter-ministerial
coordinator for WIREC, confirmed the names of the nine members of
the Austrian delegation to WIREC. All delegation members have
registered individually.


2. Guenter Liebel, Director General (Deputy Minister level) of the
Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, Forestry and Water Management,
will lead the Austrian delegation. The Ministry of Economics, which
is responsible for energy issues, will send Gerhard Burian, Head of
the Department for International Regional Policy and Financing.
Other relevant delegation members include foreign trade directors of
the two major industry lobby groups, the Chairman of the Austrian
Biomass Federation, the Austrian Director of the "Energy Globe"
Foundation, and the Agriculture Attach at the Austrian Embassy in
Washington.


3. More regretted that Environment Minister Josef Proell had to
cancel his planned participation at WIREC due to a meeting of EU
Environment Ministers and "urgent domestic obligations" during the
time of the conference. (Note: Austria was not represented by a
Minister at WIREC's predecessor conferences in Beijing 2005 and Bonn

2004. End Note)


4. According to More, Austria will commit to a pledge to the
Washington Action Plan, but she could not confirm a concrete figure
at this time. Post will follow up with More on the specifics of
Austria's pledge.

KILNER#