Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09CANBERRA525
2009-06-04 07:27:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Canberra
Cable title:
MAJOR ECONOMIES FORUM: AUSTRALIA PLANS FOR MEXICO
how-toVZCZCXRO0138 OO RUEHPT DE RUEHBY #0525 1550727 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 040727Z JUN 09 FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1575 INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9493 RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 5457 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 9817 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3564 RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 5808 RUEHBN/AMCONSUL MELBOURNE 6394 RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 4658 RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 4619 RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC RHMFIUU/HQ EPA ADMINISTRATORS WASHINGTON DC RHEHAAA/THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS CANBERRA 000525
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR S/SECC STERN, PERSHING, OES/EGC DEROSA-JOYNT
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV KGHG AS
SUBJECT: MAJOR ECONOMIES FORUM: AUSTRALIA PLANS FOR MEXICO
REF: A. SECSTATE 53071
B. CANBERRA 290
UNCLAS CANBERRA 000525
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR S/SECC STERN, PERSHING, OES/EGC DEROSA-JOYNT
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV KGHG AS
SUBJECT: MAJOR ECONOMIES FORUM: AUSTRALIA PLANS FOR MEXICO
REF: A. SECSTATE 53071
B. CANBERRA 290
1. (SBU) Summary: Australian Climate Change Minister Wong
will not attend the next Major Economies Forum (MEF)
preparatory session in Mexico due to the need to shepherd
domestic climate change legislation through the Senate that
week. Parliamentary Secretary Greg Combet will lead the GOA
delegation to Mexico. GOA is interested in a concrete
discussion of leaders' statement goals between Mexico and the
MEF Leaders' Meeting in July. They also put in a plea for
any additional lead time in receiving pre-meeting documents
from the U.S. End Summary.
2. (SBU) Econoff met with Harinder Sidhu, Acting Chief
Advisor for Strategic Policy and Partnerships Branch at the
Department of Climate Change on June 4. Sidhu is the backup
to Climate Ambassador (and Branch Head) Louis Hand, who is
currently in Bonn attending the UNFCCC meetings, and will
attend the next MEF session in Mexico in Hand's place.
WONG UNABLE TO ATTEND MEXICO SESSION
--------------
3. (SBU) Sidhu said that, due to the importance of passing
the domestic Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS)
legislation in the Senate the week of the MEF meetings in
Mexico, Minister Wong will not be able to attend.
Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change Greg Combet will
lead the delegation. Sidhu asked for assistance from the
U.S. in promulgating pre-meeting documents as early in the
process as possible, especially as MEF countries are running
up to a leaders' meeting and will need appropriate time to
brief their heads of government, which will require more lead
time than is currently in place. Australia will continue to
work to lead positive discussions on clean coal and on
financing issues in the upcoming MEF meetings.
INTERESTED IN MORE INFO ON LEADERS' GOALS
--------------
4. (SBU) Sidhu also asked if the U.S. can provide a clearer
view of U.S. goals for a leaders' statement at the L'Aquila
meetings. She said that Ambassador Hand's readout of the May
25-26 Paris MEF session suggested there was a need for
additional discussion on how best to achieve the goals being
formulated for leaders in July. Alexandra Borthwick,
Director for Global Issues at DCC, said that there needs to
be some form of coordinating meeting or discussion between
the U.S. and MEF partners about what we want from a leaders'
statement. Sidhu also suggested that, if the goal of the MEF
process was to bring key countries like China, India, Brazil
or Indonesia to a place where they contributed to a
successful outcome in Copenhagen, the U.S. and other
"like-minded" countries should discuss what influences could
be brought to bear in a coordinated fashion to insure that
goal was met. Sidhu said that Ambassador Hand hopes to
communicate this informally to U.S. officials in Bonn, and
that she would likely direct a similar idea to Deputy Envoy
Pershing before the Mexico meeting.
5. (SBU) Comment: Greg Combet is one of the fast-rising stars
in the Australian Labor Party and a key actor in Canberra
working to pass the CPRS legislation. The opposition to the
Qworking to pass the CPRS legislation. The opposition to the
CPRS in the Senate is significant and Wong must be on deck to
work that issue. We don't see Wong's decision not to attend
the next MEF meeting as indicating any reduced emphasis
within the government on the MEF process. End comment.
CLUNE
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR S/SECC STERN, PERSHING, OES/EGC DEROSA-JOYNT
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV KGHG AS
SUBJECT: MAJOR ECONOMIES FORUM: AUSTRALIA PLANS FOR MEXICO
REF: A. SECSTATE 53071
B. CANBERRA 290
1. (SBU) Summary: Australian Climate Change Minister Wong
will not attend the next Major Economies Forum (MEF)
preparatory session in Mexico due to the need to shepherd
domestic climate change legislation through the Senate that
week. Parliamentary Secretary Greg Combet will lead the GOA
delegation to Mexico. GOA is interested in a concrete
discussion of leaders' statement goals between Mexico and the
MEF Leaders' Meeting in July. They also put in a plea for
any additional lead time in receiving pre-meeting documents
from the U.S. End Summary.
2. (SBU) Econoff met with Harinder Sidhu, Acting Chief
Advisor for Strategic Policy and Partnerships Branch at the
Department of Climate Change on June 4. Sidhu is the backup
to Climate Ambassador (and Branch Head) Louis Hand, who is
currently in Bonn attending the UNFCCC meetings, and will
attend the next MEF session in Mexico in Hand's place.
WONG UNABLE TO ATTEND MEXICO SESSION
--------------
3. (SBU) Sidhu said that, due to the importance of passing
the domestic Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS)
legislation in the Senate the week of the MEF meetings in
Mexico, Minister Wong will not be able to attend.
Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change Greg Combet will
lead the delegation. Sidhu asked for assistance from the
U.S. in promulgating pre-meeting documents as early in the
process as possible, especially as MEF countries are running
up to a leaders' meeting and will need appropriate time to
brief their heads of government, which will require more lead
time than is currently in place. Australia will continue to
work to lead positive discussions on clean coal and on
financing issues in the upcoming MEF meetings.
INTERESTED IN MORE INFO ON LEADERS' GOALS
--------------
4. (SBU) Sidhu also asked if the U.S. can provide a clearer
view of U.S. goals for a leaders' statement at the L'Aquila
meetings. She said that Ambassador Hand's readout of the May
25-26 Paris MEF session suggested there was a need for
additional discussion on how best to achieve the goals being
formulated for leaders in July. Alexandra Borthwick,
Director for Global Issues at DCC, said that there needs to
be some form of coordinating meeting or discussion between
the U.S. and MEF partners about what we want from a leaders'
statement. Sidhu also suggested that, if the goal of the MEF
process was to bring key countries like China, India, Brazil
or Indonesia to a place where they contributed to a
successful outcome in Copenhagen, the U.S. and other
"like-minded" countries should discuss what influences could
be brought to bear in a coordinated fashion to insure that
goal was met. Sidhu said that Ambassador Hand hopes to
communicate this informally to U.S. officials in Bonn, and
that she would likely direct a similar idea to Deputy Envoy
Pershing before the Mexico meeting.
5. (SBU) Comment: Greg Combet is one of the fast-rising stars
in the Australian Labor Party and a key actor in Canberra
working to pass the CPRS legislation. The opposition to the
Qworking to pass the CPRS legislation. The opposition to the
CPRS in the Senate is significant and Wong must be on deck to
work that issue. We don't see Wong's decision not to attend
the next MEF meeting as indicating any reduced emphasis
within the government on the MEF process. End comment.
CLUNE