CYPRUS: OCTOBER 19 EU BIOTECH MEETINGS

UNCLAS NICOSIA 000661 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EEB/TPP/ABT, EUR/ERA, AND EUR/SE DEPT PASS TO USTR USDA FOR FAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO ECON ETRD EUN CY SUBJECT: CYPRUS: OCTOBER 19 EU BIOTECH MEETINGS REF: STATE 106819 (U) This cable is sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) Per reftel request, Post has conveyed USG positions to senior GOC officials at the MFA and the Ministry of Agriculture. On October 15, Ms. Irini Constantinou Senior Environment Officer, at the Environment Service (under the Ministry of Agriculture) informed us that Cyprus would be represented at the October 19 EU Agriculture Council meeting by the resident GOC Agricultural Attache in Brussels. Furthermore, Mr. Christodoulos Photiou, Director, Department of Agriculture will represent Cyprus at the Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health meeting on the same date (October 19). ¶2. (SBU) Constantinou commented that it was "highly unlikely" the GOC would change its (traditionally hostile) policy towards approvals of new biotech varieties for the October 19 meetings. She added, "At least, the GOC Department of Agriculture does not insist on procuring non-GMO feeds for animals, since something like that would be prohibitively expensive (if, even feasible). The fact that this Department concurs to using EU-approved biotech crops as animal feeds is about the extent of "concessions" the GOC is expected to make." Constantinou said that approving additional varieties of biotech crops is not something the GOC is currently prepared to do, "at least not at this juncture." URBANCIC