REGIONAL ENERGY OFFICERS TRAINING SESSION, OCTOBER 8-9, THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 THE HAGUE 000521

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

FOR ENERGY OFFICERS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ENRG EPET OTRA NL
SUBJECT: REGIONAL ENERGY OFFICERS TRAINING SESSION, OCTOBER 8-9, THE
HAGUE

Ref: CANAVAN/ENERGY OFFICERS E-MAILS 07/31/09 AND 07/02/09

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY.


1. (SBU) The State Department's Office for the Special Envoy for
Eurasian Energy (S/EEE) and Embassy The Hague will host an internal
energy conference October 8-9. This training continues the
tradition of similar events in Athens and Sofia in recent years.
The objective is to provide energy officers across the region a
forum to learn about energy developments in Eurasia and their
geopolitical context. The conference will also provide a venue for
officers in the field and interagency Washington-based colleagues to
review our strategy to advance U.S. energy objectives. This is an
excellent opportunity for new officers to quickly gain an in-depth
understanding of complex regional energy issues. The aim is also to
strengthen relationships and information sharing between colleagues
in neighboring posts to ensure energy is viewed as a regional,
rather than country specific, issue. Please see paras 3 and 4 for
registration instructions.

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ATTENDEES
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2. (SBU) This meeting is intended for energy officers and key
Washington working level staff. Addressee posts include EUR
capitals and major supplier countries to Europe. If posts and/or
Washington agencies have suggestions of others in the field or in
Washington who should be included, please advise. Due to space
considerations, we envision approximately 40 participants.

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ACTION
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3. (U) Overseas posts and Washington invitees are requested to
register attendance as soon as possible, but no later than September

23. Contacts at Embassy The Hague are:

Ben Canavan
Economic Officer
CanavanBC@state.gov
Phone: +31-70-310-2270

Leena Sundberg
Economic Specialist
SundbergLA@state.gov
Phone: +31-70-310-2276

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HOTEL
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4. (U) Embassy The Hague has reserved a block of rooms within per
diem at the Hotel Des Indes (Lange Voorhout 54-56, The Hague) from
October 7 to 10. The hotel is located near the chancery and
off-site conference venue. The hotel will guarantee the special
rate until September 15; breakfast is not included in the rate;
reservations can be cancelled until October 6 without penalty.
Participants should make their own hotel reservations using the
following link to a dedicated web-site:

http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/
res?id=0908286234&key=D4B40


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COUNTRY CLEARANCE REQUESTS
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5. (U) As soon as possible, attendees should send e-country
clearance requests containing flight information to Embassy The
Hague.

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VISAS
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6. (U) AmCits do not require a visa to attend this training. AmCits
can enter the Netherlands on either a diplomatic or regular passport

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and can stay for up to 90 days without a visa.

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ARRIVALS
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7. (U) Transferring from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport to The Hague
is straightforward. Trains run from the airport to Den Haag
Centraal every 30 minutes, at :28 and :58 after the hour. Tickets
are 7.50 Euros and can be purchased from an automated kiosk using a
credit card, or from a ticket window using cash or credit card.
From the Den Haag Centraal train station, it is a 10-15 minute walk
or short taxi ride to the Hotel Des Indes. There are several ATMs
at the airport and in The Hague for obtaining Euros.

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BADGES
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8. (U) All attendees should bring their official USG-issued ID badge
for access to Embassy The Hague.

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CONFERENCE FEE
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9. (U) Embassy The Hague does not plan to assess a conference fee
for this event.

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AGENDA/SCHEDULE
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10. (SBU) Following is a basic outline of the program. Participants
will receive a more detailed schedule closer to the training date.
The agenda is based on input from energy officers overseas and in
Washington.

Wednesday 7 October:

18:30 Welcome reception hosted by DCM Michael Gallagher with energy
contacts

Thursday 8 October:

08:15-17:00 External expert presentations at off-site venue. Topics
will include:

- Europe's Energy Supply/Demand picture
- EU Energy Policy/Strategic Energy Review
- Geopolitics of Oil and LNG
- Renewable Energy Economics and Impact
- Pipeline Politics/Caspian Basin
- Russia/Gazprom
- Nord Stream/Northern Europe

19:00 No-host dinner

Friday 9 October:


08:15-15:00 Internal briefings & discussion at off-site venue and
chancery. Topics will include:

- U.S. Domestic Energy Strategy
- News from Washington
- Southern Corridor Pipelines Status
- Briefings on Ukraine and Central Asia
- China's Influence on Eurasian Energy
- Concluding Thoughts and Next Steps

15:00 Conference closes

15:30 Energy Roundtable with Special Envoy Morningstar at think tank
Clingendael International Energy Program (Optional for conference
attendees)

17:00 Reception hosted by Clingendael


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