COPENHAGEN ACCORD: TURKEY SAYS IT CANNOT TAKE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000223 OES FOR DREW NELSON AND RACHEL KASTENBERG E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/10/2020 TAGS: KGH SENV ENRG TU SUBJECT: COPENHAGEN ACCORD: TURKEY SAYS IT CANNOT TAKE ON APPENDIX 1 OBLIGATIONS REF: A. SECSTATE 11182 ¶B. ANKARA 89 Classified By: Economic Counselor Dale Eppler for reasons 1.4 b,d ¶1. (C) Summary and action request: We delivered reftel A points to MFA Deputy Director General for Energy, Water and Environment Murat Yavuz Ates on February 9. Ates said Turkey is still unsure if it will associate with the Copenhagen Accord because it is a developing country for energy and industry purposes but, as an OECD country, was put on Annex 1 of the Framework Convention. It reads the Copenhagen Accord as requiring all Framework Annex 1 countries to take on Appendix 1 obligations, which Turkey is unable to do. Appendix 1 obligations would require Turkey to reduce its emissions to 1.1 tons per capita, which Ates argued would require Turkey to stop growing economically. Ates asked how the USG would react to Turkey associating itself with Copenhagen as an Appendix 2 country, even though it was an Annex 1 country under the Framework Convention. Ates also asked if any other Annex 1 country has associated with Copenhagen Accord as an Appendix 2 country. Post requests responses to these two questions. End summary. ¶2. (C) Ates said the GOT is essentially still where it was in January on the Copenhagen Accords (see reftel B). Its primary goal at Copenhagen was to obtain recognition of Turkey's "unique" status - a longtime OECD country that is a developing country for industry and energy purposes. Ates said Turkey has no historical carbon debt, and its per capita carbon emissions are very low - 5 tons per capita versus an OECD average of 15. Turkey's problems began with the 1992 Framework Convention, when it was placed on Annexes 1 and 2 with other OECD countries. Turkey realized this was a mistake and succeeded at the 2001 Marrakesh conference in getting off of Annex 2. It remained on Annex 1, but the Marrakesh conference recognized Turkey's "special circumstances." ¶3. (C) Ates said the Turkish delegation met in Cophenhagen with Connie Hedgaard, who understood the GOT position and helped incorporate the GOT position into a draft paper that the GOT expected to be the basis for the Copenhagen Accord. Instead, Ates said the final Accord text was negotiated by a small group from which Turkey was excluded and its position was "totally disregarded." ¶4. (C) As a Framework Annex 1 country, Turkey reads the Copenhagen Accord as requiring it to take on Appendix 1 obligations. Ates said Turkey's carbon emissions were 2.2 tons per capita in the 1990's. Rapid population and economic growth since then has increased it to the current 5 tons. The Accord would require Turkey to cut its carbon emissions back to a super-low 1.1 tons per capita. Ates said this would only be possible by ending Turkey's economic growth or with very substantial outside financing. The GOT reads the Accord as excluding Appendix 1 countries like Turkey from having access to the financing that will be made available to developing countries. ¶5. (C) Ates asked how the USG would react if Turkey associated with the Copenhagen Accord as an Appendix 2 country, even though it is a Framework Annex 1 country. He also asked if any other Annex 1 country has associated as an Appendix 2 country. Action requested: Post requests responses to these two questions. Jeffrey "Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"