GERMANY SUPPORTS COPENHAGEN ACCORD

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 000082 SIPDIS STATE FOR S/SECC, OES/EGC, EUR/CE E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2035 TAGS: ENRG GM SENV KGHG AG CH SUBJECT: GERMANY SUPPORTS COPENHAGEN ACCORD REF: A. SECSTATE 3079 ¶B. BERLIN 19621 ¶C. LARSON-ARCIERI/BROWN EMAIL 15 JAN 2010 Classified By: Global Affairs Chief Don Brown for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d). ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Germany intends to inscribe and associate itself with the Copenhagen Accord within the context of the European Union before the January 31st deadline, and the government has begun to encourage third countries to do the same. However, some German officials continue to publicly express dissatisfaction with the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit. END SUMMARY ¶2. (SBU) On January 19, Econoff delivered ref points to Environment Ministry Director General, Dr. Karsten Sach, Germany's senior climate change negotiator. Sach said that Germany would associate itself with the Copenhagen Accord before the January 31 deadline. He also indicated that Germany intends to inscribe its domestic levels of commitment within the context of the European Union, but that the exact numbers for mid-term mitigation targets (conditioned, or not) were still under discussion. Nevertheless, he assured that "the U.S. would not see any surprises" from Germany in its targets, "either up or down." ¶3. (SBU) Sach confirmed that Germany is planning to host a ministerial meeting in May before the UNFCCC meetings in Bonn the following month. He said that they would not move forward with planning until after January 31, but promised to ensure that the U.S. is consulted early. He said that the German government is already speaking with third countries to encourage them to associate with the Copenhagen Accord, most recently over the weekend in Abu Dhabi on the margins of a meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). He noted, however, that representatives of small island states and Algeria expressed concerns about the levels of emissions reductions by large countries, and that they felt no urgency to associate before the large countries did. ¶4. (C) At a January 14 public briefing on the outcomes of Copenhagen -- attended primarily by members the diplomatic corps, the NGO community, and industry representatives -- Sach (protect) expressed the German government's disappointment with the minimal consensus achieved at COP-15. Germany and the EU did not reach their targets, he admitted, but nevertheless saw the COP-15 outcome as a step forward. He noted that six G-77 countries had refused to discuss substantive issues: Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Venezuela. He said that these countries objected to having the signers of the Copenhagen Accord speak on their behalf, attributing this objection to their desire to attract attention. (Comment: In this venue, Sach explicitly emphasized to the audience that his remarks in this venue should not be attributed to him. While there were a number of diplomats present, we are not aware of the nationalities of states represented. End Comment) ¶5. (C) Sach highlighted the EU's disappointment with its role at COP-15. He acknowledged that Europeans were unhappy that they had not been included in important negotiations between the U.S. and China. Sach observed that the U.S. is eager to engage in climate negotiations, but that its latitude is restricted by domestic politics. The German government believes that passing U.S. climate change legislation in 2010 is essential, as this would send a positive signal to other countries hesitant to move forward. Sach stated that U.S. legislation is unlikely to meet expectations, but that it would be the basis upon which to get the Chinese to make commitments at COP-16 in Mexico. He praised China's active domestic climate policies, but noted that China is not yet willing to commit to obligations under international law. Sach also expressed German hopes that many countries would associate themselves with the Copenhagen Accord before the January 31 deadline. The German government strongly believes that the EU has to increase its climate protection measures and maintain a leading position in combating climate change. MURPHY