US embassy cable - 03VATICAN4859

UNCLAS  VATICAN 004859 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/WE: LEVIN; EB:CHASE; EB/TPP/ABT/BTT:MALAC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, PREL, VT, Biotechnology 
SUBJECT: HOLY SEE GEARING UP FOR NOVEMBER BIOTECH CONFERENCE 
 
REF: A. VATICAN 3584 
 
     B. VATICAN 3917 
 
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Summary 
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1. (SBU) President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and 
Peace Archbishop Renato Martino told visiting EB Biotech 
negotiator Peter Chase October 10 that the Holy See is in the 
final stages of planning for its November 10-11 conference on 
biotech foods.  Although the Council for Justice and Peace 
will include dissenting voices such as Greenpeace in its 
program, Martino indicated that the majority of speakers were 
pro-biotech.  Martino sought to downplay expectations of a 
Vatican statement emerging during or immediately after the 
conference, though we understand from our contacts that this 
issue is still being debated.  Martino indicated that to make 
the case for biotech most effectively, it would be useful to 
have developing country farmers who have had positive 
experiences with transgenic crops to offer their personal 
testimony, and requested U.S. ideas for potential speakers 
who have not previously been used in high-profile USG public 
events.  Chase pledged to provide names, which have since 
been forwarded to Martino's office.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) Visiting EB Special Negotiator for biotech Peter 
Chase told Archbishop Renato Martino, President of the 
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, October 10 that 
agriculture and agricultural production in developing 
countries had been a key focus for the U.S. over the past 
year and would remain so.  Enabling poor people to grow their 
own food is the best way to address hunger and poverty, Chase 
observed.  In this regard, the U.S. believed biotech crops 
offered great potential to contribute to this larger effort. 
Chase told Martino that the United States appreciated the way 
the Holy See had approached the issue of biotechnology, 
particularly its emphasis on exploring the science involved 
and willingness to maintain an open mind on the potential 
contribution of biotech foods.  His goal in coming to Rome 
was to determine how we could work better together with the 
Holy See to move the scientific debate along and achieve a 
stronger international consensus on the issue. 
 
3. (SBU) Archbishop Martino, citing the Holy See's desire to 
do everything possible to eradicate poverty and hunger, 
reiterated the Vatican's openness to the potential of biotech 
foods.  He said he had gone to the Sacramento conference this 
past summer to observe what is being done in this field of 
research.  He pointed out that the Holy See had not yet 
adopted any official position in favor of or against biotech 
foods, though its Pontifical Science Council had indicated 
there is no reason why such foods should not be eaten if 
carefully regulated and tested.  In order to arrive at a more 
definitive position, his Council has decided to organize a 
"study session" on biotech foods November 10-11 which Martino 
expects (though he did not say so at this meeting) will lay a 
foundation for a stronger Vatican position on biotech foods. 
To this point the Vatican has issued positive, but cautious 
public statements on the subject. 
 
4.  (SBU) According to Martino, the two-day program will be 
divided into four parts:   1) The state of science and 
research, including the contribution of the Pontifical 
Science Council; 2) GMOs and the environment, and GMOs and 
health; 3) biotech foods and international trade; and 4) the 
ethical implications of biotech foods.  Martino noted that 
most of the speaking participants would be pro-biotech, 
though they had had to add some dissenting voices such as 
Greenpeace for balance to enhance the credibility of the 
conference.  He also noted that the World Food Program and 
FAO would be included in the program.  The one area where 
they had not yet locked in the speakers they needed was in 
the area of producers and consumers -- particularly 
developing country farmers or researchers.  Justice and Peace 
Undersecretary Monsignor Frank Dewane, who is coordinating 
the conference for Martino, requested U.S. help in 
identifying farmers who could speak to the value of biotech 
crops based on personal experience.  He cautioned that these 
could not be the same farmers, such as T.J. Buthelezi, who 
had previously spoken on behalf of the U.S.  Chase promised 
to provide some names, and subsequently passed to Embassy 
some potential contacts. 
 
5. (SBU) Monsignor James Reinert, who is taking the lead on 
the biotech issue within the Justice and Peace Council, told 
Chase that the majority of communication the Vatican received 
on biotech foods was negative -- especially in reaction to 
earlier inaccurate media reports that the Vatican had 
endorsed biotech foods (Ref A).  He noted that the most 
common criticisms of GMO food are that there is already 
enough food in the world and thus no need for biotech 
products, that biotech foods will take away freedom from 
 
developing countries, locking them into a cycle of dependence 
on a few multinational companies, and that agricultural 
biodiversity will be eroded.  He also mentioned that health 
safety concerns continued to surface, citing a claim from 
Catholic bishops in the Philippines that there had been 
allergic reactions to BT corn there.  Chase responded that 
these critiques can be easily refuted.  He also noted that 
the U.S. FDA would be interested in any legitimate claims of 
public health problems, and promised to look into the claims 
in the Philippines and report back any resulting information 
through the Embassy. 
 
6.  (SBU) Responding to Chase's case for biotech crops, 
Dewane asked whether the U.S. had developed any statistics 
regarding productivity increases or decreases in agricultural 
losses in developing countries using biotech crops.  He noted 
that such figures could prove very useful to help make the 
biotech case.  Chase cited evidence for South Africa's cotton 
production, and said he would provide more information on 
this to the Council.  He pointed out that 27 percent of all 
biotech crops are now grown in developing countries.  Chase 
also noted that USAID would be hosting a three-day conference 
in Africa later this fall to examine biotech applications in 
Africa. 
 
7. (SBU) Martino returned to the issue of developing country 
farmer dependence on seeds and the often-heard claim that 
farmers remain obliged to buy seeds because of a gene in the 
seeds that prevents using seed from biotech crops.  While 
Martino understands that this is not true, he suggested that 
more needs to be done to publicize this and overcome 
misinformation.  Martino also strongly urged the U.S. to drop 
its WTO case, suggesting that a WTO case will "work against, 
not for" the U.S. effort to gain acceptance of biotech foods. 
 Chase pledged to take Martino's suggestion back to 
Washington, but reviewed the U.S. concerns that had prompted 
the case -- particularly the spread of misinformation to 
developing countries and the EU's failure to take a 
science-based approach to its regulatory decision making. 
 
8. (SBU) COMMENT:  Despite Martino's cautions on a clear 
outcome emerging from the November conference, he has 
indicated to the Embassy that his goal is to move the Holy 
See gradually toward a more positive public stance.  Martino, 
who was elevated to the position of cardinal October 21, 
remains our best ally on this issue within the Holy See, but 
will have to work carefully within the curia to bring his 
colleagues along.  Embassy welcomes Department's suggestions 
on participants for the conference provided by EB, and would 
also appreciate clarification of the health concerns raised 
by the Justice and Peace officials.  Chase's visit garnered 
positive coverage for biotech both on Vatican radio and in 
Italy's national Catholic daily newspaper, which ran a 
full-page of biotech coverage after the visit with prominent 
placement of Chase and his explanation of the USG's approach 
on the issue. 
 
Nicholson 
 
 
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 2003VATICA04859 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED