US embassy cable - 03AMMAN7089

UNCLAS AMMAN 007089 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USDA/APHIS FOR DUNNAHY, KLAG, GREIFER 
USDA/FAS FOR SIMMONS 
EB/TPP/ABT FOR D. MALAC 
NEA/ARN FOR A. SCHEDLBAUER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, TBIO, JO, FAO, WTO 
SUBJECT: ADVOCATING THE U.S. POSITION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF 
IPPC STANDARDS ON LMO'S 
 
REF: STATE 294225 
 
 1.  While receiving reftel points on October 28, Ministry of 
Agriculture Director's Assistant for Plant Protection 
Mohammad Kateh-Bader noted that he was reviewing extensive 
technical comments on living modified organisms (LMO's), 
including from the U.S. and the EU.  We left with him reftel 
non-paper. 
 
2.  Kateh-Bader took on board the suggestion to append the 
guidance on LMO's as an Appendix III to ISPM-11.  His only 
substantive remark was that the discussion of LMO's as pests 
was a complex one that included the definition of a pest. 
 
3.  Kateh-Bader also received reftel questions and promised 
to try to respond this week.  On October 30 he said that he 
had consulted the responsible parties, but still had no 
answers.  Embassy will email responses, as we receive them, 
to the desk and to EB/TPP/ABT. 
 
4.  BIOGRAPHIC NOTE:  Kateh-Bader is a member of Standards 
Committee Seven at the Interim Commission for Phytosanitary 
Measures.  He is also a member of the Disputes Settlement 
committee in the IPPC.  Kateh-Bader received a B.S. in plant 
protection and an M.Sc. in Plant Pathology from the 
University of Jordan, Amman. 
GNEHM