US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE219

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000219 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/ETC AND EB 
USDA FOR FAS FOR OA/SIMMONS, OA/RICHEY, OA/JONES, 
CMP/G&FD/DADLER, GIPSA, APHIS 
STATE PLEASE PASS USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, EAGR, ETRD, TBIO, NL 
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY 
 
REF: STATE 8877 
 
1.  Embassy discussed reftel with Ms. Inge van der Leij, 
coordinator for genetic modification of the Dutch 
Environment Ministry (VROM), who will be leading the 
official Dutch delegation to Kuala Lumpur. 
 
2.  Ms. Van der Leij said she will be pleased to discuss 
issues raised in demarche with the U.S. delegation.  She 
suggested the U.S. delegation contact the Irish to set up a 
EU Troika meeting with the Commission and the Dutch.  She 
noted that a similar meeting had recently been arranged with 
the Canadians.  She preferred to have such a meeting during 
the COP meeting in early February.  Van der Leij will be in 
Kuala Lumpur as of February 7. 
 
3.  With respect to the competency issue, Van der Leij said 
this still needs to be worked out between the Irish and the 
Commission, but that individual member-states are at least 
responsible for budgetary issues. 
 
4.  Van der Leij said she would be very interested in a 
briefing about the Trilateral Arrangement between Canada, 
Mexico and the U.S.  She wondered if the arrangement would 
be in agreement with the Protocol. 
 
5. Embassy also discussed reftel with Marcel Vernooij, 
Department of International Affairs, Ministry of 
Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality.  He underscored the 
MinAg view that the CPB's Article 18.2(a) should not add 
additional bureaucracy or document requirements for bulk 
agricultural commodity trade.  Vernooij said the Dutch 
government had always taken the view that CPB's objective 
was to ensure "safe trade" in living modified organisms. 
 
6.  Environment State Secretary Pieter van Geel will lead 
the Dutch delegation to the high-level meeting.  Van der 
Leij will be the official delegation leader and Jaap 
Frederiks of the Foreign Ministry will be her deputy. 
 
Sobel