US embassy cable - 05DUBLIN68

UNCLAS DUBLIN 000068 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD, USTR 
SUBJECT: IRISH RESPONSE TO FSC/ETI DISPUTE 
WILSON-EU TRADE OFFICERS FAX OF 1/20/05 
 
REF: STATE 11149 
 
1.  On January 20, Post delivered ref a talking points and 
ref b letter to Frank Doheny, Assistant Principal in the 
Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment (DETE) 
Multilateral Trade Division.  Doheny noted that Tony Joyce, 
DETE Senior Trade Negotiator and Ireland Titulaire, had 
raised in the January 19 133 meeting Ireland's concerns about 
the automaticity provisions in the Commission's proposed 
Regulation suspending EU FSC/ETI retaliatory duties.  Joyce 
planned to reiterate these concerns more forcefully in the 
January 21 133 Titulaires' discussion.  These concerns, 
explained Doheny, centered on the likely negative effect that 
the automaticity provisions would have on U.S.-EU trade 
relations.  Econoff asked whether support was sufficient 
among the Member States for a qualified minority to block 
inclusion of the automaticity provisions in the Commission's 
Regulation.  Doheny replied that the Irish were unsure of 
this possibility, since not enough Member States had spoken 
up at the 133 meeting against the provisions.  He observed 
that the automaticity debate was likely to play out over a 
matter of months.  He also said he presumed that EU 
Ambassador to the United States (and former Irish Prime 
Minister) John Bruton had been in touch with EU Trade 
Commissioner Mandelson on sensitivities in the U.S. Congress 
concerning the automaticity trigger in the EU Regulation. 
KENNY