US embassy cable - 05MUSCAT272

UNCLAS MUSCAT 000272 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/ETC (H.LEE) AND EB/TPP/ABT (R.SINGH) 
USDA FOR FAS/BIG (JPPASSINO) 
DUBAI FOR MHENNEY 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SENV, ETRD, EAGR, EAID, TBIO, MU, ESTH 
SUBJECT:  OMAN - CARTAGENA PROTOCOL IMPLEMENTATION STATUS UPDATE 
 
REF: 04 SECSTATE 259661 
 
1. During a January meeting with the U.S. Agricultural Trade 
Officer, Oman's Director General (DG) of Specifications and 
Measurements at the Ministry of Commerce & Industry reconfirmed 
that Oman remains in the process of developing bio-safety 
standards to comply with its Cartagena Protocol obligations but 
that to date no special rules/regulations/standards have been 
adopted. 
 
2. The DG noted that Oman's rule-making process is taking longer 
than initially projected due to delays in establishing Codex 
labeling guidelines (Oman's primary interest) and to drawn-out 
consultations with other GCC member countries over what would 
likely become a GCC-wide standard. 
 
3. The DG restated several times her earlier position that Oman 
remains neutral towards bio-engineered foods but that her country 
(and most likely the GCC) would follow the lead of the 
international community on labeling and documentation.  This 
stand was reiterated in a subsequent teleconference on TBT/SPS 
issues that the DG conducted with officials from USTR and USDA in 
late January. 
 
4. Comment: Direct U.S. agricultural trade to Oman pales in 
comparison to the indirect trade routed through the UAE.  U.S. 
products transshipped via the UAE consist nearly 100 percent of 
further processed products.  Bio-engineered LMO's may possibly 
enter Oman as premixed animal feed containing U.S. soybeans 
packaged in the UAE or containing U.S. corn/soybeans packaged in 
Saudi Arabia.  Because of inhospitable environmental factors, 
most Oman government officials seem less concerned with 
inadvertent introduction of LMO's into the environment despite 
the fact that it was the former Environment Minister who swayed 
the Sultan to sign the Cartagena Protocol. 
 
BALTIMORE