US embassy cable - 02ROME2487

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 002487 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USDA FOR FAS/LYNN REICH AND DICK HUGHES 
STATE FOR IS/EDA ROSE BERSTEIN 
USAID FOR RALPH CUMMINGS 
 
FROM US MISSION ROME 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC, EAID, FAO, AGR, EAIDAORC, FAO, AGR 
SUBJECT:  WORLD  FOOD  SUMMIT  FIVE  YEARS  LATER:  INFORMAL 
CONSULTATIONS 5/17/02 ON WFS5YL DECLARATION 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  02487  01 OF 02  210856Z 
REF:  ROME 2188 
 
1.   SUMMARY:  AN INFORMAL MEETING WAS HELD AT  THE  FAO  TO 
EXCHANGE  VIEWS ON THE DRAFT DECLARATION FOR THE WORLD  FOOD 
SUMMIT: FIVE YEARS LATER MEETING (WFS5YL) TO BE HELD IN ROME 
JUNE  10-13,  2002.  PARTICIPANTS AGREED TO START  FROM  THE 
DRAFT LEFT UNFINISHED BY THE OPEN ENDED WORKING GROUP (OEWG) 
IN  JUNE  2001.  WHEN REQUESTED TO IDENTIFY AREAS OF CONCERN 
OR   INTEREST,  SOME  DELEGATES  HIGHLIGHTED  THE   DIRECTOR 
GENERAL'S  REPEATED REFERENCES TO A "GLOBAL COALITION,"  THE 
ISSUE OF DEFINING A FIXED PERCENTAGE OF OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT 
ASSISTANCE  (ODA)  GOING TO AGRICULTURE AND  A  RIGHTS-BASED 
APPROACH  TO  HUNGER.   WITH THE NOTABLE  EXCEPTION  OF  THE 
UNITED  STATES,  CANADA  AND  AUSTRALIA,  THERE  WAS  STRONG 
SUPPORT  FOR  A VOLUNTARY CODE OF CONDUCT ON  THE  RIGHT  TO 
FOOD.  THE U.S. STATEMENT WAS WELL RECEIVED, ALTHOUGH CANADA 
LAUNCHED  A VIGOROUS ATTACK ON THE US FARM BILL.  THE  GROUP 
WILL  MEET AGAIN MAY 24 FOR FURTHER DISCUSSIONS AND POSSIBLY 
AGAIN  IN  EARLY JUNE BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON FOOD  SECURITY 
(CFS) RECONVENES ON JUNE 6.  END SUMMARY 
 
2.   THE  INFORMAL  MEETING ON THE WFS5YL  DECLARATION  TOOK 
PLACE  ON MAY 17 CHAIRED BY THE IRANIAN PERMREP AS REQUESTED 
BY  THE INDEPENDENT CHAIRMAN OF COUNCIL.  THERE WAS NO  OECD 
CO-CHAIR.   DESPITE EARLIER EFFORTS TO LIMIT THE  NUMBER  OF 
PARTICIPANTS BY REGIONAL GROUPS, IN THE END THE MEETING  WAS 
OPEN-ENDED.  APPROXIMATELY 50 PERMREPS WERE PRESENT. 
 
3.  MOST OF THE TIME WAS SPENT DISCUSSING PROCEDURAL MATTERS 
RATHER THAN EXCHANGING VIEWS AS ORIGINALLY HOPED.  THE GROUP 
AGREED  TO USE THE HEAVILY BRACKETED DRAFT DECLARATION  THAT 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  02487  01 OF 02  210856Z 
HAD  BEEN LEFT UNFINISHED BY THE OEWG DURING THE CFS AND FAO 
COUNCIL   MEETINGS  LAST  JUNE.   PROPOSALS  TO  LIMIT   THE 
DISCUSSION   TO   BRACKETED   TEXT   WERE   NOT    ACCEPTED. 
PARTICIPANTS WANTED TO BE ABLE TO INCORPORATE LANGUAGE  THAT 
RECOGNIZES  THE MANY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THAT  HAVE  OCCURRED 
SINCE  LAST JUNE, INCLUDING MEETINGS IN NEW YORK,  DOHA  AND 
MONTERREY  (AND  THE  RECENTLY-SIGNED U.S.  FARM  BILL,  PER 
CANADA AND AUSTRALIA). 
 
4.   THE  LATIN  AMERICAN  GROUP (GRULAC)  PRESSED  HARD  TO 
EXAMINE  THE DOCUMENT PARAGRAPH BY PARAGRAPH BUT THE  EU  IN 
PARTICULAR  RESISTED.  THE EU STRESSED THAT IT  WAS  WORKING 
ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE AGREED AT THE FAO CONFERENCE  LAST 
NOVEMBER,  AND  WOULD  NOT BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE  TEXT  UNTIL 
AFTER  THE  EUROPEAN  REGIONAL GROUP  MEETING  (MAY  28-30). 
AUSTRALIA  ALSO STRONGLY OPPOSED DEVIATING FROM  THE  AGREED 
SCHEDULE, BUT CANADA JOINED THE LATINS IN PRESSING FOR  MORE 
FORMAL  NEGOTIATIONS.   THE  AFGHAN  DELEGATE  PROPOSED   AN 
EXCHANGE  OF POSITION PAPERS AMONG THE REGIONAL GROUPS,  BUT 
MOST  MEMBERS  WERE  NOT READY TO PUT THEIR  POSITIONS  INTO 
WRITING.  THERE SEEMED TO BE GENERAL AGREEMENT, HOWEVER,  ON 
IDENTIFYING AREAS OF CONCERN IN THE TEXT. 
 
5.   SEVERAL OF THESE CONCERNS SLOWLY EMERGED.  POLAND ASKED 
HOW  THE CONCEPT OF THE "GLOBAL ALLIANCE" WOULD FIT INTO THE 
DECLARATION  (CURRENTLY  DISCUSSED  IN  AN  ANNEX   TO   THE 
DOCUMENT.)   COMMENT:  WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOME (IN  THE  EU) 
HAVE  BEEN  DISCUSSING  SETTING UP A  SMALL  SECRETARIAT  TO 
IMPLEMENT  THE GLOBAL ALLIANCE, ALTHOUGH IT REMAINS  UNCLEAR 
WHAT  SUCH  A BODY WOULD DO AND HOW IT WOULD BE FUNDED.  END 
COMMENT.  PERU SAID THE COALITION SHOULD INVOLVE  CSO'S  AND 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        ROME  02487  01 OF 02  210856Z 
NGO'S. 
 
6.    NORWAY  SUPPORTED  A  RIGHTS-BASED  APPROACH  TO  FOOD 
SECURITY  AND WAS JOINED BY OTHERS CALLING FOR  A  VOLUNTARY 
CODE  OF  CONDUCT (PARAGRAPH 8).  PERU SUPPORTED NORWAY  AND 
ASKED WHETHER THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS OR  FAO 
WOULD HAVE THE LEAD. 
 
7.   CANADA  EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF TRADE  ISSUES  AND 
SHARPLY  CRITICIZED  U.S. FARM SUBSIDIES  CONTAINED  IN  THE 
RECENTLY  ADOPTED  FARM  BILL.   AUSTRALIA  JOINED  HIM   IN 
CRITICIZING  THE UNITED STATES.  AUSTRALIA ALSO  ASKED  WHAT 
CONCRETE PROGRESS IN REFERENCE TO WSSD MEANT. 
 
8.  NEW ZEALAND ASKED WHAT WAS MEANT BY LANGUAGE CALLING FOR 
AN   INCREASED   SHARE  OF  ODA,  LENDING  BY  INTERNATIONAL 
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, AND BUDGETARY ALLOCATIONS OF  LDC'S. 
HE  ALSO SUGGESTED DROPPING ALTOGETHER THE PARAGRAPH ON  THE 
VOLUNTARY  TRUST  FUND,  WHICH  WAS  SO  CONTROVERSIAL  WHEN 
ADOPTED LAST JUNE. 
 
9.   JAPAN  NOTED  THAT  FISHERIES AND FORESTRIES  HAD  BEEN 
OMITTED  AND SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN NEW LANGUAGE.   PROPOSALS 
TO  INCLUDE  GENDER BALANCE, HIV/AIDS, AND  NEPAD  WERE  NOT 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ4309 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  02487  02 OF 02  210856Z 
ACTION EUR-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AID-00   AMAD-00  CIAE-00  COME-00  CTME-00 
      DODE-00  ITCE-00  SRPP-00  EB-00    EXME-00  UTED-00  TEDE-00 
      INR-00   IO-00    ITC-01   NSAE-00  OES-01   OIC-02   OMB-01 
      OPIC-01  SS-00    STR-00   TEST-00  TRSE-00  SAS-00     /006W 
                  ------------------B16935  210925Z /38 
R 210816Z MAY 02 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3837 
INFO USDA FAS WASHDC 2141 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
USMISSION GENEVA 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 002487 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USDA FOR FAS/LYNN REICH AND DICK HUGHES 
STATE FOR IS/EDA ROSE BERSTEIN 
USAID FOR RALPH CUMMINGS 
 
FROM US MISSION ROME 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC, FAO, AGR, EAID 
SUBJECT:  WORLD  FOOD  SUMMIT  FIVE  YEARS  LATER:  INFORMAL 
CONSULTATIONS 5/17/02 ON WFS5YL DECLARATION 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  02487  02 OF 02  210856Z 
DISPUTED. 
 
10.   THE  STATEMENT BY THE UNITED STATES  (BASED  ON  DRAFT 
TALKING  POINTS) WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED.  SEVERAL DELEGATES, 
NOTABLY ITALY, ASKED FOR COPIES FOR FURTHER STUDY.  THE U.S. 
PERMREP  ALSO STATED THE U.S. POSITION OPPOSING A  VOLUNTARY 
CODE  OF CONDUCT ON THE RIGHT TO FOOD, LANGUAGE ON RIGHT  TO 
FOOD,   AND  FIXING  A  NUMERICAL  PERCENTAGE  OF  ODA   FOR 
AGRICULTURE.  AFTER THE U.S. PERM REP HAD MADE THESE POINTS, 
CANADA   AND  AUSTRALIA  TOOK  THE  FLOOR  TO  STATE   THEIR 
COUNTRIES' OPPOSITION TO A VOLUNTARY CODE OF CONDUCT ON  THE 
RIGHT  TO  FOOD.  AUSTRALIA ALSO STATED THAT  IT  COULD  NOT 
SUPPORT LANGUAGE DEFINING A FIXED PERCENTAGE OF ODA GOING TO 
AGRICULTURE. 
11.   THE  GROUP DECIDED TO MEET AGAIN ON MAY 24 TO  DISCUSS 
AREAS  OF  CONCERN AND AGREED TO CONVENE INFORMALLY  IN  THE 
FIRST  WEEK  OF JUNE PRIOR TO THE OPENING OF THE  CFS.   THE 
U.S. PERMREP ASKED FOR A REPORT ON THE EXPENSES GENERATED BY 
THESE  MEETINGS  WHICH ARE NOT PART OF THE  REGULAR  BUDGET. 
HEILEMAN 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
> 
 2002ROME02487 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED