US embassy cable - 05MADRID2350

UNCLAS MADRID 002350 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT PASS TO UNESCO COLLECTIVE; DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR 
IO/T (WINNIE ROBERTS) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO, SP, UNESCO, KSCI 
SUBJECT: SPAIN ON UNESCO BIOETHICS DECLARATION 
 
REF: SECSTATE 109242 
 
1.  ECONOFF passed reftel points June 14 to MFA UNESCO Unit 
Chief Monica Ruiz, urging Spain to support the U.S. 
position vis-a-vis the UNESCO Bioethics Declaration and to 
consult with the U.S. delegation in Paris.  Ruiz informed 
ECONOFF June 16 that the Spanish Foreign Ministry had not 
yet finished coordinating the Spanish position with the 
Health Ministry and requested that we contact her again June 
17 to obtain Spanish views.  Ruiz did note that Spain would 
be represented at the Bioethics Declaration negotiations by 
University Carlos III Molecular Biology Center scientist 
Carlos Alonso. 
 
2.  ECONOFF met with Ruiz on June 17 after she was able to 
speak with contacts 
in the Health Ministry.  Ruiz said that the U.S. points were 
vague and only 
suggestions, so Spain had not formulated a response to any 
specific position. 
However, she did say that the U.S. outlook appears to be very 
different from 
Spain's vision on the bioethics declaration.  Ruiz said that 
the U.S. points 
seem to indicate that the U.S. wishes to create too many 
limits and suggest too 
many modifications to the declaration, whereas Spain favors a 
broader 
declaration and does not want to suggest limits on research. 
 
MANZANARES