US embassy cable - 02ROME4048

UNCLAS ROME 004048 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM FODAG 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR IO, PRM, DEPT. PLEASE PASS USAID/DCHA, 
USDA/FAS (CHAMBLISS), VIENNA ALSO FOR UNVIE 
 
E.0. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC, EAID, ETRD, EAGR, EAID, ETRD, EAGR, FAO, WFP, WHO, UNAORC, FAO, WFP, WHO, UN 
SUBJECT: DG DIOUF SPEAKS TO US PERMREP ON GM FOOD ISSUES 
BUT REFUSES TO SPEAK OUT IN PUBLIC 
 
REF:  A) ROME 3899, B) USUN 1978, C) STATE 147644, D) 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  04048  01 OF 02  191545Z 
ROME 3676, E) LUSAKA 01343 
 
1.   SUMMARY - US MISSION REPRESENTATIVES MET WITH FAO 
DG JACQUES DIOUF TO DISCUSS FAO'S ROLE IN THE 
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.  WE URGED 
FAO TO TAKE A PUBLIC STANCE ON BIOTECH FOODS TO 
CLARIFY MISUNDERSTANDINGS OF POLITICAL LEADERS 
BASED, AT LEAST IN PART, ON MISINFORMATION 
DISSEMINATED BY FAO REPRESENTATIVES IN THE SUB- 
REGION.  DIOUF, IN A JOINT LETTER FROM WHO DG 
BRUNDTLAND TO WFP ED MORRIS, PROPOSES A UN POLICY 
WHICH, IN OUR VIEW, RAISES MORE DOUBTS ABOUT THE 
POTENTIAL RISK OF CONSUMING U.S. FOOD AID THAN IT 
SETTLES.  END SUMMARY 
 
2.   ACTING PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE AND US MISSION 
AGRICULTURAL COUNSELOR MET WITH FAO DIRECTOR 
GENERAL JACQUES DIOUF ON AUGUST 16 TO DISCUSS 
FAO'S ROLE IN QUELLING THE GROWING 
MISUNDERSTANDING IN SOUTHERN AFRICA OF BIOTECH 
FOOD AID BEING OFFERED BY THE UNITED STATES 
THROUGH THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM.  U.S. REPS 
REITERATED OUR REQUEST MADE IN PREVIOUS DEMARCHES 
TO FAO THAT THE FAO COMMUNICATE THAT, TO THE BEST 
OF ITS KNOWLEDGE, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY RISK 
TO HUMAN HEALTH FROM BIOTECH FOODS, SPECIFICALLY 
FROM FOOD AID SHIPMENTS IN RECENT YEARS BY THE 
FAO.  US REPS CITED MISINFORMATION STILL BEING 
DISSEMINATED BY THE FAO (ZIMBABWE IS A CASE IN 
POINT). 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        ROME  04048  01 OF 02  191545Z 
3.   DIOUF'S RESPONSE WAS BUREAUCRATIC AND DEFENSIVE. 
FAO CANNOT GET OUT IN FRONT OF WFP WHICH HAS BEEN 
ASSIGNED RESPONSIBILITY OF COORDINATING THE UN 
RESPONSE TO THE EMERGENCY SITUATION IN SOUTHERN 
AFRICA, HE SAID.  FURTHERMORE, QUESTIONS OF HUMAN 
HEALTH SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO WHO, NOT FAO.  HE 
SAID FAO HAD CORRECTED INFORMATION PROVIDED TO THE 
FIELD, BUT WOULD NOT PROMISE TO REITERATE THAT 
CORRECTION.  AND THE FAO HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF 
BIOTECH FOOD BEING INCLUDED IN ANY SHIPMENTS OF 
FOOD AID TO DATE.  HE SAID THE UNITED STATES WAS 
NAIVE TO THINK THAT MERE INFORMATION COULD QUELL 
CONCERNS, THAT THERE WERE VARIOUS POLITICAL ACTORS 
BEHIND THE CURRENT FUROR IN SOUTHERN AFRICAN 
COUNTRIES. 
 
4.   THE WRITTEN REPLY FROM DIOUF AND WHO DG BRUNTLAND 
PLACES RESPONSIBILITY FOR RISK ASSESSMENT ON 
RECIPIENT COUNTRIES SINCE FAO HAS NOT UNDERTAKEN 
SUCH AN ASSESSMENT.  IT STATES THAT, "BASED ON 
NATIONAL INFORMATION FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES FAO 
AND WHO SHARE THE VIEW THAT THE CONSUMPTION OF GM 
COMMODITIES CURRENTLY ON THE MARKET IS NOT LIKELY 
TO PRESENT AN APPRECIABLE HUMAN HEALTH RISK," BUT 
GOES ON TO RECOMMEND CONSIDERATION OF PROCESSING 
TECHNIQUES SUCH AS MILLING.  IT CALLS ON 
RECIPIENTS TO "WEIGH THE SEVERE AND IMMEDIATE 
CONSEQUENCES OF INSUFFICIENT FOOD SUPPLIES AGAINST 
THE POSSIBILITY OF INCREASED RISKS TO HUMAN HEALTH 
FROM CONSUMING FOODS DERIVED FROM MODERN 
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE ADDITIONAL RISK TO 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        ROME  04048  01 OF 02  191545Z 
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE." 
IT CITES THE ONGOING PROCESS IN CODEX ALIMENTARIUS 
WHICH IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN GUIDELINES ON FOOD 
SAFETY IN ANOTHER YEAR OR SO. 
 
5.   THE FAO HAS BEEN UNHELPFUL IN SEVERAL ASPECTS.  US 
REPRESENTATIVES POINTED OUT THAT FAO HAD APPROVED 
OF PREVIOUS SHIPMENTS OF FOOD AID WHICH, IN ALL 
LIKELIHOOD, HAD CONTAINED BIOTECH FOOD SINCE IT 
WAS INTRODUCED IN THE MID-1990'S IN THE U.S. 
DIOUF DENIED KNOWLEDGE OF SUCH CONTENT.  DIOUF 
ALSO PURPORTED TO BE UNAWARE OF THE TOWN MEETING 
IN LUSAKA REPORTED REFTEL AND SEEMED NOT TO 
UNDERSTAND THAT FAO'S VOICE COULD HAVE PLAYED A 
POSITIVE ROLE, AS DID WFP'S.  (U.S. MISSION 
REPRESENTATIVES CONFIRMED WITH FAO OFFICES IN ROME 
THAT NO RANKING REPRESENTATIVE OF FAO WAS PRESENT 
AT THE LUSAKA MEETING, ONLY A NOTETAKER.)  DIOUF 
DID SAY THAT FAO HAD TAKEN PROMPT ACTION TO 
CORRECT THE MISINFORMATION REPORTED BY USAID 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ4616 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  04048  02 OF 02  191546Z 
ACTION IO-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AF-00    AGRE-00  AID-00   WHA-00   EB-00    EUR-00 
      UTED-00  TEDE-00  OES-01   OIC-02   TEST-00  PRM-00   SAS-00 
        /003W 
                  ------------------DB22AF  191546Z /03 
O 191506Z AUG 02 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5452 
INFO USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 
EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 
SADC COLLECTIVE 
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 
 
UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 004048 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM FODAG 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR IO, PRM, DEPT. PLEASE PASS USAID/DCHA, 
USDA/FAS (CHAMBLISS), VIENNA ALSO FOR UNVIE 
 
E.0. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC, EAID, ETRD, EAGR, FAO, WFP, WHO, UN 
SUBJECT: DG DIOUF SPEAKS TO US PERMREP ON GM FOOD ISSUES 
BUT REFUSES TO SPEAK OUT IN PUBLIC 
 
HARARE AND ASKED US TO PROVIDE ANY OTHER EXAMPLES. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  04048  02 OF 02  191546Z 
HE WOULD NOT PROMISE, HOWEVER, TO REITERATE THE 
CORRECTION TO EARLIER MISINFORMATION SENT BY FAO 
TO OCHA TO MAKE SURE IT RECEIVED WIDER 
DISTRIBUTION. 
 
6.   COMMENT - US MISSION BELIEVES THIS ISSUE HAS 
REACHED A CRUCIAL STATE.  FAO HAS NOT BEEN HELPFUL 
IN REACHING A POSITIVE RESOLUTION OF THE SOUTHERN 
AFRICA CRISIS.  THIS HAS BECOME EVEN MORE SERIOUS 
IN LIGHT OF ZAMBIA'S DECISION AUGUST 16 TO REJECT 
BIOTECH FOOD AID, SPECIFICALLY U.S. CORN.  WE 
BELIEVE THAT FAO SHOULD HAVE COMMUNICATED THAT 
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATES THERE IS NO RISK 
TO HUMAN HEALTH FROM CONSUMING BIOTECH FOOD AND 
THAT THOSE RECEIVING FOOD AID THROUGH WFP HAVE NOT 
REPORTED ANY NEGATIVE HEALTH EFFECTS.  INSTEAD, 
FAO FIELD REPRESENTATIVES HAVE CONTINUED TO 
TRANSMIT INACCURATE INFORMATION ON BIOTECH FOOD 
AND TO MISINTERPRET THE CARTAGENA PROTOCOL RAISING 
NEEDLESS DOUBTS AND FEAR.  WE REGRET THAT FAO HAS 
NOT PROVIDED MEMBER GOVERNMENTS THE BENEFIT OF ITS 
SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE IN THE CURRENT FOOD SECURITY 
CRISIS.  ALTHOUGH FAO CONTINUES TO CHARACTERIZE 
THE SITUATION IN TERMS OF MALNUTRITION, WE BELIEVE 
THAT LIVES WILL BE LOST AS A RESULT OF FAO'S 
FAILURE TO ACT IN TIME. END COMMENT. 
 
HEILEMAN 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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 2002ROME04048 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED