US embassy cable - 05PARIS6080

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 006080 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS 
STATE PASS USTR BALASSA 
IO/UNESCO FOR JANE COWLEY 
EUR/ERA FOR PETER CHASE 
L/EUR FOR PETER OLSON 
 
E.O. 12958:     N/A 
TAGS: SCUL, ETRD, EU, CJAN, FR, UNESCO 
SUBJECT:  UNESCO CULTURAL DIVERSITY CONVENTION: FRANCE CALLS 
ON THE WORLT TRADE ORGANIZATION TO STAY OUT OF THE DEBATE. 
 
REF:  PARIS 5990 
 
1.  Summary.  Agence France Press (AFP) reported that during 
a September 5 meeting with new WTO chief Pascal Lamy, the 
GOF Minister of Culture Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres said 
Sept. 5 that the WTO should not interfere in CD matter.  The 
AFP report says that de Vabres quoted Lamy as saying that 
WTO will not take a position, as there is no consensus in 
the WTO.  End summary. 
 
2.  The following is a translation in substance of an AFP 
report of a September 5 meeting between the French Minister 
of Culture, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, and new WTO Chief 
Pascal Lamy.  The original French text appears in para 4. 
 
3.  Begin Translation in substance. 
 
Agence France Press 
 
Cultural Diversity:  France calls on the World Trade 
Organization to stay out of the debate. 
 
Geneva, 5 September (AFP)  The French minister of Culture, 
Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, on Monday (September 5), called 
on the World Trade Organization to stay outside the current 
debate within UNESCO about putting into place ("mettre en 
place") a convention on cultural diversity. 
 
The WTO has not imposed particular rules in the preparation 
of the document elaborated by UNESCO, declared the French 
Minister to the press after a meeting in Geneva with the new 
Director General of the WTO, Pascal Lamy. 
 
UNESCO must debate at the end of October the putting in 
place of a convention about cultural diversity, which 
proclaims the specificity of cultural items in comparison to 
the rules of normal commerce. 
 
The francophone countries are ardent partisans of this 
convention, which is opposed by countries like the United 
States, Japan, Israel and Australia. 
 
The concept of cultural diversity, recognized as a principle 
by the majority of the countries of the world, is applicable 
to each country and to each international organization, 
opined Mr. Donnedieu de Vabres. 
 
The wish of states is expressed within UNESCO for the 
putting into effect ("mise en oeuvre") of this Convention on 
cultural diversity.  No other organization will interfere 
with that wish, he affirmed. 
 
The new head of the WTO, Francais, Pascal Lamy, told Mr. 
Donnedieu de Vabres that there was no consensus on the 
question of cultural diversity among the 148 members of the 
WTO and that he was therefore not able to take a position on 
that subject, he indicated at the headquarters of the 
organization based in Geneva. 
 
Last year, UNESCO had asked several international 
organizations, including the WTO, to communicate their point 
of view concerning the draft Convention.  Because of an 
absence of consensus within its membership, the WTO was not 
able to respond to the UNESCO demand. 
 
End translation in substance. 
 
4.  Following is the original French text. 
 
OMC-France-Unesco 
   Diversit culturelle: la France appelle l'OMC  rester en 
dehors du dbat 
 
   GENEVE, 5 sept 2005 (AFP) - Le ministre franais de la 
Culture, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, a appel lundi 
l'Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC)  rester en dehors 
du dbat en cours  l'Unesco sur la mise en place d'une 
convention sur la diversit culturelle. 
   "L'OMC n'a pas  imposer de rgles particulires  la 
prparation de ce document labor par l'Unesco", a dclar 
le ministre franais  la presse aprs une rencontre 
Genve avec le nouveau directeur gnral de l'OMC, Pascal 
Lamy. 
   L'organisation des Nations Unies pour l'ducation, la 
science et la culture 
a 
science et la culture 
(Unesco) doit dbattre fin octobre de la mise en place d'une 
convention sur la diversit culturelle, qui proclamerait la 
spcificit des biens culturels par rapport aux rgles 
commerciales normales. 
   Les pays francophones sont d'ardents partisans de cette 
convention  laquelle s'opposent des pays comme les Etats- 
Unis, le Japon, Isral ou l'Australie. 
   "Ce concept de la diversit culturelle, reconnu comme un 
principe par la plupart des pays du monde, s'applique 
chaque Etat et  chaque organisation internationale", a 
estim M. Donnedieu de Vabres. 
   "La volont des Etats s'exprime au sein de l'Unesco pour 
la mise en oeuvre de cette convention sur la diversit 
culturelle. Aucune autre organisation internationale 
n'interfrera avec cette volont", a-t-il affirm. 
   Le nouveau patron de l'OMC, le Franais Pascal Lamy, a 
dclar  M. 
Donnedieu de Vabres qu'il n'y avait pas de consensus sur la 
question de la diversit culturelle parmi les 148 membres de 
les 148 membres de 
l'OMC et qu'il ne pouvait donc pas prendre position  ce 
sujet, a-t-on indiqu au sige de l'organisation base 
Genve. 
   L'an dernier, l'Unesco avait demand  plusieurs 
organisations internationales, dont l'OMC, de lui 
communiquer leur point de vue sur le projet de convention. 
Faute de consensus en son sein, l'OMC n'avait pas pu 
rpondre  la demande de l'Unesco. 
 
5.  Comment. As reported ref, GOF Presidential and 
Ministerial public support for the UNESCO preliminary draft 
Convention on cultural diversity has long been backed up by 
strong GOF and EU demarches in capitals and monetary support 
for events in developing countries.  The GOF meeting with 
brand-new WTO chief Pascal Lamy exemplifies the level and 
strength of its diplomatic interventions urging adoption of 
the preliminary draft Cultural Diversity Convention. 
 
Oliver 
 
 
Oliver