US embassy cable - 03ROME2582

UNCLAS  ROME 002582 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
USDA FOR FAS/LYNN REICH AND DICK HUGHES 
STATE FOR IO/EDA SETH WINNICK, OES/ENV JULIE GOURLEY AND 
IO/S GEORGE ABRAHAMS 
USAID FOR RALPH CUMMINGS 
ATHENS FOR CLEVERLEY 
 
FROM FODAG 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: AORC, EAGR, KUNR, FAO 
SUBJECT:  FAO OECD Group: Term Limits and Bureaus 
 
1. (U) Summary:  The OECD group met June 9, 2003 to 
discuss bureau positions for FAO Council and Conference. 
The outgoing Chair (New Zealand) asked for views on 
expanding the mandate of the group beyond allocating 
bureau positions.  Those who spoke (including USDel) did 
not support expanding the mandate.  A smaller group of 
OECD countries met afterwards on Director General Term 
Limits.  The group shared concerns that the Secretariat 
had yet to issue documentation on the item, and agreed to 
urge Ambassador Mekouar, Chair of the Term Limits 
"Friends" Group to request the secretariat to issue a 
document on the item as soon as possible.  End Summary. 
 
Council and Conference Bureau Positions 
-------------------------------------- 
2.  (U) The OECD group (thus called as it is composed of 
FAO members who are also members of OECD) met June 9, 
2003 under the Chairmanship of Simon Draper of New 
Zealand. The group discussed Bureau composition for the 
June 23-28 124th FAO Council, and put forth some 
preliminary ideas for the November 29-December 10, 32nd 
FAO Conference. 
 
-- FAO 124th Council: Chair: Ambassador Aziz Mekouar 
(Morocco); Vice-Chairs: The Group endorsed OECD member 
Germany for the OECD Vice-Chair position.  The two G-77 
Vice-Chairs are not yet known.  Similarly, the G-77 Chair 
and members for the drafting committee are not yet known. 
The OECD members of Drafting Committee are: U.S., 
Australia, Italy, Germany, Finland and Japan 
 
-- FAO 32nd Conference:  New Zealand will Chair 
Conference.  The OECD group will have one of the three 
Vice-Chairs.  OECD will chair Commission I this year; G- 
77 will chair Commission II.  The Chair reported that 
Sweden was interested in the Vice-Chair position and 
Austria interested in chairing Commission I.  No final 
decision was taken. 
 
Mandate of OECD Group 
--------------------- 
 
3. (U) Mandate of OECD:  As this was his last meeting as 
Chair of the OECD Group (the Chairmanship will move to 
Norway in July), the Chair asked whether members had 
views on the question of expanding the mandate of the 
OECD group to include policy coordination. USDel stated 
that the OECD should continue to coordinate bureau 
positions; it served as a useful body for exchanging 
views, and certainly members used it as a platform to 
encourage "convergence" of views; but it should not 
coordinate country positions.  Japan noted that having 
OECD coordinate country positions would compromise 
Japan's (and the Republic of Korea's) ability to continue 
as a member of the Asian Group.  Poland raised another 
point concerning those non-OECD members of the European 
regional group which were not members of the G-77, 
reminding the group that these countries were left out 
when it came to bureau positions which were allocated on 
the basis of OECD/G-77 membership. 
 
Term Limits 
----------- 
4. (U) A smaller group of OECD members of the "Friends of 
the Chair" on Director General Term Limits met to discuss 
the situation of the upcoming Council agenda item on term 
limits.  It was recalled that OECD members of the 
"Friends" had written to the "Friends" Chair, Ambassador 
Aziz Mekouar, expressing concern that his last report did 
not accurately capture the views of the "Friends" on 
transition measures.  OECD members objected to Mekouar's 
reference to "the understanding that any country had the 
right to nominate any candidate for the office of 
Director-General" and "the understanding that the 
Conference...shall have authority to elect under the new 
system any of the nominated candidates, including the 
incumbent Director General." 
 
5.  (U) The group noted with concern that Ambassador 
Mekouar -- possibly as a result of his final report being 
contested -- had still not communicated to the 
Secretariat the outcome of the Friends of the Chair 
 
SIPDIS 
 
Group.  Absent any communication, the Secretariat has 
informed us that they cannot issue a document.  The group 
agreed that a second communication to Ambassador Mekouar 
was in order (in fact, the Greek EU President has already 
written to him along these line) urging him to instruct 
the Secretariat to prepare a proposal for Council which 
simply states the agreement reached in the Friends of the 
Chair, viz that the FAO Basic Texts be amended so that 
the Director General may serve two terms only, with the 
first term being six years and the second term four 
years. 
 
6.  (SBU) The Group also discussed concerns that certain 
African countries would still try to link the change in 
the Basic Texts to some "understanding" that the current 
Director General may run again.  As noted in reftel, the 
DG is not barred from running, but OECD members seek to 
ensure that there is no implicit support for him doing 
so; any "understanding" that he may run again provides 
that implicit support.  The EU members of the group 
argued that the most important outcome was the change to 
the basic texts, and that this should not be lost.  U.S. 
and Australia noted that their instructions on this issue 
were quite firm:  "silence" on the question of transition 
measures, or no agreement.  Hall 
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	2003ROME02582 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED