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DE RUEHSG #0790/01 1351605
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 151605Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1487
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 0016
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0228
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 3625
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RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 0027
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0149
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 1137
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0205
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 0051
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0182
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0317

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTIAGO 000790 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/13/2017 
TAGS: ECON ENRG IO PINR PREL SENV UNGA
SUBJECT: NEWLY-APPOINTED UN SPECIAL ENVOY ON CLIMATE CHANGE 
RICARDO LAGOS MEETS IN SANTIAGO WITH OES A/S MCMURRAY 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Craig Kelly for reasons 1.5 (b and d). 
 
------ 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) Ricardo Lagos, one of three newly-appointed UN Special 
Representatives on Climate Change, told visiting OES A/S 
Claudia McMurray May 11 that it would be imperative for all 
nations -- including developing ones -- to agree on an agenda 
for addressing climate change.  But it would also be 
important to recognize that countries could adopt different 
approaches to the problem, "a variable geometry" which takes 
into account the capabilities and needs of each nation. 
Lagos also broke down which nations - 25 in total - for which 
each of the three Special Representatives would take 
responsibility, stressing that UN SecGen Ban Ki-moon would 
deal with the United States.  Lagos noted that he serves as 
the Club of Madrid's (a grouping of former presidents and 
prime ministers) representative to a climate change group 
organized by the UN Foundation.  He suggested the group would 
produce a "blueprint" for post-2012 (post Kyoto) by the end 
of 2008.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Embassy Santiago arranged for OES A/S Claudia 
McMurray, in Santiago to co-chair the U.S.-Chile Joint 
Commission Meeting on Science and Technology Cooeration (JCM) 
(septel), to meet May 11 with Ricardo Lagos, former president 
of Chile and one of three recently-named UN Special 
Representatives on Climate Change.  A/S McMurray was 
accompanied by the Ambassador and E/Pol Counselor. 
 
-------------------------- 
Climate Change Omnipresent 
-------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) McMurray congratulated Lagos on his appointment and 
observed that the issue of climate change was "coming up 
everywhere," including the issuance of three major reports by 
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change within the past 
year.  The U.S. had made positive contributions to these 
reports and to the overall debate.  "The United States takes 
the issues very seriously and has accepted each report." 
The U.S. will be active in several upcoming meetings where 
climate change will be on the agenda, including at the G-8 in 
June.  Lagos noted that UN SecGen Ban Ki-moon would seek to 
organize a dinner on the margins of the UNGA, after 
high-level meetings on climate change.  The thought now would 
be to have leaders from only 15 nations attend the dinner; 
Lagos wondered if this was an unrealistic number.  It was 
likely that all G-8 nations would be invited.  Those 
countries - plus five more that together with the G-8 
accounted for 75 percent of total emissions - would leave 
only two additional spots at the table and one of those would 
be allotted to a Small Island Nation.  The dinner was clearly 
an important meeting and Lagos implied the circle of invitees 
should be wider. 
 
¶4. (C) McMurray said China appeared anxious to play a 
positive role on climate change and that the USG was doing 
what it could to encourage Beijing.  Treasury Secretary 
Paulson has a high-level dialogue with the Chinese on 
economic issues and energy and environmental topics are key 
elements of that discussion.  Lagos replied it was "not 
possible" for developing nations (such as China) to "postpone 
a reckoning" by pleading that for "historical reasons" they 
should be allowed to continue to produce emissions now and 
attack environmental problems later.  "This is not 
manageable.  Everybody has to reduce, everybody has to 
agree."  Still, Lagos chided gently, while he understood USG 
reluctance to agree to treaties such as Kyoto when countries 
such as China and India are not bound, it was important for 
the U.S. to step up as well. 
 
¶5. (C) Lagos noted he is a member of the Club of Madrid, 
which brings together former presidents and prime ministers. 
He is the Club's lead representative on environmental issues, 
including to a climate change group that the UN Foundation 
has organized.  This group hopes to produce a blueprint by 
 
the end of 2008, addressing post-2012 (post-Kyoto) issues. 
He expects that the Bali meeting in December 2007 will also 
push for faster action to address climate change, perhaps 
with recommendations that would be implemented beginning in 
2010, a schedule Lagos thought might be too ambitious. 
McMurray agreed, saying that any such blueprint had to be "a 
thoughtful piece" which offered realistic solutions, taking 
into account different approaches to the challenges in 
different countries. 
 
---------------------------- 
Divvying Up Responsibilities 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) After A/S McMurray briefed on U.S. cooperation with 
several nations (inter alia, Japan, Australia, Korea, India 
and China) - to provide seed money to private enterprise 
seeking to develop new "green" technologies, Lagos described 
the division of labor among the three Special 
Representatives.  Of the 25 nations that are the UN's focus, 
Lagos had agreed to take responsibility for Mexico, Brazil, 
Venezuela, Grenada (as chair of the Small Island Nations 
Group), the UK and France.  Ban Ki-moon had also asked him to 
take on discussions with Nigeria and Saudi Arabia but he had 
not yet decided whether to do so.  Lagos said that he would 
begin talks first with Brazil -- "I want to ask them their 
views on how to deal with Chavez." 
 
¶7. (C) Former UN General Assembly President Han Seung-soo 
would be responsible for India, Australia, New Zealand and 
China (Lagos smiled, "good luck with China") and perhaps a 
handful of other Asian countries.  Norwegian ex-PM Gro Harlem 
Bruntland would take on several Eastern European countries 
and Russia.  Lagos stressed that Ban Ki-moon would be solely 
responsible for talks with the U.S. 
 
------------------- 
"Variable Geometry" 
------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) McMurray noted there seems to be tremendous interest 
from some countries to develop solutions and begin 
negotiations by the time of the Bali meeting in December. 
Lagos replied that he didn't think it would be possible to 
reach accord on workable solutions by that time, even for 
those countries that have ratified Kyoto.  Moreover, it was 
important to consider what he called "variable geometry." 
Countries could propose different tracks, dependent on 
national capabilities and needs.  For example, one might 
focus on capping emissions, another on exchange of credits, a 
third nation would seek to develop new technologies.  It is 
hard to find a "one size fits all" approach.  We can agree 
that we have a common position - human beings are responsible 
for creating the problem - but then each country can offer 
its own viable solutions.  Lagos said he believes President 
Bush understands this approach. 
 
-------- 
Comment 
-------- 
 
¶9. (C) Lagos, who has been on the receiving end of some local 
NGO opposition to his nomination. ostensibly because of a 
poor record on the environment during his stint as president, 
was clearly well-informed on the state of play of debate on 
climate change, rattling off the names and conclusions of 
several key reports.  He seemed both enthusiastic about his 
new reponsibilities and pragmatic about the need to promote 
realistic policies, to not place blame, and to work 
cooperatively.   End comment. 
 
¶10. (U) A/S McMurray has cleared this message. 
KELLY