This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 008627 
 
SIPDIS 
 
BRUSSELS PASS USEU FOR AGMINCOUNSELOR 
STATE FOR OES; EUR/ERA; 
STATE PASS USTR FOR MURPHY; 
USDA FOR OS/JOHANNS AND PENN; 
USDA FOR FAS/OA/TERPSTRA/ROBERTS; 
ITP/SHEIKH/HENKE/MACKE/TOM POMEROY/MIKE 
WOOLSEY/GREG YOUNG; 
FAA/SEBRANEK/BLEGGI; 
EU POSTS PASS TO AGRICULTURE AND ECON 
GENEVA FOR USTR, ALSO AGRICULTURE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ETRD PGOV FR WTRO EUN
SUBJECT: FRANCE'S LEADING FARMERS UNION DISSATISFIED WITH 
HONG KONG RESULTS 
 
REF: 
 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Even though French President, 
Jacques Chirac publicly expressed his satisfaction 
with the commitments made during the Doha 
negotiations in Hong Kong, the leading French farm 
organization, Federation Nationale Des Syndicats 
D'Exploitants Agricoles (FNSEA), issued a press 
release on December 18, 2005, criticizing the 
course of the negotiations. However, most 
observers feel that France not only did well in 
Hong Kong by giving up little, but won politically 
as well, by having successfully enforced the 
Commission's negotiating mandate at Hong Kong. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2.  In a December 22 meeting with AgMin Counselor, 
FNSEA officials, including Mr. Jean-Michel 
Lemetayer, President, and Mr. Xavier Beulin, First 
Vice-President, expressed their concerns about the 
implications of the Doha negotiations to date. 
Further Hong Kong commitments to reduce financial 
support have only added to the pessimistic mood of 
the French agricultural community, which has 
endured a difficult year and faces continued CAP 
reforms beginning January 1st.  FNSEA officials 
stated that the terms agreed to in Hong Kong were 
unbalanced for two reasons:  first, agriculture, 
services and industrial goods sectors were not 
considered with equal weight and second, while the 
EU must eliminate export subsidies by 2013, other 
countries' export-oriented programs, such as food 
aid, are not subject to such specific commitments. 
Thus, they feel the EU did not receive just 
compensation in other sectors in exchange for its 
sacrifice on agricultural export subsidies. 
 
¶3.  They reiterated a strong position that 
countries be allowed to maintain trade barriers in 
the interest of domestic food security and 
national sovereignty.  Within the context of the 
negotiations, the officials wondered whether the 
United States was conspiring with Brazil and other 
South American countries in order to isolate 
Europe from other trade alliances. 
 
 
¶4.  FNSEA, together with the French Young Farmers 
Union, the French Federation of Farm Cooperatives 
and Credit, and the French Chambers of Agriculture 
constitute the French Agriculture Council (CAF). 
CAF released the following press communiqu after 
the negotiators had agreed on a compromise at the 
Hong Kong WTO Ministerial: 
 
QUOTE: Hong Kong Agreement: unsatisfactory step, 
and a future full of pitfalls. 
 
The Ministerial conference in Hong Kong ends with 
an unbalanced declaration.  Concerning export 
subsidies, only Europe is making commitments on a 
date to eliminate export restitutions while 
provisions on State Trading Enterprises, trade- 
oriented food aid, and export credits are less 
restrictive. 
 
Given that the European Union largely contributed 
to development and made a substantial concession 
in export subsidies, we demand that the modalities 
for market access maintain European preferences. 
 
To date, on domestic support, the European Union 
has not highlighted the reform of the Common 
Agricultural Policy, while our negotiating 
partners have no obligation to review their 
domestic farm policy. 
 
In addition, agriculture was the only sector 
covered deeply and in details, which does not 
correspond to claims of the Doha conference. 
 
The Ministerial declaration adopted today in Hong 
Kong does not satisfy the French Agriculture 
Council, particularly because of its lack of 
balance, putting a significant part of the 
concessions on the European Union, with a direct 
impact on the CAP. 
 
The French Agricultural Council demands that the 
European Union stay extremely firm on the 
conditionality of its offer and be vigilant on the 
strict balance of the concessions.  END QUOTE. 
 
¶5. COMMENT:  The FNSEA's position needs to be 
viewed in the context of how other official 
observers see the Hong Kong outcome.  The 
government, including Agriculture Minister 
Bussereau, defend the deal the European Commission 
negotiators signed on to, and characterize it as 
one that leaves the CAP pretty much intact. In the 
EU context, they win politically by having 
effectively enforced the EU's negotiating mandate. 
Other observers outside the government note that 
France couldn't have asked for a better outcome on 
agriculture, short of making no concessions at 
all. In any case, the FNSEA may prefer to remain 
on the offensive in order to minimize future EU 
concessions, particularly on the highly sensitive 
market access front. 
 
STAPLETON