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UNCLAS ISTANBUL 000892 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECIN PREL TU
SUBJECT: BSEC SENIOR OFFICIALS POSTPONE ACTION ON U.S. 
OBSERVER STATUS 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 132718 
 
     ¶B. ISTANBUL 666 
 
¶1. Summary.  The September 27 meeting of the BSEC Committee 
of Senior Officials agreed to postpone discussion of large 
portions of the agenda to the October 23-24 Ankara meeting, 
including the U.S. application for renewal of observer status 
(reftels).  In addition to a prolonged discussion of the 
agenda and routine reviews of BSEC meetings and activities, 
the Greek delegation made a detailed presentation on 
successful efforts to have donations to BSEC recognized as 
official development assistance by the OECD.  A 
representative from the European Commission also discussed 
planning for a "high-level kick off event" designed to 
highlight a new era of cooperation between BSEC and the 
Commission.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. The BSEC Committee of Senior Official met in Istanbul on 
September 27.  As per normal BSEC procedures, discussions of 
personnel, finances and applications for observer status were 
held in camera.  Open sessions included a two-hour debate 
over the content of the agenda, a review of project 
development fund activities, summaries of ministerial and 
working group meetings and presentations by the BSEC related 
bodies.   The Russian delegation argued forcefully for the 
postponement of several agenda items (including the U.S, 
Czech, Croatian and Slovakian requests to renew observer 
status), claiming publicly that postponement of these 
discussions was necessary to keep the one-day September 
meeting from running grossly over time.  Privately, Russian 
delegation head Serghei Goncharenko, MFA Deputy Director for 
Economic Cooperation, confirmed that the schedule changes 
were made solely in the interest of rationalizing the agenda 
and that Russia had no/no objections to the U.S. application 
for renewed observer status. 
 
¶3. In addition to cutting the six-page agenda roughly in half 
the Russian request for administrative streamlining included 
grouping open and in camera sessions so that observers and 
related bodies (e.g. the parliamentary assembly, the trade 
and development bank, and the business association) could 
better participate in the meetings as well as delivering 
reports on sub-working group level activities in writing 
rather than verbally in the interest of saving time. 
Although the Russian request did not appear to have been 
coordinated in advance with the BSEC secretariat, their 
recommendations appear to have merit and most 
Russian-proposed agenda modifications were accepted by the 
group. 
 
¶4. One discussion that was not deferred to Ankara included a 
description by the Greek delegation of successful efforts by 
the Greek government to have donations to BSEC recognized by 
the OECD as official development assistance (ODA.)   The 
Greek delegation indicated that this decision by the OECD 
would enable the government of Greece to increase 
significantly contribution levels.  The Greek delegation also 
encouraged BSEC observers and other potential donors to 
direct ODA to BSEC under the good governance, capacity 
building and reform headings of the Millennium Development 
Goals. 
 
¶5. The European Commission was represented at the Committee 
of Senior Officials as an observer for the first time on 
September 27.  Fernando Garces de los Fayos, Principal 
Administrator in the External Relations Directorate General 
of the Commission, explained that becoming a BSEC observer 
was an important step in the Commission's aim to be fully 
involved in Black Sea cooperation.  He noted that the EC and 
BSEC were still working out details related to a planned 
"high-level kick off event" designed to highlight a new era 
of cooperation between the Commission and BSEC.  This event 
will take place after Ukraine becomes BSEC Chairman in Office 
on November 1, but a firm date has not yet been set and many 
substantive details still remain to be worked out. 
WIENER