VZCZCXRO8271
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHFR #4201/01 2781701
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051701Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0699
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004201 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON UN ETRD EAIR FR
SUBJECT: FRANCE: DAS ANDERSON BILATS ON UN REFORM, WIPO, ICAO, UNEP, 
IAEA ISSUES 
NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (SBU) On October 3, DAS Gerald Anderson met with MFA 
PDAS-equivalents Marc Giacomini of the Directorate for UN and 
International organizations, and Jean-Hughes Simon-Michel of the 
Directorate for Strategic Affairs, Security and Disarmament. 
Anderson presented an overview of the U.S. transparency and 
accountability agenda in the context of UN reform.  He heard 
positive reaction to UN reform and "One UN" country pilot projects, 
as well as GOF concerns about discussion of aircraft emissions in 
ICAO, political leadership on environmental issues and potential 
worries about the new U.S. Postal Act.  He was also informed that an 
EU common position limiting the number of mandates that leaders of 
international organizations can serve could help justify EU 
opposition to another term for IAEA DG El Baradei.  End of Summary. 
 
 
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WIPO: NO EASY WAY OUT 
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¶2. (SBU) Marc Giacomini said the GOF concurred with the USG desire 
for a rapid solution of the scandal over the Sudanese WIPO Director 
General Kamil Idris' fraudulent practice of changing his birth date 
to obtain greater pension benefits.    However, he worried that 
replacing Idris would be seen as targeting African countries, rather 
than as an effort to address a case of individual corruption.  The 
issue needed to be handled diplomatically to keep it "from souring 
and becoming a North-South issue."  Giacomini was interested in the 
possibility of naming another African to replace Idris, whether for 
a full or partial term in office, as one possible way to address 
this concern.   He urged that the scandal not overshadow the 
otherwise "good results" of the WIPO organization's "success story." 
 
 
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ICAO: AIRCRAFT EMISSIONS 
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¶3. (SBU) Anderson raised U.S. concerns with the proposed EU 
Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for aviation.  Giacomini observed 
that the proposal reflected the EU approach to climate change, which 
is oriented towards using tax schemes to encourage the airline 
industry to invest in emissions-reducing technology.  He did not 
think the best solution to this problem was necessarily via ICAO, 
since it is "controlled by airlines."  However, he did agree that 
technology was "at least part of the answer" to a better 
environment. 
 
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NEW U.S. POSTAL ACT, UPU and EU 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Anderson described the December 2006 U.S. Postal 
Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) with a view to the next 
Universal Postal Union (UPU) meeting in Nairobi in 2008.  The PAEA, 
which was designed to increase competition and efficiency in the 
U.S. postal market, will require equal treatment between postal and 
commercial carriers.  This will affect outbound international mail 
handled by U.S private carriers such as UPS, Fedex and DHL.  Items 
determined to be "market competitive" (as opposed to "market 
dominant") under UPU's designation will need equal treatment with 
respect to customs clearance (which currently makes commercial 
express products much more costly).  U.S. private carriers already 
provide advance electronic data on those items to U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection.  In future such data might also be required for 
incoming shipments by foreign posts, depending on interpretation of 
the PAEA.  Giacomini said such requirements would not pose a problem 
if the range of required data is limited to what is called for under 
EU regulations.  Otherwise, he foresaw a problem with France's Data 
Protection Agency (CNIL), similar to that which arose over PNR. 
 
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UNEP OR UNEO? 
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¶5. (SBU)  Anderson noted that the United States had presented the 
U.S. view in favor of strengthening the United Nations Environment 
Program (UNEP) at a conference attended by Environment and 
Sustainable Development Minister Jean-Louis Borloo last month in 
Brazil.  Giacomini responded that France favored creation of a new 
United Nations Environment Organization (UNEO) to change the current 
fragmented and costly system into a more coherent and efficient one. 
  Giacomini hoped the U.S. would be less "defensive" about France's 
suggested "improvements" to UNEP.  He called for discussions on 
specifics, since the U.S. and France disagreed on the means for 
introducing change.  He added that an opportunity was missed after 
the Cartagena decision on International Environment Governance 
adopted in 2002.  Anderson and Giacomini agreed on the potential 
 
PARIS 00004201  002 OF 002 
 
SUMMARY 
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utility of discussing steps short of creating a new organization on 
which the United States and the EU might be able to find consensus. 
 
 
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UN SYSTEM-WIDE COHERENCE 
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¶6. (SBU) Anderson indicated that the United States intended to track 
implementation of reforms suggested by the Secretary General's 
high-level panel on system-wide coherence to make the UN system 
transparent and accountable.  He pointed to the urgency of 
management reforms at Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), 
which had become a "nightmare."  Giacomini approved the principle of 
management reforms at FAO, but noted that it would be costly (citing 
a risk of double-digit budget increases for 2-3 years if there is a 
move to IPSAS norms at FAO).  He doubted that the French Parliament 
would approve an increase in the MFA's international organizations 
budget any time soon.  Anderson suggested the best tactic for 
achieving good management practices is adoption of the IEE first (to 
enshrine the principle), followed by adoption of a "survival" 
budget.  Giacomini further noted that France was not optimistic 
about institutional changes in the UN system and the United Nations 
Development Program (UNDP).  However, France was hopeful for the One 
UN pilot projects.  France has selected Vietnam and Cape Verde as 
its pilot countries.  Six additional countries have volunteered to 
become One UN pilots: Albania, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, 
Tanzania and Uruguay. 
 
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IAEA 
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¶7. (SBU)  Anderson opened the meeting with Jean-Hughes Simon-Michel, 
Deputy Director for Strategic Affairs, Security and Disarmament, by 
noting the U.S. contribution to the IAEA's new work in the DPRK. 
Simon-Michel explained that France was exploring ways to obtain EU 
funding through joint action in the Second Pillar (Common Foreign 
and Security Policy).  Queried on Israel's participation in the 
Western European and Other States Group (WEOG), Simon-Michel 
declared that France's current "cautious" stance was likely to 
evolve, but that it favored Israeli participation in more technical 
UN agencies, rather than in IAEA. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  On the issue of a new mandate for Mohamed El Baradei as 
head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Simon-Michel 
referred to an existing EU common position on the mandates of 
leaders of international organizations.  Such mandates should be 
limited to 12 years, or two mandates.  This would mean that the EU 
would not support a new term for El Baradei.  Simon-Michel added 
that the IAEA was strategic for France in the context of growing 
global demand for civilian nuclear energy development. 
 
PEKALA