VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMD #2277 3541608
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201608Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3988
INFO RHMCSUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS MADRID 002277 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/WE, EUR/PGI, OES, OES/E, OES/EGC, OES/E/ENV, 
OES/OGC, OES/PCI, G:E.WEIGOLD 
DOE FOR PIA:S.RUEN, EERE:P.DICKERSON, J.OWEN 
PASS PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG KGHG SENV SP
SUBJECT: FAVORABLE SPANISH REACTIONS TO USG ROLE IN BALI 
 
 
¶1. (U) Spanish officials and commentators have praised the 
USG's role in contributing to the success of last week's 
UNFCC conference in Bali.  Environment Minister Christina 
Narbona told reporters that the U.S. had taken a "very 
important step" toward reducing future emissions, and she 
valued the USG decision to add itself to the general 
consensus.  She also recognized the importance of including 
commitments for developing countries.  Environment Ministry 
Director General for Climate Change Teresa Ribera told 
attendees at a DCM-hosted lunch on renewable energy that the 
USG delegation had provided valuable leadership and had 
always expressed its positions, even unpopular ones, in a 
constructive way.  The Director General also acknowledged the 
importance of gaining commitments from China and India, and 
she repeated the position expressed by the USG and others 
that varying levels of commitments are required from 
different developing countries. 
 
¶2. (U) Press coverage also has been generally favorable.  Of 
particular note is a normally-hostile columnist in the 
center-right ABC who, after meeting with DCM and Press 
Officer earlier this week, wrote a December 20 opinion piece 
praising the "enormous valor" of U/S Dobriansky and calling 
the U.S. the greatest "winner" of the conference.  He cited 
USG policies and U.S. investments in clean technologies as 
"another inconvenient truth" for those who see the world in 
black and white, saying that to "pretend that the Danes are 
good and the Americans bad is dangerous foolishness." 
AGUIRRE