VZCZCXRO5118
RR RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #2279 3522210
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 182210Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7045
INFO RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 1782
RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS OTTAWA 002279 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AEMR ECON PREL CA MX
SUBJECT: GoC FOREIGN MINISTRY KEEN ON DISASTER TALKS 
 
REF: State 159257 
 
¶1.  Econoff and ESTH/ECON Specialist as well as the Acting CBP 
Attach met with officials from Foreign Affairs and International 
Trade (DFAIT) on December 17 to invite DFAIT participation in the 
meeting, proposed for January or February 2008, of the Consultative 
Group called for in the bilateral 1986 Agreement on Cooperation in 
Comprehensive Civil Emergency Planning and Management.  DFAIT 
officials were very receptive to the proposal and have asked for a 
draft agenda of the meeting as soon as possible. 
 
¶2. They noted that they have anticipated the need for this effort 
for several months now and have begun themselves to take stock of 
the various agreements and MoU, at the federal to federal as well as 
regional, and state to province level that may need to be considered 
in concert with an update of the 1986 agreement.  As well, they 
noted, issues such as Terrorism and Avian and Pandemic Influenza may 
need to be explicitly addressed.  They mentioned that they 
anticipate the DFAIT legal advisor's office would eventually become 
involved and asked whether and when State had plans to engage legal 
counsel on the update effort. 
 
¶3. DFAIT was represented by the Director of the U.S. Relations 
division, Sarah Fountain-Smith as well as by Sumita Dixit, Senior 
Policy Advisor (Disasters) from DFAIT's Humanitarian Affairs and 
Disaster Response group. Embassy will meet with appropriate staff at 
Public Safety Canada to deliver the same message later this week. 
 
Wilkins