VZCZCXRO3749
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHFR #4731 3511619
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171619Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1504
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2788
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC

UNCLAS PARIS 004731 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
BRUSSELS PASS USEU FOR AGMINCOUNSELOR 
STATE FOR OES; EUR/ERA(GRAY); EEB/TPP/ABT/BTT (BOBO); 
STATE PASS USTR FOR MURPHY/CLARKSON; 
OCRA/CURTIS; 
STA/SIMMONS/JONES/HENNEY/SISSON; 
EU POSTS PASS TO AGRICULTURE AND ECON 
GENEVA FOR USTR, ALSO AGRICULTURE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR SENV ECON ETRD EU FR
 
SUBJECT: SCIENTISTS PETITION SUPPORTING MON810 
 
REF:  PARIS 4660 
 
¶1. On December 7, more than 300 scientists (from France and 
world-wide) publicly stated in French and English their opposition 
to France's MON810 suspension.  See 
http://nonaumoratoire.free.fr/english.htm 
 
¶2.  The petition was initiated by members of the French Association 
for Scientific Information (AFIS), the National Research Institute 
on Agronomy (INRA), the National Center for Scientific Research 
(CNRS), and by the former President of the Biomolecular Engineering 
Committee, which used to be the French competent authority assessing 
biotech products. 
 
¶3.  The text of the petition states that "the cohabitation of 
conventional, GM and organic corn cultivation is possible... and has 
a negligible chance of creating varieties containing substances 
deleterious for consumer health and no such event has been ever 
observed."  Additionally, the petition states that "available 
studies indicate that GM Bt corn has a lesser environmental impact 
than the authorized insecticide treatments." 
 
¶4.  Finally, the petitioners opine that "a moratorium on the 
cultivation of approved GM corn by the EU is therefore not 
scientifically justified, as it would be based only on imaginary or 
false uncertainties concerning food environmental safety;" and that 
such ban "would bring no new knowledge that could reduce 
hypothetical risks that could be generated by the cultivation and 
consumption of GM Bt corn." Therefore such a moratorium would be "in 
contradiction with the precautionary principle." 
 
¶5.  Comment:  That so many respected scientists from France's most 
prestigious research institutions have spoken together for the first 
time on this issue is significant.  At the same time, we do not know 
what influence, if any, this may have on the legislative debate and 
deliberations of the interim authority on GMOs. End Comment. 
 
STAPLETON