VZCZCXRO9955
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHWR #2362 3461506
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121506Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5627
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUEHKW/AMCONSUL KRAKOW 1930
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0860
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS WARSAW 002362 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EEB/TPP/MTA CAROL HENNINGER 
STATE PASS TO USTR FOR THOMAS FINE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD WTRO PL
SUBJECT: WTO/GAMBLING: POLAND LIKELY TO STAY OUT OF THE GAME 
 
REF: STATE 165472 
 
¶1.  (SBU) EconOff delivered reftel demarche regarding the WTO 
dispute settlement proceeding on gambling and betting 
services to Mieczyslaw Nogaj, Director of the Trade Policy 
Department at the Polish Ministry of Economy, and to Joanna 
Katner-Pruszynska, Counselor to the Minister of Economy.  She 
is the Ministry's expert on the General Agreement on Trade in 
Services (GATS).  Katner-Pruszynska stated that internet 
gambling has been illegal in Poland since 1992.  Poland has 
not taken any active part in the WTO case, because Poland has 
no affected companies.  She also acknowledged the U.S. 
compensatory offer on research and development, stating, "I 
know you can't offer anything more in that sector."  However, 
she stated there is a view in the European Commission that 
the U.S. offer should be rejected because the United States 
had failed to respond to requests regarding the finance, 
insurance and telecommunications sectors.  EconOff reiterated 
that the U.S. offer on research and development services 
alone is significantly larger than the entire U.S. gambling 
industry. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Katner-Pruszynska stated that the EU position is 
being driven by the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta.  Nogaj 
stated that other EU countries had supported Poland in its 
dispute with Russia regarding exports of fresh meat, even 
though those countries were not directly affected.  Now it is 
Poland's turn to support those countries, even though Poland 
would not be directly affected by revision of the U.S. GATS 
schedule.  EconOff noted that the United States had also 
supported Poland on the meat ban.  In any case, Nogaj made 
clear, Poland sees this at minimum as a good opportunity to 
keep quiet, and potentially as a cost-free chance to repay 
past support from other EU members on matters touching 
Poland's interests more directly. 
HILLAS