VZCZCXRO4603
RR RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHRL #0218 0531025
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221025Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0495
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BERLIN 000218 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR OES STAN SPECHT, CAMILLE HILL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG SENV TRGY GM
SUBJECT: GERMAN MINISTERS TO ATTEND WIREC, MAY USE OCCASION 
TO LOBBY FOR IRENA 
 
REF: A. A. STATE 15566 
 
     ¶B. B. STATE 521 
     ¶C. C. MEGILL-SPECHT EMAIL 02/22/2008 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel 
and Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Heidemarie 
Wieczorek-Zeul will attend the March 4-6 Washington 
International Renewable Energy Conference.  The rest of the 
German delegation has registered online.  The Germans may use 
WIREC as a platform to lobby for the establishment of an 
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). 
 
¶2. (SBU) Embassy Berlin transmitted WIREC invitation letters 
from Secretary Rice on January 7 to Gabriel, Wieczorek-Zeul, 
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Economics and 
Technology Minister Michael Glos, Agriculture Minister Horst 
Seehofer and Federal Chancellery Infrastructure Policy 
Director Peter Roesgen.  Embassy Berlin also transmitted 
several panelist invitation letters from Under Secretary for 
Global Affairs Dobriansky in early January. 
 
¶3. (SBU) After multiple inquiries, the Environment Ministry 
confirmed to Embassy Berlin on February 19 that both Gabriel 
and Wieczorek-Zeul will attend WIREC.  While Economic 
Minister Glos conveyed his regrets on February 13, the 
Embassy has not received formal replies from other 
ministries.  German Agriculture Ministry officials expressed 
frustration to FAS that the Environment Ministry was not 
including them in WIREC preparations.  The Agriculture 
Ministry is interested in participating in WIREC, but due to 
internal German government concerns they will not attend 
(NOTE: Environment Ministry officials have deflected 
questions on this matter. END NOTE).  Environment Ministry 
contacts reported that individual delegation members have 
been registered on the WIREC website and that they have 
received confirmation emails from Washington.  The 
Environment Ministry provided the complete list of German 
delegation members to the Embassy on February 22, which we 
subsequently passed to OES (ref C).  Environment Ministry 
contacts were unable to confirm that all registered 
individuals will in fact attend WIREC. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Jan Jost, Project Manager for North American Affairs 
at the Federation of German Industries (BDI) told ECONOFF 
February 6 that BDI members were disappointed that 
invitations to the WIREC business conference side event had 
"not gone to the appropriate individuals".  Per guidance 
received from OES, ECONOFF conveyed contact information for 
the ACORE President along with a request for suggestions of 
invitees to the senior stakeholder contingent to BDI.  No 
additional suggestions from BDI were transmitted. 
 
¶5. (SBU) On February 12, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
hosted an informational briefing for the diplomatic corps on 
their proposal for an International Renewable Energy Agency 
(IRENA).  IRENA will bring together experts to promote and 
finance the transfer of renewable energies to developing 
countries.  Environment Ministry State Secretary Matthias 
Machnig said it was no longer a question of whether to launch 
IRENA but how.  The Germans will host an April 10-11 
conference in Berlin on the logistics of setting up such an 
agency.  They plan to have a follow up conference in October 
2008 and then found "centers of excellence" in 2009.  We 
expect the German delegation will use WIREC as a platform to 
solicit support for IRENA. 
TIMKEN JR