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Viewing cable 08CAIRO268, WTO DEMARCHES DELIVERED ON ENVIRONMENTAL, TAFT

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08CAIRO268 2008-02-12 13:10 2011-08-24 16:30 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Cairo
VZCZCXRO5857
PP RUEHAG RUEHAP RUEHDE RUEHDF RUEHGI RUEHHM RUEHLZ RUEHMA RUEHMR
RUEHPA RUEHPB RUEHRN
DE RUEHEG #0268 0431310
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121310Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8127
INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNWTO/WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS CAIRO 000268 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA, EBB/TPP/MTA/RHEE AND SCHEIBE 
USTR FOR NORTON, WEISS, PRESCOTT 
COMMERCE FOR BRZYTA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON ETRD WTO SENV EG
SUBJECT: WTO DEMARCHES DELIVERED ON ENVIRONMENTAL, TAFT 
GOODS IN EGYPT 
 
REF: A. STATE 12905 
     B. STATE 11974 
 
Sensitive but unclassified, not for Internet distribution. 
 
1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: Econ Counselor and econoff delivered 
demarches on the US/EC proposals on labeling for textile, 
apparel, footware, and travel (TAFT) goods (ref A) and 
environmental goods and services (ref B) to Walid el-Nozahay, 
head of the WTO department at the Egyptian Ministry of Trade 
and Industry, on February 11. European Commission econ 
counselor Christophe Besse joined in the demarche on TAFT 
goods, but had no instructions regarding the environmental 
goods and services proposal.  Nozahay said both issues are 
under consideration and offered no definitive response.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
---------- 
TAFT goods 
---------- 
 
2.  (SBU) Before the meeting, we sent the TAFT negotiating 
text to Nozahay and sought formal co-sponsorship from the GOE 
on February 11.  He responded that he was waiting for comment 
from private-sector stakeholders at the Egyptian Federation 
of Industries.  Meanwhile, he noted that the proposal 
differed from an earlier EC paper and questioned whether the 
issue should be addressed bilaterally with the EC or in the 
WTO.  We and the EC jointly responded that the WTO was the 
appropriate venue.  Nozahay also suggested that labels should 
include trademark and size information. 
 
------------------- 
Environmental Goods 
------------------- 
 
3.  (SBU) In response to the US-EC proposal to eliminate 
tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade in environmental 
goods and services, Nozahay said that the GOE disagrees with 
the Indian project approach and is formulating its own list 
of environmental goods based on the World Bank list and the 
interests of Egyptian private industry.  Nozahay said his 
concern is the lack of a precise definition for environmental 
goods and services; i.e. do they include goods produced in an 
environmentally friendly way or include only goods whose use 
is beneficial to the environment?  We promised to seek 
clarification on the definition. 
 
4.  (SBU) Nozahay also questioned our assertion that Egyptian 
exports of the World Bank's climate-friendly goods totaled 
$629 million in 2006.  In fact, he said, Egyptian exports of 
the goods are negligible.  We promised to seek clarification 
on this point as well. 
 
5.  (SBU) Action request: Department is requested to provide 
more detail on the $629 million figure and a definition of 
environmental goods and services we can share with Nozahay. 
 
6. (SBU) Comment: The environmental goods and services 
demarche left us with no reason to question ref B assertion 
that the GOE is using the process of developing its own 
environmental-goods list to play for time in the NAMA 
negotiations. 
RICCIARDONE