VZCZCXYZ0008
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #1997 2951718
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211712Z OCT 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 0000
INFO ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0000
RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 0000
RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 0000
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0000
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0000
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0000
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0000
RUEHRK/AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK 0000
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0000
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 0000
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 0000
RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW 0000

UNCLAS STATE 111997 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG NO PREL SENV KGHG XT XG
SUBJECT: NORWAY HOSTS INFORMAL ARCTIC MEETING 
 
REF: COPENHAGEN 321 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary:  The Norwegian foreign ministry hosted an 
informal sub-ministerial Arctic meeting, outside the Arctic 
Council, in Tromso October 13-14.  Arctic Council member 
states, Permanent Participants and state observers were 
briefed on the influence of non-CO2 drivers in Arctic 
warming; took stock of progress of the Council's "Snow, 
Water, Ice, Permafrost in the Arctic" (SWIPA) assessment; 
heard about Russian plans to table a proposal on emergency 
preparedness and response in the region; and discussed the 
role of observers and associated Council reforms to enhance 
their participation.  Denmark signaled its intent, when it 
takes over as Council chair in April 2009, to seek Council 
input to the COP-15 climate summit in Copenhagen.  No 
decisions were taken nor concluding statement issued.  End 
Summary. 
 
Background 
 
¶2.  (U) This meeting was announced by Foreign Minister Stoere 
at the May Ilulissat Arctic Ocean Conference (Reftel).  At 
that time it was described as a briefing for the Arctic 
Council member states and Permanent Participants who were not 
invited to Ilulissat.  Participation in the Arctic Ocean 
Conference was limited to the five Arctic coastal states 
(Denmark, Norway, U.S., Russia, Canada) and was for the 
purpose of demonstrating solidarity in peacefully resolving 
potentially overlapping extended continental shelf claims. 
 
¶3.  (U) Over time, the meeting evolved into an unofficial 
exchange on climate science developments and Arctic Council 
structural issues.  Although the Ilulissat Declaration was 
alluded to, it was not explicitly included in the agenda. 
The Tromso meeting included participation by seven of the 
eight Arctic Council member states (Canada declined to 
participate due to its October 14 national election) and only 
one of the Permanent Participants (the Saami Council).  The 
meeting was hosted and chaired by State Secretary for Foreign 
Affairs, Elisabeth Walaas.  OAS DAS David Balton led the U.S. 
delegation, which included the U.S. Senior Arctic Official 
(SAO) and Regional Environment Officer (REO). 
 
Short-term, non-CO2 Drivers of Climate Change 
 
¶4.  (U) In a session moderated by John Calder of NOAA, Dr. 
Drew Shindell of NASA/Goddard briefed the group on the state 
of the science on short-lived Arctic climate forcers (in 
contrast to carbon dioxide which is long-lived in the 
atmosphere).  These include black carbon (soot), tropospheric 
ozone (smog), and methane, which mostly originate outside the 
Arctic but which contribute to accelerated Arctic warming for 
various reasons.  A series of workshops on this subject, the 
most recent of which took place in Oslo September 15-16 in 
conjunction with the Arctic Council,s Arctic Monitoring and 
Assessment Program (AMAP), acknowledge the significant 
scientific uncertainty but recommended that the Arctic 
Council consider a political commitment to taking voluntary 
action to address these gasses and pollutants. 
 
¶5.  (U) The workshop recommendations, to be presented to the 
Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials (SAOs) next month in 
Kautokeino, include enhancing and expanding networks to 
monitor short-lived forcers; maximizing methane emission 
reductions by Arctic nations in the near term (and possibly 
globally through non-Kyoto programs like Methane-to-Markets); 
limiting the burning of agricultural residues in springtime 
(leading up to the sensitive Arctic melt season); and 
undertaking feasibility studies on how best to address 
sources of these short-term forcing agents.  The group also 
recommended collaboration with the Executive Body of the 
Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP), 
with UNEP, and with the International Maritime Organization 
to limit these pollutants, as well as side events at UNFCCC 
COP-14 in Poznan and COP-15 in Copenhagen.  DAS Balton 
expressed U.S. interest in reviewing the recommendations with 
a view toward exploring possibilities for taking early action. 
 
SWIPA Update 
 
¶6.  (U) Norwegian Polar Institute Research Director Kim 
Holmen said that the Arctic sea ice retreat in 2008 came 
close to the record-breaking 2007 minimum.  The low quality 
of Arctic Ocean sea ice (consisting of one to two-year cover) 
presages rapid future melting.  Dr. Margareta Johansson of 
Lund University reported on snow cover and permafrost trends, 
including uncertainty over the stability of subsea methane 
hydrates.  Rene Forsberg of the Danish National Space 
Institute reported that the Greenland ice sheet is in dynamic 
balance, but that the retreat of its outlet glaciers is 
accelerating.  The Iceland SAO remarked that increasing 
amounts of icebergs that calve from Arctic glaciers are a 
"ticking time bomb" for shipping, particularly given the 
increasing number of ships in the Arctic Ocean that are not 
ice-strengthened such as large cruise ships.  The Russian 
SAO, citing U.S. researchers at the Boulder-based National 
Snow and Ice Data Center, expressed skepticism that Greenland 
outlet glacier acceleration posed an imminent threat to 
global sea levels. 
 
Russians on Search and Rescue 
 
¶7.  (U) Russian SAO Anton Vasiliev said Russia was preparing 
a formal proposal to create an Arctic emergency 
preparedness/search and rescue (SAR) system it hoped to 
present to SAOs at their meeting next month.  The idea had 
been discussed in the EPPR working group and at the Ilulissat 
conference in May, he noted.  A priority would be to create a 
"safety net" around Arctic oil and gas facilities, nuclear 
power plants, and population centers (note: apparently only 
in Russia).  The proposal would take several years to 
implement and would include emergency risk assessments, the 
siting of response centers, and possible future consideration 
of an integrated Arctic response system.  A public/private 
partnership would permit mixed financing by enterprises such 
as Lukoil. 
 
¶8.  Vasiliev said that as chair of the Barents-Euro Arctic 
Council (BEAC), Russia had invested two million Euros over 
the past year, holding a September seminar in Dudinka, Russia 
on eco-system impacts of environmental emergencies (sponsored 
by Sweden), and an October 1-2 oil spill emergency 
exercise/simulation in Naryan-Mar at the Lukoil Verandey 
terminal with participation by nearly all of the Arctic 
countries (note: the U.S. sent a Coast Guard representative). 
 He invited other Council members to support the Russian 
initiative, saying they would be invited to collaborate 
through observation and exercises with Russian "crisis 
centers."  All delegations welcomed the prospective Russian 
initiative in general terms, while posing clarifying 
questions.  In doing so, DAS Balton recommended that Russia 
build upon existing arrangements under the IMO, ICAO, 
bilateral and multilateral SAR agreements.  Sweden suggested 
that an inventory of existing SAR-related arrangements and 
authorities be developed.  Pressed by Netherlands, the 
Russian said that while oil and gas was Russia's "natural 
focus," shipping and tourism could also be included.  The 
Saami Council representative welcomed Russian willingness to 
provide training to Arctic residents. 
 
Danish Preview Priorities 
 
¶9.  (U) Danish MFA Political Director Carsten Damsgaard said 
Denmark had hosted the May Ilulissat conference of the five 
Arctic coastal states to prevent tensions from emerging over 
the extended continental shelf claims process.  The meeting 
had been a great success, he said, in that all parties 
committed to abide by the existing international legal 
framework to resolve any overlapping claims.  Denmark's 
likely priorities when it assumes the chair of the Arctic 
Council in April 2009 would be to protect the fragile Arctic 
environment and to synthesize the Council's research on 
Arctic climate trends to help inform and guide policy 
discussions at the UNFCCC COP-15 meeting in December 2009 in 
Copenhagen.  Sweden, Iceland, Norway and several observers 
voiced support for the Danish proposal to provide Council 
inputs to COP-15.  (Note:  we did not verbally support this 
and will need to discuss in Washington). 
 
Arctic Council Structural Issues 
 
¶10.  (U) Elisabeth Walaas opened the discussion on Arctic 
Council matters by saying it was convinced the existing legal 
framework applicable to the Arctic was adequate, but that 
more work was needed on the implementation side.  She also 
stressed that the Arctic Council must become more responsive 
to rapidly changing Arctic conditions.  Walaas helpfully said 
that the subject of Arctic Council membership was not on the 
table, but that the member states should be open to making 
operational changes within the existing mandate that would 
facilitate observer participation.  The other member states 
(including Russia) voiced similar commitment to the existing 
framework.  A representative of the Parliamentarians of the 
Arctic Region called for ministerial-level meetings at least 
one per year (they are currently held biannually), but that 
view was not echoed by the member states.  Finland suggested 
that informal policy meetings like this one might be 
scheduled to alternate with ministerial meetings during off 
years where observer states could participate on a more level 
playing field with the Permanent Participants.  Norway lauded 
the performance of the six-year secretariat in Tromso, and 
urged it be made permanent. 
 
¶11.  (U) Norway invited interested Arctic Council observer 
states to participate freely in the informal meeting and to 
share information about their Arctic interests and how they 
could contribute to the sustainable development goals of the 
Council.  Poland, Italy, France, Germany, the U.K. and the 
Netherlands expressed interest in playing larger roles and 
advocated for participation in the Council's working groups. 
France announced it was co-sponsoring a conference on the 
Arctic in Monaco in November 2008 to promote European 
interest in Arctic scientific research.  Netherlands urged 
that observers be permitted to participate fully in all 
Council discussions, pledging that "we know our place and 
would not abuse the privilege."  Norway expressed support for 
observer participation in working groups and promised to 
develop recommendations for consideration by the SAOs on the 
role of observers. 
 
¶12.  (U) DAS Balton agreed with the view that the existing 
framework governing the Arctic (e.g. the law of the sea, 
various IMO instruments, and other environmental agreements) 
were generally adequate, and that we saw no need for a new 
comprehensive Arctic treaty.  He noted, however, that new or 
strengthened rules might also be needed on certain topics 
such as search and rescue, shipping and fisheries.  He noted 
that the U.S. believes the Council has been effective within 
the mandate it has been given.  DAS Balton expressed U.S. 
openness to reviewing the role of observers, and welcomed the 
interest in observership by new states.  He urged that in 
reviewing the role of observers the Council preserve what 
currently works well, including the role of Permanent 
Participants. Balton also reminded other participants of the 
need for all Arctic governments to facilitate access for 
scientific research. 
 
Comment 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Despite the confusing, and some would say 
problematic, way in which this meeting came to pass, it was 
useful in that it provided Arctic Council member states a 
chance to step back from the exigencies of formal meetings to 
reflect on new developments in Arctic science and how the 
overall operation can be improved.  It highlighted several 
opportunities: to engage with our Arctic neighbors on how 
best to mitigate environmental threats such as non-CO2 
forcers of climate change; how to enhance the participation 
of other states and organizations prepared to contribute to 
the work of the Council; and how best to address the growing 
need for search and rescue cooperation in the Arctic.  It 
also highlighted narrower national interests, including 
Norway's strong desire for a permanent AC Secretariat in 
Tromso, Russia,s domestic need for help with responding to 
Arctic emergencies, and the Danish intention to use their 
Arctic Council chairmanship to enhance the UNFCCC COP-15 
meeting they will host in December 2009.  Although the 
observer issue highlighted an area for institutional 
improvement, calls for radical change were absent. 
RICE