VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHFR #1738 3560730
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 220730Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7952
INFO RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 2769
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 7143

UNCLAS PARIS 001738 
 
STATE FOR EEB/TPP/MTAA/ABT - MARCELLA SZYMANSKI AND JACK BOBO 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR ECON TBIO ETRD KPAO FR
SUBJECT: FRANCE AGRICULTURAL BIOTECH OUTREACH PROPOSAL - FY 2010 
 
REF: STATE 122732 
 
¶1.   Embassy Paris Country Team presents this request for support 
from EEB FY 2010 biotech outreach funds for critical public outreach 
in France.  France remains an influential country both in the 
European Union (EU) and worldwide, especially in francophone 
developing countries. Post recognizes the discrepancy between 
France's high level commitment to development objectives, 
particularly in Africa, and its negative role regarding biotech 
development, which has impact beyond the EU.  A clear indication of 
France's commitment in world food security policy is the recent 
election of Luc Guyau as the new President of the FAO Council.  Mr. 
Guyau was previously President of the French Association of the 
Chambers of Agriculture, and former President of the leading French 
farmers union, FNSEA. 
 
¶2.  The proposed program for a U.S. speaker is based on the 
successful visit of Dr. Claude Fauquet under an EEB Bureau grant in 
FY 2009. This Franco-American researcher, Director of the 
International Laboratory of Tropical Agricultural Biotechnology 
(ILTAB) at the Danforth Plant Science Center in Saint-Louis, 
Missouri, visited Paris on June 15-17, 2009. 
 
¶3.  The speaker was selected based on previous successful programs, 
including the organization and partial State Department funding for 
travel to the United States by Dr. Marc Fellous, and of biotech 
outreach program speaker, Dr. Martina Newell-McGoughlin, in 2008. 
Both Fellous and McGoughlin suggested Dr. Fauquet as a speaker. 
 
¶4.  Post recommends Dr. Fauquet be selected again as the FY-2010 
biotech outreach speaker, as his visit in 2009 was a success.  The 
linkage of development and food security with biotechnology proved 
to have an impact with the French audiences.   We have not succeeded 
previously in linking agricultural development with biotech, despite 
our efforts.  This allowed Post to attract new audiences on the 
biotech issue.  An editorial published in La France Agricole weekly 
magazine in June 2009 illustrated Dr. Fauquet's impacton the French 
audience. The author of this editorial was Philippe Pavard, and an 
International Visitor alumnus.  The speaker's profile was perfect 
for addressing sensitive topics, given his French background, 
education, professional experience and language.  Moreover, Dr. 
Fauquet's approach to biotechnology for food security was 
compelling, given his research and application experience over years 
in Africa, and the fact that this work was being done under the 
auspices of a non-profit organization. 
 
¶5.  Post estimates travel cost at USD 6,500 for a total of 5 days in 
March 2010, including 3 days in Paris, 1 day in Montpellier, and 1 
day in Brussels, Belgium.  This timing would allow Dr. Fauquet to 
have a large audience (including media coverage) during the annual 
international agricultural show held in Paris.  Targeted audience 
would include journalists from both popular and agricultural press 
(to widen Dr. Fauquet press audience from 2009, when only 
agricultural press was met); the various French government 
ministries involved in agriculture, development and technology 
(while in 2009, only French Ministry of Agriculture representatives 
were available to meet with Dr. Fauquet); key stakeholders in the 
development and food security domains in French and international 
organizations including Paris-based OECD and French FAO members; and 
 researchers and students in Universities focusing in agriculture, 
development and food security. 
 
¶6.  The US Mission to the European Union has cleared this message 
and also supports the request.  USEU will program Dr. Fauquet for 
meetings with contacts at the EU Institutions. 
 
RIVKIN