VZCZCXRO7235
OO RUEHPT
DE RUEHBY #0093/01 0360810
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 050810Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2630
INFO RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3822
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0238
RUEHBN/AMCONSUL MELBOURNE 6959
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 5226
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 5238
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CANBERRA 000093 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR OES/OA BALTON, PHELPS, OES/ENRC LEE, OES/OMC 
GIBBONS-FLY, COMMERCE PLEASE PASS NOAA MEDINA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2020 
TAGS: SENV EFIS AS
SUBJECT: CORRECTED COPY -- GARRETT COOL TO WHALING DEAL, 
SEEKS MORE ON CORAL, RESEARCH 
 
REF: PHELPS-ATKINSON EMAIL 2/5 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey L. Bleich, Reasons 1.4 (b)(d) 
 
CORRECTED COPY -- CORRECTED SIGNATURE LINE 
 
¶1. (C/NF) Summary:  Environment, Heritage and Arts Minister 
Peter Garrett raised enhanced coordination with the U.S. in 
the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), Antarctic conservation 
and logistics, and the current whaling negotiations with 
Ambassador Bleich on February 4.  Garrett believes that 
Australia will not be able to accept the current agreement 
being considered on whaling, and feels the U.S. and 
Australia, as the two most important donors in the CTI, need 
to increase coordination of efforts to ensure successful 
outcomes  under the CTI.  Garrett highlighted the opening of 
an air route to Antarctica from Australia and expressed 
interest in a visit that may include S or a congressional 
delegation.  He also expressed interest in additional 
discussion of emerging initiatives from the U.S. under the 
International Year of Biodiversity.  End Summary. 
 
WHALING DEAL IS NO DEAL 
----------------------- 
 
¶2. (C/NF) Garrett told Ambassador Bleich he appreciated the 
"robust" exchange between the U.S. and Australia on whaling 
and felt he could speak frankly.  In Garrett's view, the 
current agreement being negotiated in the International 
Whaling Commission (IWC) and its associated small groups 
would, in the end, be unacceptable to the Australian 
government as it fell short in several areas.  Garrett said 
the negotiating process had largely ground to a halt, with no 
"real" proposals on the table.  He said legislation pending 
in the Australian parliament (introduced by the Green Party 
on February 4 to examine the role of "spy flights" in Japan's 
planning for this year's whaling season) would strengthen 
anti-whaling sentiment in Australia, making it difficult for 
the government to accept the current proposals.  Garrett said 
the February 22 IWC Small Working Group briefings, which will 
alert the NGO and global community to the state of 
discussions, will be key for Australia's policy on the 
negotiations. 
 
¶3. (C/NF) In separate discussions on February 5, GOA 
officials confirmed significant concerns with the whaling 
negotiations but stopped short of Garrett's complete 
rejection.  PM Rudd's Foreign Policy Advisor Scott Dewar 
confirmed that there had not yet been any cabinet decision on 
whether to continue to work for a deal in the IWC.  At the 
same time, he told Pol-Econ Counselor that the current 
notional deal (on which there is no agreement in the IWC) is 
impossible to accept in the current political environment. 
DFAT's Paula Watt said that entreaties to Garrett and his 
DEWHA staff that the deal is a necessary step to reforming 
the IWC have "bounced off" Garrett and other negotiators. 
Watt said that the most likely chance for a cabinet meeting 
is on February 15, and that strong messages before that date 
may be needed to shore up support for a deal.  Watt further 
indicated that the current assessment is that Japanese FM 
Okada's visit will be too close to the February 22 NGO 
briefings to present any opportunity to get further with the 
GOJ. 
 
¶4. (C/NF) Garrett Chief of Staff David Williams told econoff 
that the GOA could accept a compromise that delivers a much 
Qthat the GOA could accept a compromise that delivers a much 
lower level of whaling, but it has to be accompanied by 
signals of commitment to address other key issues - 
sustaining the commercial moratorium, keeping whaling out of 
the southern sanctuary areas and Australian antarctic waters, 
bringing all whaling under the control of the IWC, and 
preventing future scientific whaling.  Absent any signals on 
these areas, Garrett and other political leaders will be 
under consistent attack on a deal that only addresses 
numbers, however low.  Williams was careful to say that 
Australia would not act precipitously and would signal its 
intentions clearly.  Pol-Econ Counselor and Econoff both 
echoed Commissioner Medina's message (ref email) on the 
importance of staying at the table to Dewar, Williams and 
Watt. 
 
CORAL TRIANGLE INITIATIVE 
 
CANBERRA 00000093  002 OF 002 
 
 
------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Garrett said that as the two major donors in the 
Coral Triangle Initiative, the U.S. and Australia should work 
more closely on coordinating efforts to ensure effective 
outcomes.  He noted that Indonesian President Yudhoyono had 
been a driving force behind the CTI, and was hosting the CTI 
secretariat in Indonesia.   Garrett said the challenge for 
the U.S. and Australia is to ensure participating countries 
understand that outcomes need to be regional, not national. 
He pointed to the secretariat's use of national action plans 
instead of a regional plan as a concern, and said he sought 
further discussions with NOAA Administrator Lubchenco on the 
CTI.  Garrett felt a strong signal could be sent on these 
issues during the President's planned visit to Indonesia in 
March. 
 
ANTARCTICA 
---------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) On Antarctica, Garrett felt the success of the 2009 
International Polar Year events highlighted the importance of 
the region in environmental and climate terms.  Garrett 
pointed to the availability of air transport from Australia 
in only four hours (compared to eight hours for U.S. aircraft 
based in New Zealand) as a strong incentive to travel there, 
and suggested senior USG officials interested in traveling in 
Antarctica could use Australia as a base vice the existing 
infrastructure in New Zealand.  The Ambassador noted his 
personal interest in Antarctic exploration and the interest 
of senior officials, including the Secretary and Speaker of 
the House in traveling to the polar region.  Garrett thanked 
the U.S. for participating in the Southern Ocean Research 
Program and hoped to hear more from the U.S. on its 
participation this year, including possible funding for 
projects under the partnership. 
 
¶7. (C/NF) Comment:  Garrett seemed eager to establish a good 
relationship with the Ambassador but was less relaxed in this 
meeting than we have seen him in the past.  While he was 
consistent with his positions on whaling, CTI and other 
conservation issues, he appeared less willing to push hard on 
those issues than in previous discussions both here and in 
Washington.  End Comment. 
 
BLEICH