Wikileaks - DIX
84093 11/2/2006 15:35 06BUCHAREST1679 Embassy Bucharest UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY 06STATE162288 VZCZCXRO7707 PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHBM #1679 3061535 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 021535Z NOV 06 FM AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5487 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS UNCLAS BUCHAREST 001679
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE SIPDIS
STATE PASS OES/PCI - LLEWIS
E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL, SENV, KCRM, RO SUBJECT: ROMANIA SUPPORTS BSEC ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE
REF: A. STATE 162288
B. 10/18/06 ROCKWELL - LEWIS EMAIL C. BUCHAREST 730
1. Following Embassy,s delivery of reftel A demarche in early October, Econoff and regional environmental hub officer Sam Kotis met with the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs BSEC coordinator, Florica Barbu on October 18. Barbu delivered a dipnote formally stating Romania's support for the U.S. initiative (text below). Barbu recommended that we provide details of our proposal in order for BSEC to take it up in a more serious way. He also suggested a procedural strategy: that we submit a formal proposal to the BSEC General Secretariat in Istanbul by means of a note verbale. The member states passed a resolution in April at the Bucharest Ministerial calling for increased observer state participation (reftel C). Our proposal, coming on the heels of this resolution, would be hard for any one country to dismiss (i.e. Russia).
2. Barbu commented that the next BSEC country chair, Serbia, may have resource issues in hosting a workshop. Serbia's agenda as chair is light compared to its predecessors (Romania and Russia). The country would likely be open to outside initiative. Barbu mentioned that Serbia has approached Romania about hosting one or more meetings due to its resource constraints.
3. BEGIN TEXT OF DIPLOMATIC NOTE:
No. 5187
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania presents its compliments to the Embassy of the United States of America in Bucharest and with reference to the Verbal Note, dated 3 October 2006, has the honor to inform that Romania welcomes the American initiative to launch, on the occasion of the 15-th Meeting of the BSEC Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Moscow, 1 November 2006), a project meant to enhance the cooperation in the field of environmental protection.
Such a project, with a deadline of application of six months, will be very useful for the BSEC Member States, as a special input coming from an Observer State, and particularly for the Republic of Serbia in its endeavor to assure a successful Chairmanship of BSEC.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to confirm its full support for the American initiative and will act, during the Ministerial Meeting in Moscow, for the adoption of a resolution favoring implementation of this project in the framework of BSEC.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Embassy of the United States in Bucharest the assurances of its highest consideration.
Bucharest, 17 October 2006
The Embassy of the Unites States of America Bucharest
END TEXT
Taubman
