Cablegate: Czech Republic: Toeing the Eu Line On Food Aid

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS PRAGUE 001284

SIPDIS

STATE FOR JANET SHANNON, USAID PASS TO DALE SKORIC,
AGRICULTURE PASS TO FAS/ELIZABETH AUTRY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID EAGR EZ WTRO
SUBJECT: CZECH REPUBLIC: TOEING THE EU LINE ON FOOD AID

REF: STATE 155973

1. (U) EconOff delivered reftel demarche to the Ministry of
Agriculture, Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry of Agriculture, which has
the lead on this issue, stated that the GOCR supports the EU
position on this matter and that further discussion within
the GOCR will be put on hold until after the Hong Kong
ministerial in December.

2. (U) Agriculture's Secretary of the National FAO Committee
Jiri Muchka said that the Czech Republic does not have a
separate opinion from the EU on the issue; The EU prefers
that the World Food Program be the responsible body for
future monitoring and analysis of food aid, not the CSSD, a
position determined during special Food Aid Committee
meetings in Brussels at the beginning of this year. Muchka
noted that one of the considerations in supporting the EU
position on this issue is his belief that the Czech Republic
is unrepresented at the CSSD in Washington. Both Ministries
of Agriculture and Trade made it clear that the Food Aid
Convention will form the basis of further discussion on this
issue. They believe that the WTO is the appropriate forum
for a discussion of food aid, at least as to how it will
affect the overall agriculture market.
CABANISS

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