Cablegate: Argentina's Progress On Mercury Partnerships

VZCZCXYZ0011
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #1826 2261852
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 141852Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5554

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001826

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR OES/ENV ANGELA BEDNAREK

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV TSPL ETRD AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA'S PROGRESS ON MERCURY PARTNERSHIPS

REF: STATE 130753

1. Reftel requested information concerning Argentina's
participation in partnerships geared to reducing mercury
contamination, with an eye to the February 2007 UNEP
Governing Council meeting, where mercury will be an agenda
item. The Embassy spoke on August 11 with Gonzalo Entenza of
the MFA's Office of the Environment, who said that Argentina
was aware of UNEP's request for a progress letter and plans
to respond by the September 1 deadline.

2. Entenza briefly went over recent steps Argentina has
taken against mercury contamination, which included hosting
(in August 2006) what he termed "the first Latin American
conference on the elimination of mercury in health care."
That conference was jointly sponsored by the Pan American
Health Organization, Health Care Without Harm (in association
with UNEP), and Argentina's Ministry of Health and
Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development.

SIPDIS
Argentina has also been actively participating in UNEP's
international meetings on the subject, according to Entenza.
MATERA

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