Cablegate: Nicaragua Mute On Who Ipr Issues

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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMU #2457 3131616
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091616Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANAGUA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1662
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 0217
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0355

UNCLAS MANAGUA 002457

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE PASS USTR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KIPR ECON PREL WTO NU
SUBJECT: NICARAGUA MUTE ON WHO IPR ISSUES

REF: A. SECSTATE 144926

B. MANAGUA 2086
C. SECSTATE 121503

1. (SBU) On October 30, Econoff delivered Ref A demarche, on
Brazilian efforts to weaken intellectual property protections
for pharmaceuticals through World Health Organization fora,
to Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Development (MIFIC)
Director General for International Trade Sonia Somarriba. She
was unable to provide a substantive response, but promised to
study the issue. She explained that the MIFIC official who
covers World Trade Organization issues had recently left the
ministry and that for intellectual property rights she has no
permanent staff. Somarriba reported that Nicaragua's mission
in Geneva would represent Nicaragua in the upcoming
Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation
and Intellectual Property (IGWG).

2. (SBU) In a follow-up conversation on November 6, Somarriba
said the issue was still being studied. In response to a
related demarche delivered on September 6 (Ref C), MIFIC
officials said that the best we could hope for is that
Nicaragua would remain silent on this issue (Ref A).

3. (SBU) As requested in Ref A, post has forwarded this
information by email to Tanuja Garde at USTR.
TRIVELLI

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