VZCZCXRO4603
RR RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHRL #0218 0531025
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221025Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0495
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS BERLIN 000218
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR OES STAN SPECHT, CAMILLE HILL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ENRG SENV TRGY GM
SUBJECT: GERMAN MINISTERS TO ATTEND WIREC, MAY USE OCCASION
TO LOBBY FOR IRENA
REF: A. A. STATE 15566
B. B. STATE 521
C. C. MEGILL-SPECHT EMAIL 02/22/2008
1. (SBU) Summary: German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel
and Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Heidemarie
Wieczorek-Zeul will attend the March 4-6 Washington
International Renewable Energy Conference. The rest of the
German delegation has registered online. The Germans may use
WIREC as a platform to lobby for the establishment of an
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
2. (SBU) Embassy Berlin transmitted WIREC invitation letters
from Secretary Rice on January 7 to Gabriel, Wieczorek-Zeul,
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Economics and
Technology Minister Michael Glos, Agriculture Minister Horst
Seehofer and Federal Chancellery Infrastructure Policy
Director Peter Roesgen. Embassy Berlin also transmitted
several panelist invitation letters from Under Secretary for
Global Affairs Dobriansky in early January.
3. (SBU) After multiple inquiries, the Environment Ministry
confirmed to Embassy Berlin on February 19 that both Gabriel
and Wieczorek-Zeul will attend WIREC. While Economic
Minister Glos conveyed his regrets on February 13, the
Embassy has not received formal replies from other
ministries. German Agriculture Ministry officials expressed
frustration to FAS that the Environment Ministry was not
including them in WIREC preparations. The Agriculture
Ministry is interested in participating in WIREC, but due to
internal German government concerns they will not attend
(NOTE: Environment Ministry officials have deflected
questions on this matter. END NOTE). Environment Ministry
contacts reported that individual delegation members have
been registered on the WIREC website and that they have
received confirmation emails from Washington. The
Environment Ministry provided the complete list of German
delegation members to the Embassy on February 22, which we
subsequently passed to OES (ref C). Environment Ministry
contacts were unable to confirm that all registered
individuals will in fact attend WIREC.
4. (SBU) Jan Jost, Project Manager for North American Affairs
at the Federation of German Industries (BDI) told ECONOFF
February 6 that BDI members were disappointed that
invitations to the WIREC business conference side event had
"not gone to the appropriate individuals". Per guidance
received from OES, ECONOFF conveyed contact information for
the ACORE President along with a request for suggestions of
invitees to the senior stakeholder contingent to BDI. No
additional suggestions from BDI were transmitted.
5. (SBU) On February 12, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
hosted an informational briefing for the diplomatic corps on
their proposal for an International Renewable Energy Agency
(IRENA). IRENA will bring together experts to promote and
finance the transfer of renewable energies to developing
countries. Environment Ministry State Secretary Matthias
Machnig said it was no longer a question of whether to launch
IRENA but how. The Germans will host an April 10-11
conference in Berlin on the logistics of setting up such an
agency. They plan to have a follow up conference in October
2008 and then found "centers of excellence" in 2009. We
expect the German delegation will use WIREC as a platform to
solicit support for IRENA.
TIMKEN JR