INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Meet Ministerial Postponed: Global Conference On

Published: Mon 6 Oct 2008 08:03 AM
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DOS/OES FOR HARLAN WATSON
NSC FOR PAUL BROWN AND JONATHAN SHRIER
CEQ FOR LANDON VAN DYKE
DOT FOR LINDA LAWSON AND CAMILLE MITTELHOLTZ
FAA FOR CARL BURLESON
EPA FOR CHRISTOPHER GRUNDLER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELTN EWWT EAIR PREL AORC JA
SUBJECT: MEET MINISTERIAL POSTPONED: GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT IN TRANSPORT (MEET) IN TOKYO PUSHED
BACK
REF: A. TOKYO 1656
B. TOKYO 2441
1. (SBU) Summary: The October 22-24 Ministerial Conference on
Global Energy and Environment in Transportation (MEET) in
Tokyo will be postponed, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transportation and Tourism (MLIT) officials told EMIN October
3. Although MLIT has not formally announced a postponement,
they said it would be impossible to hold the meeting in
October, due to Japan's domestic political situation. End
Summary.
2. (SBU) MLIT Assistant Vice Minister for International
Affairs Tadashi Shimura and MLIT Policy Bureau International
Policy Planning Unit Director Yumi Yamaguchi called on EMIN
to share GOJ's current plans for the October 22-24 MEET
conference. Due to a possible dissolution of the Diet in
mid-October or November, Shimura said, MLIT has decided to
postpone the conference to "avoid embarrassment or
confusion." He said there would be "no way" to hold the
meeting in October. The next possible date would be in early
January when the Diet would not be in session, Shimura said,
though he understands this would be a difficult time for the
United States.
3. (SBU) Eight countries had agreed to send a Minister to the
conference, said Shimura, including France, Germany, Italy,
Australia, Korea, and the UK. The IMO and ICAO were also
planning to send a top official.
4. (U) Shimura provided copies of a letter to DOT and EPA
that the Japanese Embassy in Washington will deliver the week
of October 6 explaining the postponement. Embassy will
e-mail a copy of these letters to the Department, DOT, and
EPA.
SCHIEFFER
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