VZCZCXRO1328
OO RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #1532 3432231
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 082231Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8831
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2280
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 2244
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 1542
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 3403
C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 001532
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2018
TAGS: PREL KN CA
SUBJECT: FM CANNON LOOKING FOR WAYS TO HELP ON DPRK FUEL OIL
REF: A. OTTAWA 1523
B. STATE 127557
Classified By: PolMinCouns Scott Bellard, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (U) This is an action request -- see para 4.
2. . (C) Department of Foreign Affairs and International
Trade (DFAIT) Assistant Deputy Minister for Asia and Africa
Ken Sundquist confirmed to DCM on December 8 that he had
briefed Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon on a possible
Canadian contribution for heavy fuel oil for North Korea and
its importance to the Six Party Talks (reftels). According
to Sundquist, FM Cannon "wants to be helpful" and hopes to
have an answer for Secretary Rice at their meeting in
Washington on December 12. Sundquist promised that DFAIT
staff would continue to work on securing funding.
3. (C) Comment: Despite Sundquist's signal that the foreign
minister was intent on finding a way to be helpful, the
nature of Canada's cabinet government may limit Cannon's
response to saying he is "actively exploring" options for a
contribution for HFO purchases. If, somehow, he is able to
fast-track his request through the Treasury Board, he may
tell the Secretary that he is "actively consulting" with
cabinet, which would indicate that he has been
bureaucratically more successful in finding money for HFO.
Canada's current obsession with domestic political
maneuvering (which led to a temporary suspension of
Parliament on December 4) and the government's hesitation
about posting Canada's first budget deficit in over a decade
will make it more difficult than usual for the government to
launch a new program like this. End Summary.
4. (C) Action request: to underscore the importance of this
issue to the USG, Embassy recommends that a Canadian HFO
contribution definitely be part of the Secretary's December
12 meeting agenda with FM Cannon.
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada
BREESE