Cablegate: Canadian Views On the Congo Basin Forest

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS OTTAWA 001079

SIPDIS

KINSHASA PASS BRAZZAVILLE, YAOUNDE PASS BANGUI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV PREL CA CIDA
SUBJECT: CANADIAN VIEWS ON THE CONGO BASIN FOREST
PARTNERSHIP AND CONTINUING USG ROLE

REF: STATE 51280

1. Demarche requested in reftel was made to the Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA). While Canadian
officials were unable to respond on substance at the time of
the demarche, they subsequently provided the following
comments on the U.S. position.

2. Text of Canadian Response

We are very appreciative of the important role the U.S.
Government has played in launching the Partnership and
facilitating its first two years. It is good to know that
you plan to continue contributing to the Partnership. We
share your view that the CBFP is an informal forum for
information sharing and coordination and is neither an
implementation mechanism nor a sub-structure of COMIFAC. We
also agree that the CBFP should maintain as its principal
reference point the COMIFAC Plan de Convergence, given the
importance of country leadership in establishing priorities
and the imperative of working towards a common agenda.
Regretfully, we are not currently in a position to support
your request for a view on the composition of the
Consultative Committee, as Canada is not currently a Partner
of the CBFP. We continue to follow the evolution of the CBFP
with great interest and hope to clarify our status over the
coming months once we have greater certainty regarding the
nature of our engagement in the forest sector in Central
Africa over the coming years. End Text.

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DICKSON

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