Cablegate: Czech Response: Update and Action Request On

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FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0864
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000734

SENSITIVE
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STATE FOR EEB MLURIE AND JSPECK
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USAID FOR BHAMMINK
USDA FOR FAS/GSM WKMILLER AND FAS/OCRA DSALMON, BBAYSINGER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ECON ETRD TBIO EAID PGOV EZ
SUBJECT: CZECH RESPONSE: UPDATE AND ACTION REQUEST ON
PROPOSED GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR AGRICULTURE AND FOOD (GPAF)

REF: SECSTATE 123480

(U) This message is sensitive but unclassified. Please
protect accordingly.

1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 3.

2. (SBU) The regional FAS officer and EconOff delivered
reftel demarche November 25 to First Deputy Agriculture
Minister Ivo Hlavac. Hlavac agreed that food security is an
important issue but had two concerns. First he asked whether
there was sufficient time to prepare a GPAF meeting for the
first half of 2009, noting that it usually took the UN at
least six months to prepare its high-level meetings. Second,
he was concerned over how GPAF would impact the FAO financial
reform process. He noted that he had attended the FAO
meeting last week at which the Czechs had helped launch a
debate on FAO reform. The Czechs very much support efforts
to streamline FAO finances and introduce greater transparency
in FAO financial flows. He worried that creation of the GPAF
was just another way to ask for a big budget outside of the
FAO system.

3. (SBU) Post would welcome further information and points
that we could share with Hlavac to address his concerns.
Graber

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