Cablegate: Demarche Delivered: Us Position On Iea 2009-2010

VZCZCXRO6342
PP RUEHLA
DE RUEHMD #1310 3501240
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 151240Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5772
INFO RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1519
RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA 3713

UNCLAS MADRID 001310

SIPDIS

EEB/ESC: JOEL KOPP; USOECD: PAMELA BATES

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ENRG SP IEA
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: US POSITION ON IEA 2009-2010

REF: SECSTATE 129509

1. Econoff delivered reftel demarche December 10 to MFA's
Juan Luis Munoz de Laborde, explaining the US's position on
funding the International Energy Agency (IEA) for the
2009-2010 budget and beyond. Munoz de Laborde, who is the
Deputy Director for Multilateral Economic Relations,
expressed his appreciation for the US position clarification
prior to the December 16-17 Paris meetings.

2. After consulting with representatives of the Ministry of
Industry and the Spanish Embassy to the OECD, Munoz de
Laborde offered on December 15 the following GOS position.
First, the GOS in principle is in favor of "scale of
contribution" reform. According to Munoz de Laborde, this
reform would allow Spain to make adjustments in relation to
its economic reality, although it likely would not greatly
affect the level of Spain's contribution since Spain is a
mid-size OECD participant. Second, the GOS is in favor of
supporting zero real growth funding, arguing that since the
IEA budget has been frozen for about a decade, zero nominal
growth might be too restrictive.
AGUIRRE

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