Canada supported the US but….

Canada’s director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Pamela O’Donnell said her country had similar concerns with the United States over Zimbabwe’s Environment Minister Francis Nhema chairing the 16^th meeting of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.

The Canadian delegation was therefore going to be led by her deputy Rachel McCormick. But she said that while Canada was not going to be represented at a high level, this was not a departure from previous meetings as it had been years since a Canadian minister attended.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 08OTTAWA563, CANADIAN REPRESENTATION AT CSD-16

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UNCLAS OTTAWA 000563

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA, IO/EDA AND OES/ENV

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: SENV AORC PREL EAGR EUN EAID ECON CA

SUBJECT: CANADIAN REPRESENTATION AT CSD-16

REF: STATE 40180

Sensitive but Unclassified. Protect accordingly.

¶1. (SBU) Embassy made demarche requested reftel and discussed

U.S. views on Zimbabwe chairing the 16th session of the UN

Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-16) with Pamela

O’Donnell, director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and

International Trade’s Sustainable Development Division.

O’Donnell confirmed that Canada has similar concerns with

Francis Nhema chairing CSD-16 and is “on the same wavelength”

with the U.S. on this matter.

¶2. (SBU) O’Donnell said the Canadian delegation to the

meeting will be lead by her deputy (Rachel McCormick), but

that the highest ranking member of the delegation will

actually be a director general (roughly equivalent to a

deputy assistant secretary) from Agriculture Canada. While

Canada will thus not be represented at a high level at

CSD-16, this in fact is not a departure from previous

meetings: O’Donnell said it had been years since a Canadian

minister attended.

¶3. (SBU) O’Donnell added that Canadian officials had been

hearing rumors recently that Zimbabwe might yield chair

duties for the meeting to Tanzania, ostensibly because Nhema

might not be able to depart Zimbabwe.

Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at

http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada

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