RELEASED IN FULL

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ORIGIN INL-01

091579
SOURCE: CBLEXCLS .004767
DRAFTED BY: INL/AP:KWPALA –05/18/99 202_776_8729
APPROVED BY: INL:RBEERS
INL/AP:DFANTOZZI
INL/PC: SPETERSON
IO/T: ABLACKWOOD
INL/LP: BBACHMAN
OES/ETC: PTHOMAS
WHA/CO: CHOEY:
EPA/JKOUGH (SUBS)
G: SLISTON

                        ----------------------------- C9D8E6 181435Z /38

P R 181434Z MAY 99
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY
INFO AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
AMEMBASSY LA PAZ
AMEMBASSY LIMA
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY TASHKENT

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UNCLAS STATE 091579

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR, UNIDCP
SUBJECT: UNDCP:COLOMBIA AND THE MYCOHERBICIDE PROGRAM

REF: A. BEERS_ARLACCHI TELECON MAY 10

Current Class: UNCLASSIFIED

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
REVIEW AUTHORITY: SAM A. MOSKOWITZ
DATE/CASE ID: 24 AUG 1999 199902279Page: 2

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  1.    THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST.   SEE PARA 12.

2.    THE USG HAS REVIEWED THE UNITED NATIONS DRUG CONTROL
PROGRAM (UNDCP) PROJECT SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT ON
EXPERIMENTAL TESTING AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF AN
ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENT FOR COCA
ERADICATION. THE PROJECT SUMMARY REPRESENTS AN EXCELLENT
EFFORT TO DEVELOP A MYCOHERBICIDE TESTING PROGRAM. AS
MENTIONED IN REFTEL A, THE USG PLANS TO PROVIDE FUNDS FOR THE
PROJECT, AFTER WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW IT. AT THIS
JUNCTURE, WE HAVE SOME INITIAL COMMENTS ON THE PROJECT
SUMMARY. WE URGE THAT UNDCP TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THESE COMMENTS
ON THE PROJECT SUMMARY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MORE
DETAILED PROJECT DOCUMENT. AS NOTED IN REFTEL, THE USG PLANS
TO PROVIDE $400,000 FOR THE INITIAL START OF THE PROGRAM,
AFTER A FINAL REVIEW OF THE FINAL, SIGNED DOCUMENTS. THE USG
WOULD APPRECIATE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE ACTUAL PROJECT
DOCUMENT AS SOON AS A DRAFT BECOMES AVAILABLE.

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PAGE 03           STATE      091579     181434z
3.      THE USG BELIEVES THAT THE PROGRAM OBJECTIVES ACCURATELY
REFLECT OUR GOALS FOR THE MYCOHERBICIDE PROGRAM, INCLUDING
FIELD TESTS THAT ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS/HOST
SPECIFICITY/NON_TARGET SPECIES SAFETY, DETERMINATION IF THE
CONTROL METHOD WILL WORK IN ALL THE POSSIBLE HABITATS WHERE
ILLICIT COCA CULTIVATION OCCURS, AND PROMOTION OF LARGE SCALE
IMPLEMENTATION. BECAUSE THE USG RESEARCH HAS ALREADY LED TO
THE IDENTIFICATION OF A PLANT PATHOGEN THAT CAN DESTROY COCA,
WE RECOMMEND GIVING GREATER EMPHASIS TO FIELD TRIALS TO
ENSURE THAT THE PATHOGEN CAN EFFECTIVELY ELIMINATE COCA
WITHOUT CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT OR HUMAN HEALTH.
THE USG IS CONVINCED, BASED ON OUR OWN RESEARCH, THAT EN-4 IS
SAFE FOR A LIMITED FIELD TRIAL. OUR BELIEF IS FURTHER
REINFORCED BY THE UNDCP INFORMATION THAT THE EN-4 STRAIN OF
FUSARIUM HAS ALREADY BEEN DETECTED IN COLOMBIA, THEREBY
OBVIATING THE ISSUE OF IMPORTING EXOTIC PLANT PATHOGENS INTO
THAT COUNTRY.

4.    WE WOULD URGE THAT THE FORMULATION OF THE UNDCP PROJECT
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE EXTENSIVE USG RESEARCH USING FUSARIUM
TO TARGET ILLICIT COCA. UNDCP. THROUGH DR. MIKE GREAVES OF
THE U.K._IACR STATION, LONG ASHTON, HAS ALREADY EVALUATED THE
HOST RANGE AND EXPLORATION DATA THE USG HAS DEVELOPED
PERTINENT TO EN_4 AND OTHER COCA PATHOGENS.

5.    THE HIGHEST PRIORITY FOR THE UNDCP PROGRAM SHOULD BE TO
ESTABLISH A FIELD TRAIL TO EVALUATE FUSARIUM OXYSPORUM,

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STRAIN EN-4, WHICH TO DATE, HAS SHOWN THE MOST PROMISE FOR
CONTROL OF ILLICIT COCA. TO DO SO, UNDCP MAY WANT TO FOCUS
ON HIRING A COORDINATOR TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR THE FIELD TRIAL
AND ENGAGE A COLLABORATING COLOMBIAN INSTITUTION. (THE USG

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THROUGH USDA AND ITS COLLABORATORS ARE WILLING TO PROVIDE ANY
ISOLATES AND FORMULATED MATERIAL SUFFICIENT TO CONDUCT A
LIMITED FIELD TRIAL WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE CURRENT UNDCP
PROPOSAL. )

6.    A COLOMBIAN COUNTERPART INSTITUTION SHOULD BE CAPABLE OF
APPLYING THE MYCOGEN. EVALUATING FIELD TRIAL RESULTS AS WELL
AS DATA OBTAINED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, AND PARTICIPATING IN
THE UNDCP EXPERTS PANEL WHICH WILL BE CONVENED TO EVALUATE
THE FIELD TRIALS. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY PRECONCEIVED IDEAS ON
WHICH COLOMBIAN INSTITUTION WOULD BE MOST APPROPRIATE. USDA
OFFICIALS INDICATE THAT UNDCP MAY WANT TO CONSIDER EITHER THE
COLOMBIAN MINISTRY OP AGRICULTURE WHICH HAS A PLANT PATHOGEN
AND INSECT LABORATORY ASSOCIATED WITH INIA IN SOUTHERN BOGOTA
OR THE UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS ANDES IN BOGOTA, BOTH OF WHICH HAVE
EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH PLANT PATHOGENS. THE MINISTRY OF
ENVIRONMENT IS ANOTHER POSSIBLE COUNTERPART.

7.     ONCE A COLOMBIAN COUNTERPART IS ESTABLISHED, UNDCP SHOULD
CONSIDER TRAINING SOMEONE IN COLOMBIA TO FORMULATE THE
MYCOHERBICIDE IN SITU, FOR APPLICATION AT A CAREFULLY
SELECTED FIELD SITE(S). UNDCP MAY WANT TO CONSIDER THAT USDA
AND MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY BOTH HAVE EXPERIENCE IN
PROVIDING SUCH TRAINING.

8.      WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF A PANEL OF EXPERTS
IN THE SOUND EVALUATION OF FIELD TRIALS AND IN THE REVIEW OF
A POSSIBLY BROADER PROGRAM. WHILE IT IS IMPORTANT FOR SUCH A
PANEL TO BE ENGAGED EARLY SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND AND ARE
SUPPORTIVE OF PROJECT DESIGN, WE SUGGEST THAT THE PROCESS BE
STREAMLINED IN ORDER TO EXPEDITE THE TRIALS. WE BELIEVE

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CONDUCTING THE TRIALS IN A REALISTIC SIMULATION IN SOUTH
AMERICA SHOULD BE A KEY PRIORITY OF THE PROGRAM.

COSTS

9.   WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SEE GREATER DETAIL ON THE BUDGET BREAKDOWN/JUSTIFICATION IN THE FINAL DOCUMENT. WE ARE
CONCERNED THAT SOME COSTS MAY BE TOO HIGH AND OTHERS TOO LOW.

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Current Class: UNCLASSIFIED  
Current Handling: n/a
Document Number: 1999STATE091579

THE UNDCP PROGRAM IN UZBEKISTAN, WHICH IS CONDUCTING A
SIMILAR EVALUATION AND FIELD TRIAL PROGRAM AGAINST ILLICIT
OPIUM, MAY PROVE A USEFUL MODEL FOR FIELD TRIALS IN COLOMBIA.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE UNDCP PROJECT IN UZBEKISTAN INVOLVES
ASSESSING A WIDE ARRAY OF POTENTIAL PLANT PATHOGENS. THE
COST OF THIS EXPLORATION AND FIELD TRIAL IS APPROXIMATELY
$300,000.

PROCESS/FUNDING

10.     THE USG PLANS TO SUPPORT THE UNDCP PROJECTS; HOWEVER WE
URGE UNDCP TO SOLICIT FUNDS FROM OTHER GOVERNMENTS, IN ORDER
TO AVOID A PERCEPTION THAT THIS IS SOLELY A USG INITIATIVE.

11.      IT WOULD ALSO BE USEFUL IF THE PROGRAM COULD BE BROKEN
INTO COMPONENTS OR PHASES SO THAT IT COULD BEGIN WHEN THE
PROJECT DOCUMENT IS SIGNED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF COLOMBIA. IN
ORDER TO PROVIDE THE $400,000 NOTED ABOVE AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE, WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A BREAKDOWN OF A SHORTER OR
PILOT PROGRAM. AS NOTED THE USG PLANS TO PROVIDE $400,000
WITH A POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING BEFORE THE END OF FY99.

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12.  ACTION REQUEST: UNVIE PLEASE PASS INITIAL COMMENTS
REGARDING THE MYCOHERBICIDE PROGRAM AS OUTLINED ABOVE TO
UNDCP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. DEPARTMENT WOULD APPRECIATE A
READOUT ON THE STATUS OF THE PROJECT DOCUMENT, PLANS FOR
UNDCP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ARLACCHI TO VISIT COLOMBIA (WITH A
POSSIBLE STOP IN WASHINGTON), AND INITIAL REACTION TO USG
COMMENTS.
ALBRIGHT

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