ENGLISH SYNOPSIS OF NICARAGUAN ARMS CONTROL PROPOSAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TEGUCIGALPA 002383

SIPDIS

STATE FOR P, T, WHA, WHA/CEN, PM, AND INR/IAA
NSC FOR SHANNON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL MASS MCAP PBTS PINR HO
SUBJECT: ENGLISH SYNOPSIS OF NICARAGUAN ARMS CONTROL PROPOSAL

REF: A. MANAGUA 2274

B. TEGUCIGALPA 2022

C. MANAGUA 2575

D. MANAGUA 2585

E. SECSTATE 249219

F. MANAGUA 2659

G. USDAO TEGUCIGALPA 041716Z SEP 03

H. TEGUCIGALPA 2380



1. Below is an informal translation of the substantive parts
of the Nicaraguan arms control proposal of July 2003,
formally titled "The Program to Limit and Control Arms in
Central America to Achieve a Reasonable Balance of Forces and
Foster Stability, Mutual Confidence, and Transparency"(ref
A). Post reported in refs G and H the Honduran response to
the Nicaraguan proposal.

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Synopsis of Nicaraguan Arms Control Proposal
--------------


2. Objectives:

The document represents a formal proposal by the Government
of Nicaragua to limit and control armaments in Central
America to achieve a reasonable balance of forces and
establish mutual confidence, transparency, and
institutionalize civilian control of the military. The
Nicaraguan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense,
and other government ministries that handle national defense
issues endorsed the document. It was signed on July 16,

2003.

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The Process
--------------

Reasonable Balance of Forces

- Outline national reasonable balance of forces
- OAS concurrence given potential national and regional
threats
- Presenting national arms inventories to SICA according to
the format approved by the Council of Foreign Ministers (Aug
6, 2003)
- Format and define the inventories of the public security
institutions (Aug 6, 2003)
- Present the arms inventories of the public security
institutions
- Establish maximum limits for national armed forces

--------------
Arms Control
--------------

- Establish a mechanism to verify, limit, and control arms
inventories in each country and at the regional level. Also
develop ways to secure arsenals against theft and
proliferation. This can be accomplished by state entities
working with the OAS. (Proposed time-line: Three months for
creation of state entities; six months for regional
organization)
- Determine a process to destroy, transfer, or securely store
excess arms in concordance with national laws and
international treaty obligations.
- Determine prohibited offensive weapons that are
destabilizing to the region
- Establish a moratorium on the acquisition of new offensive
weapons
- Proceed with the gradual and progressive destruction of
arms that are determined to be prohibited
- Implement a standardized methodology to track national
defense spending (done through the UN or the OAS)
- Destruction of seized arms from illicit activities that
fall outside of the agreed upon regional balance of forces
- Establish a uniform national registry for explosives

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Modernization and Professionalization
--------------

- Continue the modernization and professionalization of
military and public security forces, taking into account
national law, traditional and non-traditional threats, while
also focusing on humanitarian aid and response to natural
disasters

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Other Confidence Building Measures
--------------

- Strengthen the mechanisms for peaceful resolution of
conflicts in the Treaty on Democratic Security in Central
America
- Develop a regional code of ethics for transparency in the
transfer of arms
- Pass national laws for the control of arms with the overall
objective of reaching a standardization of such regulations
- Ratify, or speed up the implementation of, the following
international treaties regarding arms control:
Treaty on Democratic Security in Central America;
United Nations Registry of Conventional Arms;
Standard Report on Military Expenditures;
Inter-American Convention Against the Fabrication and
Trafficking in Illicit Firearms, Munitions, Explosives,
and Other Related Material;
Inter-American Convention for the Transparency in the
Acquisition of Conventional Arms;
Model Regulations for the International Control of
Firearms, Components, and Munitions from the Inter-
America Convention to Control Drug Abuse;
1972 Convention against the Development, Production, or
Storage of Biological or Toxic Weapons and for Their
Destruction;
1993 Convention against the Development, Production,
Storage, or Use of Chemical Weapons and for Their
Destruction;
The last two Protocols of the 1980 Convention Regarding
Prohibitions and Restrictions Against the Deployment of
Certain Conventional Arms Considered Excessively Harmful
or Indiscriminant;
1997 Convention Against the Use, Storage, Production, or
Transfer or Anti-Personnel Mines and for Their
Destruction.

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Implementation
--------------

- The Central American Council on Security (SICA) and its
relevant subcommittees would oversee the implementation of
this agreement.

- For Implementation: Ministry's of Foreign Relations,
Defense, Government and Security in conjunction with Chief of
the military and police.

- For Compliance: The above-mentioned body will have the
support of SICA with the General Secretary of SICA acting as
a permanent officer for the Council.

Annex I

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Foundation and References
--------------

- Reaffirms the principles and agreements of the Treaty on
Democratic Security in Central America, particularly those
established in Title III
- Reaffirms the international rights established in the
United Nations Charter and the Organization of American
States
- Affirms the decisions established by the Presidents,
Council of Foreign Ministers, and SICA in their February 19,
2003 Communiqu adopting the model format for arms
inventories
- Refers to the Declaration of the Fifth Conference of
Defense Ministers of the Americas in Santiago, Chile 18-22
November 2002 in reference to transparency in the acquisition
of weapons and defense budgets.

Annex II

Glossary

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Legal Framework for Arms Control Agreement
--------------

The legal framework for this agreement is laid out in the
Treaty on Democratic Security in Central America which
obligates each party to the Agreement to deploy armed forces
in a balanced and reasonable manner for the establishment of
peaceful, democratic, and prosperous atmosphere in the
region.

-------------- Reasonable Balance of Forces

A reasonable balance of forces for each country depends on
the necessities of each state to confront threats to the
national interest and the ability to economically sustain
them.
-------------- Maximum Force Levels

During the process of reaching reasonable balanced forces
each state will define its necessary force levels to confront
potential threats. In some cases this could lead states to
determine that their current force structure is insufficient
and that in the short term augmentation is necessary.
However, this would need to proceed with caution so as not to
be perceived as seeking offensive weapons or skewing the
military equilibrium. The idea of collective defense should
be kept in mind when analyzing transnational threats.

-------------- Moratorium

To establish a moratorium on the acquisition of newly
classified offensive weapons it is understood that the
modernization of the armed forces to replace obsolete
equipment and allow for regional interoperability is allowed
within the confines of lawful activity and potential threats
each state faces.

-------------- Offensive Arms

Offensive arms are defined as any weapons (sea, air, land)
that could constitute a possible threat, could be considered
destabilizing, or could throw of regional equilibrium.

-------------- Surplus Arms

It is up to each country to determine appropriate force
levels as long as they are not in violation off international
treaties.


3. Annex III of the proposed agreement gives detailed
descriptions of the following parameters, which serve to
guide the work on these issues:

Constitutional and Judicial Aspects;
Considerations in Determining Necessary Force Levels for
Each State;
Planning of Optional Force Levels;
Implementing of a Reasonable Balance of Forces System;
Sustainability of a Reasonable Balance of Forces System;
Proposed Methodology and Development of a Reasonable
Balance of Forces System.

Palmer