CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): TS COMMENTS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002331

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AC/CB, NP/CBM, VC/CCB, L/ACV, IO/S
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISP
JOINT STAFF FOR DD PMA-A FOR WTC
COMMERCE FOR BIS (GOLDMAN)
NSC FOR CHUPA
WINPAC FOR FOLEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/16/2013
TAGS: PARM PREL EIND CWC
SUBJECT: CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): TS COMMENTS ON
IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIAL DATA DECLARATIONS

Classified By: Pete Ito, U.S. Delegation to the OPCW. Reasons: 1.5 (B,
D)


1. (U) This is CWC-91-03. Action required, see paragraph 7.


2. (U) Del representative Betsy Sanders met with Greg
Linden, chief of the Information Services Branch (ISB) of the
OPCW Technical Secretariat (TS),and Subhash Paradkar, CEO of
Sitar, Inc, Annandale, Va. Issues discussed included
availability of the foreign language versions of the Common
File Transmission System (CFTS) and ISB plans to integrate
the CFTS and the RDBMS, develop a security shell, and market
the tools for use in the TS and for industry data
declarations by States Parties (SP).


3. (U) Linden welcomed the availability of the French,
Spanish and Russian versions of the CFTS and requested that
they be made available to the TS as soon as possible. Del
relayed an offer from Washington to demonstrate the foreign
language versions, which Linden accepted. Linden offered to
make available a conference room so that all interested TS
personnel could attend. Del agreed to discuss availability
and get back with a proposed date. Linden requested that in
any event, the TS be provided copies of the foreign language
tools as soon as possible.


4. (C) In regard to the proposed use of the U.S. Voluntary
Contribution to integrate the CFTS and the RDBMS and develop
the security shell, Linden advised that ISB has to overcome a
severe perception issue before deploying the computer
software within the TS or to interested SPs. Apparently, it
is widely perceived within the TS that the CFTS and the RDBMS
are tools being imposed by the U.S., and potential users are
suspicious of them. In order to overcome this perception,
ISB has hired Paradkar as a consultant who will be
responsible for integrating the CFTS and the RDBMS and
creating the security shell that will ensure that restricted
data is available only to those who require access. As part
of this effort, Paradkar will transform the RDBMS and the
CFTS code into TS-owned code, create the security shell, and
then market the result to the verification division to
demonstrate its usefulness (predicted deployment in about six
months). At the same time, the TS will begin marketing the
result to interested SPs, encouraging first the countries
with the largest industries to submit their industry data
declarations electronically via the tool. The TS hopes that
between the various marketing efforts and word of mouth, the
tool will be in wide use within about a year's time.


5. (C) Due to the perception difficulty, the TS requests
that any technical discussions and clarifications of the CFTS
and RDBMS code by TS software developers with the
Washington-based developers be held in Washington. Linden
suggested that perhaps in six months to a year's time, it
might be possible to hold such discussions in The Hague if
needed.


6. (SBU) Linden and Paradkar told Del officer that the TS
will finish its preliminary review of the RDBMS and the CFTS
on 19 September. Del officer suggested that we meet
following EC-33. Topics of discussion could include
Washington's specific questions regarding the status of ISB's
work and ISB's use of the U.S. Voluntary Contribution for
this effort, and Linden and Paradkar could brief Del on the
results of their preliminary review and their views regarding
future directions.


7. (SBU) Action Request: Please advise status of the
foreign language versions of the CFTS and whether they can be
Fed Ex'ed to The Hague. Please advise whether Washington
wishes to sponsor a demonstration of the foreign langauge
versions and if so, please propose dates which can be realyed
to Linden. Please advise whether Washington agrees that
Del-sponsored meeting with Linden and Paradkar would be a
reasonable forum in which to get an update on TS work and to
relay/receive answers to Washington's specific questions.


8. (U) Ito sends.
SOBEL