Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03THEHAGUE2854
2003-11-14 10:50:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy The Hague
Cable title:  

CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): CTFS AND GREG

Tags:  PARM PREL CWC 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS THE HAGUE 002854 

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL CWC
SUBJECT: CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): CTFS AND GREG
LINDEN

This is CWC-120-03.

Action request in para 3.

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 002854

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL CWC
SUBJECT: CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): CTFS AND GREG
LINDEN

This is CWC-120-03.

Action request in para 3.


1. On November 10, U.S. Delegation to the OPCW
representatives Pete Ito and Betsy Sanders met with Greg
Linden, Chief of Information Systems Branch (C/ISB) of the
OPCW Technical Secretariat (TS) to discuss TS plans for data
automation (two reports, FAXed back to AC/CB) and the
upcoming Security Audit-IV. Linden expressed appreciation
for the U.S. efforts on the English and foreign language
versions of the CTFS, and provided testing reports done by
two software developers (faxed to AC/CB). Linden asked that
work not begin on the Arabic or Chinese versions until the
assessment of the CTFS is complete. He estimated that he
would have a more definitive answer on these latter two
versions by early to mid-December 2003.


2. Linden also provided ISB's testing report on the CTFS
tool releases 0.5.1 and 0.5.24, which presents the views of
two software developers (faxed to AC/CB). Basic concerns
were expressed on inconsistencies of data across forms,
inoperability of certain buttons, inflexibility of the date
field (U.S. format only),and inability of exiting certain
forms without filling in data fields. Linden reported that
the U.S. developers promised to provide the source codes, but
ISB had not received the foreign language source codes and
had received some but not all of the source code of the
English version. Action Request: Del requests that the
source codes for English and foreign language versions of the
CTFS be provided for passage to Linden to better enable ISB
decisions regarding how best to include the CTFS in its
Verification Information System (VIS) Components Architecture.


3. Linden also provided a report entitled "User Requirements
Document Reflecting Declaration Branch Needs for the Enhanced
VIS." This document presents ISB plans to better support
Declaration Branch requirements. Linden noted that this was
the first time that the software developers met with the
eventual software users to determine what reports were needed
and what core capabilities were required by the users. On
this basis, ISB developed a target IT architecture. Linden
provided a schematic of the current IT system structure, a
schematic of the target IT system, and a schematic depicting
the VIS Architecture. Both the target system and the VIS
include the CFTS as a key component.


4. Finally, Linden briefly discussed the upcoming security
audit and its timing. ISB is changing the TS IT operating
system in the early December 2003 timeframe, and requested
that the audit begin in early to mid-January 2004. Linden
noted that if the audit began in December, the auditors would
then have a picture of how things were, not how things will
be. By delaying until January, the auditors will be able to
assess how well the TS did during the migration from one
system to the other as well as the functionality of the new
system. Linden added that he welcomed the audit and looked
forward to seeing the results of the fourth security audit
team (SAT-IV).


5. Javits sends.
RUSSEL