CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): MEETINGS WITH

UNCLAS E F T O SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 003039

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SENSITIVE
NOFORN

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 PEASE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2013
TAGS: PARM PREL CWC
SUBJECT: CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): MEETINGS WITH
TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT ON IT ISSUES


1. (U) This is CWC-134-03.


2. (U) Del reps met on 24 November 2003 with OPCW Technical
Secretariat (TS) Administration Division head Herb Shultz and

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Information Support Branch head Greg Linden to relay U.S.
concern regarding the pace of the TS effort to achieve a
working digital information technology (IT) system. The
system would include TS acceptance of States Parties
electronic submissions of their industrial data declarations,
TS provision to States Parties' redacted data declarations in

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electronic format, and TS ability to store, protect, and
manipulate digital information it obtains.


3. (U) Del reps relayed Washington's concern that TS
implementation of electronic data processing and analysis of
data declarations was projected to take two years and queried
ways that the work might be completed more expeditiously.
Reps inquired whether increased funding or provision of
"cost-free" experts would speed the process. Shultz and
Linden responded that at this point, additional resources
would not necessarily speed the process; the TS effort was
exactly where it needed to be. They promised to reconsider
whether additional resources might advance the project more
quickly and advise Del reps accordingly.


4. (U) Shultz and Linden reviewed the history of the
CTFS/RDBMS development effort, summarized why the proposed
additional time/effort was necessary, and discussed why
additional resources may not be the answer. They noted that
four ISB personnel are dedicated to this effort, and about
the same number of staff are dedicated to the TS'
contractor's efforts in Washington, noting that this level of
effort put the CTFS/RDBMS integration effort at the top of
ISB's task list.


5. (U) Shultz and Linden noted that part of Linden's initial
task after he joined the OPCW earlier this year was to bring
into the process senior Verification and International
Cooperation Divisions managers (Horst Reeps, Carlos
Trentadue, Magda Bauta),as well as other potential future TS
users. ISB personnel worked with them to determine data and
analytic needs, to co-opt them in the development process so
that the software developed by ISB meets TS users' needs and
is not ignored. They noted that for the first time in OPCW
history, TS users are engaged in the requirements end and are
supportive of ISB's effort. Their input has changed the
RDBMS functionality requirements, software on which TS
development ceased around 1999. Users' required capabilities
include UDOC site selection, verification reporting, and
other cross-TS tasks.


6. (U) Shultz and Linden noted that the development effort
is an incremental process, and functionality will be brought
on line as it becomes available; the TS won't wait until
everything is completed to begin its advertising and
marketing efforts. Indeed, they expect that an EDIT/RDBMS
testbed will be available for demonstration to interested
delegations and TS units in mid-January. Linden also noted
that the TS could accept electronic data submissions now, but
they would have to be printed off and data entry clerks
re-enter the data into the current ACCESS databases. The TS
currently does not have the capability to receive and
securely store large amounts of digital data. Linden also
promised to provide Del reps a short summary of the tasks,
costs, and timelines envisaged.


7. (U) Del reps noted that the U.S. needs to be able to
submit electronic declarations as soon as possible, and to
receive redacted declarations of other SPs in electronic
format. The TS needs to be able to manipulate digital data
in order to minimize clerical errors resulting from data
entry as well as to be better able to analyze declarations to
get a more complete picture of chemical activities relevant
to the Convention. Linden responded that it might be
possible to provide redacted declarations in an adobe-type
format, pages of text that would be machine searchable, as a
first step. Del reps welcomed the idea, and encouraged the
TS to provide more details.

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8. (SBU) Del reps discussed the problem of the U.S.
footprint on the software development effort. Shultz
re-emphasized the existing suspicions of other delegations
and non-U.S. TS personnel regarding the U.S. effort and the
importance of the TS being able to sell the integrated system
as a TS product. Del reps, Shultz and Linden agreed to
minimize the apparent U.S. engagement on the issue by having
monthly lunches offsite where Linden and Shultz would provide
del reps updates on status and problem areas, probably
beginning in mid-January 2004, after the massive TS software
upgrade and data migrations are completed.

9. (SBU) In a short conversation on 2 December, Linden
advised Del rep that he had drafted the short memo requested
by the del reps summarizing TS plans and timelines for
integrating the CTFS (renamed EDIT within the TS),the RDBMS,
and security shell, and introducing the new TS capabilities
to both the TS and States Parties. Rather than providing it
to only the U.S. delegation, the DDG Brian Hawtin requested
that the document be published as a formal TS document, to
begin the TS campaign to advise States Parties of its plans
regarding electronic industry data submissions and the
associated timelines. The document is still under review and
will be issued in the next few weeks.


10. (U) At the request of AC/CB, Del rep set up a short
meeting with Shultz and Linden on the margins of EC-36.
AC/CB rep relayed its support for Linden's efforts. Linden
welcomed a VC/CCB suggestion that the TS ask the regional
groups to provide volunteers to submit electronic industrial
data declarations once the TS is ready to test its new
system. VC/CCB also raised the issue of States Parties that
independently developed their own read/write software for
making electronic industry declarations and asked Linden
whether ISB was considering developing software interfaces
for the TS system in these instances. Linden cited his
concern regarding a recent meeting with the facilitator on
the Declarations Handbook (Ruck - Germany),noting that the
software developers had been unaware that declaration formats
could still change and emphasizing the severe impact on
timelines such changes would have for the TS software
development effort. Linden cited his concern regarding a
recent meeting with the facilitator on the Declarations
Handbook (Ruck - Germany),noting that the software
developers had been unaware that declaration formats could
still change and emphasizing the severe impact on timelines
such changes would have for the TS software development
effort. (Note: Subsequently, Commerce rep noted that Ruck
has been instructed not to tinker with declaration
formats--specifically the 'tabular' formats--until the CTFS
was in place. Ruck is addressing how States Parties input
data into specific fields, not changing which fields would
need to have data entered.)


11. (U) Ito sends.
SOBEL