CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): WRAP-UP FOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 003088

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

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 LIEPMAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL CWC
SUBJECT: CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): WRAP-UP FOR
WEEK ENDING 12 DECEMBER

This is CWC-135-03.

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IMPLEMENTING UNIVERSALITY
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1. (SBU) OPCW's External Relations Division (ERD)
distributed the Director-General's Invitation to States
Parties to Designate Points of Contact on Universality
(S/388/2003, faxed to AC/CB) to all delegations on December

11. ERD's Keith Wilson told DelOff that the TS is looking at
January 8 as the earliest possible target date for a meeting
between TS Point of Contact Huang Yu and SP POCs. Wilson
does not anticipate that many POCs will be identified by that
time, but expects a high level of interest from States
Parties seeking to resolve lingering questions about the
concept and functions of POCs. He reported that that the TS
paper summarizing the status of accession of States Not Party
has been completed, but it may not be released until
February, as there is disagreement over how much sensitive
information to include. Since the document is supposed to be
a reference tool for helping member states plan
universality-related activities, we urged that it be
simplified if necessary for quick clearance and distribution
to SPs so that they, in turn, can submit their proposals to
the TS.


2. (SBU) Wilson welcomed USG readiness to step up
universality activities with Latin American and Caribbean
States Not Party. Other countries' interest in serving as
POCs, and for what regions or sub-regions, is still fluid.
Wilson said that UK and Japanese representatives had
discussed with him potential targets for their activities.
The TS and EU are looking to the proposed regional workshop
in Malta in May as a launch pad for expanded universality
efforts in the Middle East. In the Pacific, Australia is
considering what more it can do, having so far contributed to
one regional event per year, while New Zealand will take a
back seat. We suggested that the TS provide guidelines and
examples of POC functions and activities to help resolve the
lingering confusion voiced by a number of delegations.

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LOOKING AHEAD WITH THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL
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3. (U) Director-General Pfirter was invited to meet with
Western delegations at the year's last WEOG session on
December 9. His broad presentation covered personnel issues,
goals for the next Conference of States Parties, and other
challenges for the OPCW. He described in detail measures
taken to implement the tenure policy and procedures for
making new appointments. He identified the top TS priorities
for 2004 as improving efficiency in order to implement the
increased, but still tight, budget approved by CSP-8; and
implementing the action plans for universality and national
implementation. To improve efficiency and lighten the burden
on the TS, he suggested reducing the number of ECs from four
to three per year, leading up to a CSP in December. DDG
Hawtin also addressed some of those issues.

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INSURING NON-SERVICE INCURRED DEATH AND DISABILITY
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4. (U) Following inconclusive discussion at EC-35 of the TS
paper on non-service incurred death and disability insurance
(EC-35/S/4),which raised the prospect of a 12% reduction in
premium payments but did not offer options for member states
to consider, DG Pfirter discussed the issue further with WEOG
delegations on December 9. Asked whether newly-employed OPCW
staff would continue to be provided with this coverage,
Pfirter said yes -- for the time being. He explained that
since important legal and policy questions had not been
resolved since they were raised at EC-34, and new contracts
had to be signed by December 31, he had decided to continue
to provide this coverage for new-hires, while obtaining
better terms from the insurance providers. Besides the 12%
reduction that had been negotiated, Pfirter reported that
payouts would be reduced from five times annual salary (which
had been arranged by his predecessor) to the UN standard
three times annual salary up to 350,000 euros maximum.


5. (U) WEOG delegates were not fully satisfied with this
approach. Germany questioned the legal basis for providing
coverage not mandated under staff regulations. Canada and
Italy asked why alternative insurance schemes had not been
explored before new staff was hired, and repeated complaints
they had voiced at the EC. Pfirter said that he understood
SP's desire to resolve the issue, but that it had not been
possible to address the many questions involved in the time
since EC-34. To make the process as transparent as possible,
the DG said he would provide delegations with the insurance
consultants' report and would continue to seek legal advice
on acquired rights and questions about possible future
discrimination claims by new-hires who would obtain lower
coverage.

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VALIDATION GROUP MEETING
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6. (U) U.S. technical experts (Mallard, White, Etz, from
NIST and Alcaraz, Gregg, and Maxwell from Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratories (LLNL)) attended the 17th OPCW
Validation Group Meeting held in The Hague on December 9-10.
The main action to which the group agreed was the removal of
degradation products of riot control agents (determined not
of relevant value) from the validated list, though the group
agreed to retain degradation products of scheduled chemicals
and the riot control agents. The group also discussed the
data validation group findings from several laboratories and
accepted the following analytical data: MS Spectra: 210, IR
Spectra: 49; GC(RI) values: 260; and NMR Spectra: 45.
Differences in GC(RI) values measured by laboratory #7
(Swiss) and other labs were also discussed. Although
attendees believe the differences are due to various GC
column phase batches, the group decided to evaluate the issue
further. Labs from the UK (DSTL),Finland (VERIFIN),and USA
(LLNL) agreed to measure a select number of compounds to
resolve issue. The next meeting of the OPCW Validation Group
is scheduled for 29-30 March 2004.


7. (U) Ito sends.


SOBEL