JANUARY 16 U.S.-EU TROIKA CONSULTATIONS ON ARMS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 000854

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR AC/ISN AND EUR/ERA
GENEVA FOR CD DEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PARM KNNP UNGA EUN CDG USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: JANUARY 16 U.S.-EU TROIKA CONSULTATIONS ON ARMS
CONTROL AND GLOBAL DISARMAMENT (CODUN)

REF: BRUSSELS 36

Sensitive But Unclassified. Please Protect Accordingly.


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. On January 16 in Brussels, Geneva CD
Ambassador Jackie Sanders and AC/ISN Director Robert Luaces
led productive discussions on arms control and disarmament
with the EU's global disarmament troika (CODUN). USEU Poloff
Van Reidhead participated as Control Officer. Issues
discussed were:

-- Irish EU Presidency priorities: a) Universalize and
strengthen multilateral regimes; and b) Strengthen the UNSC
role in nonproliferation. Cooperation with the US also
features prominently.

-- UNFC: EU welcomes US-initiated "revitalization" campaign,
and will discuss reform ideas intersessionally.

-- CD: EU optimistic about achieving work program this year,
especially if US develops position on FMCT; wants to
replicate UNFC revitalization efforts in CD.

-- UNDC: EU waiting for proposals on possible agenda items;
shares US view of UNDC as ineffective, but believes it has
&sociological-political8 value, so should at least pay it
&lip service.8

-- CCW: EU pleased with outcome of November States Parties
meeting; hopes US ratifies new ERW protocol soon; looks
forward to 2004 AVM talks.

-- BWC: EU agrees that November BWC meeting was positive
step toward strengthening pathogen security and national
implementation measures; but had hoped for more ambitious
agreement.

-- CWC: EU pleased with recent work in CWC, especially
Article VII Action Plan; EU continues to insist that states
meet CW destruction deadlines; hopes US-Russian talks succeed
soon; EU supports challenge inspections but wants to hold
seminars and simulations first.

END SUMMARY.

EU Delegation
--------------

2. (U) The Irish EU Presidency was represented by
Nonproliferation and Disarmament Director Adrian McDaid and
Deputy Director Cillian Smith. The upcoming Dutch Presidency
was represented by Nonproliferation and Nuclear Affairs
Director Paul Wilke and Policy Officer Elke Merks-Schaapveld.
Nonproliferation Desk Officer Didier Cosse represented the
Council Secretariat and USA Desk Officer Andrew Denison
attended for the Commission.

Priorities of the Irish EU Presidency
--------------

3. (SBU) McDaid said that the key theme for the Irish
Presidency would be effective multilateralism. In
particular, the EU would seek to strengthen the role of the
UNSC in nonproliferation, and to universalize and strengthen
the nonproliferation, arms control, and disarmament regimes.
Close cooperation with the US also would be sought. McDaid
said that the action plan in the EU,s new nonproliferation
strategy (analysis at ref A) would serve as a blueprint for
EU activity. Ambassador Sanders and Luaces said that the US
welcomed the EU strategy, especially its emphasis on US-EU
cooperation, but cautioned against over-optimism about an
enhanced UNSC role in nonproliferation.

58th UNGA First Committee (UNFC)
--------------

4. (U) McDaid assessed the results of the 58th UNFC session
as generally positive. He reported that EU member states
voted the same on 42 of 53 resolutions this year. He said
that the EU appreciated the good coordination with the US,
and viewed as particularly useful the three US-EU troikas
held in New York during the plenary. The EU viewed the
US-initiated &revitalization8 campaign as particularly
positive, he said, and would look for ways to carry the work
forward intersessionally. (Note: Because of NAM
sensitivities, the EU prefers &revitalization8 to
&reform.8) The EU will focus especially on operative
paragraph one )- which asks for proposals for reform -- of
resolution 58/41, and invited an early exchange of views on
possible recommendations for the 59th UNFC session.


5. (U) Luaces thanked the EU for its cooperation in the First
Committee, and agreed that the US-EU troikas in New York had
been particularly fruitful. The US agreed that it was
important now to keep the momentum going, and to look for
ways to operationalize resolution 58/41. It would be
important for the next UNFC chair, which would be a nation
from the Group of Latin America and Caribbean States
(GRULAC),to be committed to reform effort. The US hoped
that the EU would join us in encouraging GRULAC to select its
chair wisely, with an eye to furthering the reform agenda.
Conference on Disarmament (CD)
--------------

6. (U) Dutch Nonproliferation Director Paul Wilke said that
he was moderately optimistic about the chance of achieving a
work program this year in the CD. He said that while it
probably would be desirable to just pitch the old agenda and
start from scratch, he did not think that would be possible.
McDaid said that the US should replicate its approach in the
First Committee -) which featured transparency and open
consultation -- to emphasize the need for reform in the CD.
He did not think, however, that much progress could be made
until the US defined its position on the Fissile Material
Cutoff Treaty (FMCT).


7. (SBU) Ambassador Sanders said that, during her
consultations on arrival in Geneva, she had been hearing the
phrase, &window of opportunity,8 for developing a work
program. It was important not to let the opportunity pass.
The US would work with others )- especially in the CD,s
Western Group -- to carry the positive work and new spirit of
the First Committee into the CD. Luaces noted that the FMCT
was still under review in Washington, and said that, at this
point, the US could not agree to any agenda that included it.
The US also remained concerned about the A-5 proposal, and
continued to oppose linkages that would only deadlock the CD.
Ambassador Sanders said that an increasing number of NAM
members were even beginning to support the US position on
eliminating linkages.

United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC)
--------------

8. (SBU) On the UNDC, McDaid said that the EU was in
&collection mode,8 waiting for possible agenda items from
member states. Wilke said that his government, which viewed
the UNDC as a consolation prize for countries that could not
get into the CD, had never taken the commission very
seriously. Western governments should view the UNDC as
having a certain &sociological-political8 value, he said;
paying &lip service8 to it might help with certain NAM
members during the important NPT PrepCom this year.


9. (SBU) Ambassador Sanders observed that delegations in
Geneva also were cynical about the UNDC. We should look at
it with a fresh and critical eye, she said, to see whether or
not it could acquire any value. Luaces said that the US was
working on ideas sparked by the recent Oslo seminar,
beginning with an evaluation of whether the UNDC should
continue to exist. Meantime, the US would propose: a)
shortening this year,s session from three to two weeks; and
b) replacing the two-track agenda with a single-year proposal
to look at institutional reform of the UNDC. The US also was
developing fallback positions for the UNDC,s nuclear and
conventional arms categories. McDaid cautioned that the US
approach might be too radical, but said that he would canvas
other EU member states for their thoughts.

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW)
-------------- ---

10. (U) McDaid said that the EU was pleased with the outcome
of the November Meeting of States Parties in Geneva, and
hoped that the US would soon ratify the new Explosive
Remnants of War (ERW) protocol (Protocol 5). Ambassador
Sanders agreed that the meeting had been constructive, but
observed that, while the US is pleased to have the new ERW
protocol, we continue to believe that a political document,
rather than a legally binding protocol, would have greater
immediate impact. The US also looked forward to 2004
discussions on Anti-Vehicle Mines (AVM),and urged all EU
member and associated states to co-sponsor the US-Danish
draft protocol on AVM.

Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)
--------------

11. (U) The US and EU agreed that the document agreed at the
November BWC meeting represented a positive step toward
strengthening pathogen security and national implementation
measures. McDaid noted, however, that the EU had wanted a
more ambitious text, and was disappointed that the more
energetic August experts meetings had not translated into an
equally energetic meeting of states parties. The November
outcome was &okay,8 but the EU had expected more. Wilke
said that he was &very enthusiastic8 about the developments
of 2003, especially the material results of the
intersessional experts meetings.


12. (U) Luaces said that the US agreed with the EU assessment
of the November meeting, and that we anticipated an equally
productive 2004 session, which will focus on alleged use of
biological weapons and disease surveillance. (Note: The EU
Troika avoided the topic of resuming multilateral BWC
negotiations after the 2006 RevCon, as well as the issue of
creating an UNMOVIC-like entity to conduct biological weapons
inspections.)

Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)
--------------

13. (SBU) Wilke said that the EU was happy with recent work
in the CWC, especially the Article VII Action Plan agreed at
the October 2003 Conference. The EU had recently demarched
all states not party to the CWC, he said, on the need to
accede to the CWC. The EU also would continue to insist that
states meet their chemical weapons destruction deadlines, and
hoped that US-Russian talks succeed soon. The US and Russian
delays were blocking destruction work overall, Wilke said.
On the budget, Wilke said that the EU is moving away from
micromanaging the OPCW because international confidence is
growing. The EU also supports challenge inspections, but
wants to conduct seminars and simulations before discussing
how such inspections could be conducted. Wilke noted that
the first of these would be in Austria in June or July.


14. (SBU) Luaces outlined the four key US priorities for
2004: a) results-based budgeting; b) data automation at the
OPCW; c) implementation of the Article VII and Universality
Action Plans; and d) promoting compliance. On the last
point, Luaces noted that not all EU member states were in
full compliance with CWC commitments. The EU Troika said
that it would convey the US point to member states. The EU
agreed that compliance must be strengthened, Wilke said,
especially since the OPCW still lists so many states parties
as noncompliant.

Comment
--------------

15. (SBU) Close US-EU coordination during last fall,s UNFC
session and the success there of the U.S. revitalization
initiative contributed to the positive atmosphere of these
consultations. Both sides were pleased to note the proximity
of views on the issues discussed, while the EU side expressed
guarded optimism on the prospect of the CD resuming work this
year.


16. (U) AMB Sanders and Mr. Luaces have reviewed this message.

Schnabel