ITALY SUPPORTS DRAFT NONPRO UNSCR AND US NPT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 001565 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2014 TAGS: KNNP PREL IT NPT UNSC IAEA SUBJECT: ITALY SUPPORTS DRAFT NONPRO UNSCR AND US NPT PREPCOM III POSITIONS REF: A. STATE 87268 ¶B. STATE 63169 CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR THOMAS COUNTRYMAN FOR REASO NS 1.5(B)(D) ¶1. (C) ITALY SUPPORTS THE LATEST VERSION OF THE DRAFT UNSC RESOLUTION ON NONPROLIFERATION (REFTEL A),ACCORDING TO PIERO SARDI IN THE ITALIAN MFA ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT OFFICER. THE EU WILL MAKE A STATEMENT OF SUPPORT DURING THE APRIL 22 OPEN SESSION, SARDI TOLD POL-MIL OFFICER DURING AN APRIL 21 MEETING. THE RESOLUTION LANGUAGE IS FULLY IN LINE WITH ITALY'S NONPROLIFERATION STRATEGY, HE SAID. ¶2. (C) SARDI ALSO SAID THAT ITALY LARGELY AGREES WITH THE US POSITIONS FOR THE UPCOMING NPT PREPCOM III MEETING (REFTEL B). SARDI APPRECIATED RECEIVING REFTEL POINTS (PROVIDED TO HIM ON MARCH 26) AND NOTED THE IMPORTANCE OF CLOSE COOPERATION WITH PARTNERS SUCH AS THE US. ITALY, AND THE EU, AGREE WITH THE US THAT PROCEDURAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE REVCON SHOULD NOT BE TIED TO AGREEMENT ON SUBSTANTIVE RECOMMENDATIONS, HE SAID. ¶3. (C) THE EU IS DOING A LEGAL ANALYSIS OF THE PROPOSAL TO RESTRICT THE EXPORT OF ENRICHMENT AND REPROCESSING TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT TO DETERMINE ITS COMPATIBILITY WITH THE EURATOM TREATY, THE EU SINGLE MARKET RULES AND COMPETITION LAWS, ACCORDING TO SARDI. THIS WAS DISCUSSED AT THE MARCH NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP (NSG) MEETING IN VIENNA, HE SAID. IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL EXPORTS WITHIN AN EU INTERNAL MARKET THAT ENCOMPASSES 25 COUNTRIES. THE EURATOM TREATY PUTS CERTAIN FACILITIES UNDER AN EU UMBRELLA, WHICH MEANS EU RATHER THAN NATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS WILL BE INVOLVED, SARDI EXPLAINED. HE NOTED THAT SOME COUNTRIES ATTENDING THE NSG MEETING OBJECTED TO THE PROPOSAL BECAUSE IT APPEARED TO FURTHER DIFFERENTIATE AMONG STATES: THOSE THAT HAVE NUCLEAR CAPABILITY, THOSE THAT DON'T, AND THOSE WITH SOME CAPABILITY. THE PROPOSAL MIGHT GENERATE FURTHER CRITICSM OF THE NPT FROM DISCONTENTED COUNTRIES, HE SAID. IN ADDITION, COUNTRIES, SUCH AS JAPAN, THAT HAVE REPROCESSING CAPABILITIES MAY NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REPROCESS OTHER COUNTRIES' FUEL. FOR THESE REASONS, A MORE NARROW BRITISH PROPOSAL THAT RESTRICTS SUCH EXPORTS TO NON-COMPLYING COUNTRIES MIGHT BE WORTH EXPLORING. ¶4. (C) SARDI NOTED THAT, FOR ITALY, THE FISSILE MATERIAL CUTOFF TREATY (FMCT) IS LINKED TO THE NPT. SARDI ASKED THE STATUS OF THE USG'S FMCT REVIEW AND NOTED THAT IT WOULD STRENGTHEN THE NPT AND DISARMAMENT EFFORTS IN GENERAL FOR THE TREATY TO ENTER INTO FORCE. ITALY, AND THE EU, SUPPORT THE TREATY AND WOULD BE INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH THE US TO GAIN CONSENSUS AND ENFORCE ITS PROVISIONS. VISIT ROME'S CLASSIFIED WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/EUR/ROME/INDEX.CF M SKODON NNNN 2004ROME01565 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL