NPT: DUTCH VIEWS ON PREPCOM III

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 001713 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR NP/MNA, AC/ISN AND VC/FO, GENEVA FOR AMB. SANDERS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM KNNP NL NPT SUBJECT: NPT: DUTCH VIEWS ON PREPCOM III REF: STATE 144404 ¶1. (SBU) PolMilOff discussed reftel points with MFA Nonproliferation policy officer Harman van Dijk on July 8. Van Dijk attended PrepCom III in New York. The Dutch consider the PrepCom to have been fairly successful. Like the U.S. they had no expectation of achieving consensus on substantive recommendations for the RevCon. Van Dijk said the GONL had two priorities going into the PrepCom: to see agreement on as many procedural recommendations as possible, including on the agenda, and to have a serious debate to clarify various countries' positions going into the RevCon. On disarmament, van Dijk said the Dutch found the presentations by A/S Rademaker, as well as by the UK delegation, very useful. Nevertheless, he noted certain other countries reacted with polemical views, i.e., "until the last one is gone you haven't fulfilled Article VI." He also said that some other countries expressed doubts as to whether the Moscow Treaty would result in actual disarmament, or mere storing of nuclear weapons "on the shelf." ¶2. (SBU) Van Dijk thought there was a good discussion on diversion of nuclear materials intended for peaceful purposes, with the Iranian and North Korean cases as particular causes for concern. The GONL considers it important that signature of Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and an Additional Protocol have been accepted by the U.S. and EU countries as the de facto standard for verification. He noted that a number of countries spoke out in favor of making this a condition of supply of nuclear materials. Van Dijk said the GONL is looking forward to discussing some of the President's February 11 proposals in more detail. In general, while the GONL doubts that much can be achieved at the RevCon on disarmament, there is a significant opportunity for progress on nonproliferation given the pressing Iran and North Korea examples. Van Dijk said he expected there will be a lot of attention on the RevCon, so it is important to have a good public result. SOBEL