NPT REVIEW CONFERENCE NON-PAPER DELIVERED TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 000123

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NP/MNA
GENEVA FOR CD
USUN FOR POL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2015
TAGS: PARM KNNP
SUBJECT: NPT REVIEW CONFERENCE NON-PAPER DELIVERED TO
IRELAND

REF: STATE 18228 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Mary Daly; Reasons 1.4 (B)
and (D).


1. (C) On January 31, Post delivered reftel non-paper on the
NPT Review Conference to Therese Healy, Third Secretary in
the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Disarmament and
Non-proliferation Section. As a preliminary response, Healy
noted that the New Agenda Coalition (NAC) resolution that
passed last autumn reflected Ireland's position on the NPT.
She added that that the resolution had focused on maintaining
a balance among the NPT's objectives (disarmament, peaceful
use, etc.) and that reftel non-paper seemed to echo that
balance. Healy said that Ireland looked forward to exchanges
with the USG in the run-up to the May Review Conference.


2. (C) Regarding reftel's queries on NPT-related public
diplomacy, nuclear non-proliferation is not a major issue in
Ireland, except as it relates to the perceived possibility of
U.S. unilateral military action. Post believes that op-eds
by the Ambassador and senior USG officials, as well as media
interviews with the Ambassador that reiterate the op-eds'
themes, would be the best public diplomacy tools in
communicating the U.S. message on non-proliferation. DVCs
would not be effective to that end. Op-eds placed in late
April in the Irish Times, Ireland's paper of record, would
maximize readership of USG messages on the NPT. The op-eds
should emphasize U.S. support for EU efforts regarding Iran
and other non-compliance cases. Public outreach efforts by
visiting USG officials would probably not prove useful in
influencing Ireland's views on NPT issues.
KENNY