Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05LJUBLJANA36
2005-01-20 11:27:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ljubljana
Cable title:  

SLOVENIA: DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON MARKING AND

Tags:  PARM SI 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000036 

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR EUR/NCE AND PM/WRA (STEPHANIE PICO)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2015
TAGS: PARM SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA: DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON MARKING AND
TRACING OF SA/LW

REF: SECSTATE 9788

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Dean J. Haas for reasons 1.4(b)
and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000036

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR EUR/NCE AND PM/WRA (STEPHANIE PICO)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2015
TAGS: PARM SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA: DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON MARKING AND
TRACING OF SA/LW

REF: SECSTATE 9788

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Dean J. Haas for reasons 1.4(b)
and (d).


1. (C) On 20 January, Pol-Miloff delivered reftel talking
points and position paper to MFA Security Policy Department
staffer Bostjan Jerman, who handles SA/LW issues. Jerman
mentioned that Ambassador Thalmann's draft text was discussed
among EU member states in Brussels on 17 January. He said a
majority of EU member states, including Slovenia, were in
favor of negotiating the SA/LW marking and tracing instrument
as a legally binding document. He said Slovenia is also in
favor of including ammunition in the instrument; however,
Jerman noted that different views exist within the GoS on the
question of whether every bullet should be marked. While the
Slovenian police support marking individual bullets for
criminal investigation reasons, he said the MoD recognizes
the prohibitive cost of such a measure.


2. (C) Jerman admitted that there is widespread recognition
within the EU that consensus will not be reached to make the
instrument legally binding, acknowledging that many countries
in addition to the U.S. would not give in on that point.
Nonetheless, he said if the EU or Slovenia were to give in on
its position with respect to the legally binding nature of
the instrument too early, they would have little to bargain
with later on. Jerman predicted that the legally binding
discussion would be resolved at the June Open Ended Working
Group (OEWG) meeting, adding that "maybe the EU line would
evolve by then." He then wryly noted that the EU has a
history of supporting politically binding instruments, citing
the EU Code of Conduct in the context of the China Arms
Embargo.
ROBERTSON


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