SPAIN: U.S. PROPOSALS TO ENABLE CIVIL NUCLEAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 003755 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT PASS TO ISN AND EUR/WE E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2015 TAGS: PREL PARM KNNP IN SP SUBJECT: SPAIN: U.S. PROPOSALS TO ENABLE CIVIL NUCLEAR COOPERATION WITH INDIA BY THE NSG REF: A. SECSTATE 190856 ¶B. MADRID 3351 AND PREVIOUS ¶C. LISBON 1331 Classified By: ESTHOFF KEN FORDER PER 1.4 (B/D) ¶1. (C) ESTHOFF passed Ref A points October 18 to MFA Disarmament Affairs Deputy Director General Marcos Rodriguez Cantero, urging Spain to support an approach that would permit Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) countries to engage in civil nuclear cooperation with India and asking for Spanish suggestions regarding how this could be achieved without eroding the NSG's core principles. Rodriguez Cantero reiterated Spanish concerns (Ref B) about the potential negative impact of our agreement with India on the larger NPT framework and regional stability in South Asia. ¶2. (C) However, Rodriguez Cantero also reiterated that Spain agrees on the need to reach out and better harness India into the global nonproliferation regime. Thus, the MFA's Legal Advisor is working with Rodriguez Cantero's office to develop new approaches that might help prevent greater cooperation with India from undermining NSG guidelines. He said he would contact ESTHOFF should MFA come up with creative new ideas. As an aside, Rodriguez Cantero confirmed Ref C report that Spain and Portugal had argued for flexibility and understanding of the U.S. initiative during internal EU discussions. He added that Italy and Germany voiced the greatest criticism of the U.S. initiative during these discussions. MANZANARES