SPAIN PLANS TO ATTEND AND SUPPORT PROPOSALS FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000989 SIPDIS FOR EUR/WE AND NP; ALSO FOR AUSTRALIA GROUP COLLECTIVE E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2015 TAGS: ETTC PARM PREL SP CBE SUBJECT: SPAIN PLANS TO ATTEND AND SUPPORT PROPOSALS FOR APRIL AUSTRALIA GROUP PLENARY REF: A. STATE 36488 ¶B. STATE 41247 Classified By: Political Officer Ricardo Zuniga for Reasons 1.4 (B) & (D) (C) Poloff met March 11 with the Spanish Foreign Ministry's deputy director for international disarmament affairs Marcos Rodriguez to get Spain's reaction to the two USG proposals for the April Australia Group (AG) plenary in Sydney (ref a), and to encourage Spain's participation in the AG's Information Exchange and Enforcement Experts plenary groups (ref b). Rodriguez said Spain supports the first USG proposal that AG and non-select AG countries host a seminar to address the issue of attempted diversion of chemical and biological weapons. He also said the second USG proposal to place special export controls on North Korea, Iran, and Syria would complement existing national legislation that Spain approved in July 2004 on the exportation and transshipment of dual-use technology to countries of concern. Rodriguez said the GOS plans to attend the April plenary, but the MFA had not yet selected the members of its delegation. MANZANARES