CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): WRAP-UP FOR

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 002524

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR ISN/CB, VCI/CCB, L/ACV, IO/S
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISP
JOINT STAFF FOR DD PMA-A FOR WTC
COMMERCE FOR BIS (GOLDMAN)
NSC FOR DICASAGRANDE
WINPAC FOR WALTER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL CWC
SUBJECT: CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): WRAP-UP FOR
WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 24

This is CWC-111-06.

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2007 BUDGET
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1. (U) Budget consultations were held on November 22. Once
again the focus was Article VI inspections, and once again
the Director General attended and made an impassioned plea
for delegations to accept the Technical Secretariat's Article
VI proposal found in the budget. The DG urged delegations
not to make what should be a technical decision into a
political decision.


2. (U) Delegates then reviewed the TS information paper,
circulated a week earlier, on industry inspections. China
indicated that it had no problem with the proposed number of
Schedule 1 inspections, but still had strong objections to
the proposed increase in OCPF inspections. India said they
were still concerned about the proposed number of Schedule 2
inspections and as such could not accept the TS proposal on
Article VI inspections.


3. (U) Several experts from the TS were present to answer
questions from delegations, but in the end little progress
was made. Delegations agreed that consultations would
continue next week.


4. (U) A brief follow-up session was held with a small
number of interested delegations (U.S., China, Iran, India,
and the UK) on November 24. The opinions expressed and the
outcome was the same as the earlier meeting. After the
departure of the facilitator, Iran took the opportunity to
change the topic and ask for an update regarding progress on
the destruction deadline extension requests. The UK handled
the majority of the brief response, mostly reporting in
minimal detal the progress on consultations with Russia on
te issue of visits.

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CHINA'S CONCERNS ON 2007 OCPFINSPECTION LEVELS
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5. (U) On November 21, Ambassadr Javits had a working lunch
with the Ambassadorof China, Mrs. Xue Hanqin. The main
focus of the meeting was to try to get a clearer picture into
the Chinese concerns abot the level of OCPF inspections in
the TS proposd budget for 2007. Ambassador Xue indicated
tha her delegation and the NAM States Parties can agre to
the level of 200 inspections in 2007. Their concern is that
the OCPF inspection levels need o ramp up more gradually,
not all in one year. he indicated that the ould even
consider two cnsecutive years of 25-percent increases. She
stted that Beijing wants more time to prepare its budet, as
well as the human resources to meet the nw inspection
levels. She also said that Chineseand Japanese efforts on
destruction of abandonedchemical weapons (ACW) have become a
significantdrain on their resources.


6. (U) Ambassador Javis commented that we did not want to
see resource wasted in adding additional Schedule 1 and 2
inpections to what the TS proposed. Ambassador Xue id not
oppose that sentiment, although it is uncear whether that
view is a personal one or one tht would be supported by
Beijing.


7. (U) Ambasador Xue indicated that she expected a hardened
osition coming from Beijing to be expressed in theupcoming
budget consultations, and thought that ight be the case also
with the NAM States Parties She indicated that their
analysis of Bill Kane's (IVB) presentation on distribution of
industry inspections, given last week, showed it to contain
technical flaws. Ambassador Javits challenged her to bring
these supposed flaws to the attention of the TS during the
consultations to see if they can be rebutted. She also
expressed a desire to have more information from the DG about
further OCPF inspection ramp-ups in out-years.


8. (U) Ambassador Xue reiterated that her government's

biggest concern is the destruction of the Japanese ACW, their
concern being the ramp-up this has required for them and what
might be needed additionally if the Japanese do not
follow-through. She stated that the nature of the Chinese
chemical industry makes their declarations very changeable
from year to year, and she has asked Beijing to do a better
job of making accurate declarations, particularly taking into
account sites that are no longer declarable. She also
pointed out that the Chinese concern with the large increase
in OCPF inspections is not from their industry, but rather
from their government bureaucracy and its ability to support
additional inspections in their country.


9. (U) Javits sends.
ARNALL