MEETING WITH 1540 COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN BURIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000424 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR IO/UNP: RHOTZ E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2011 TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC PARM SUBJECT: MEETING WITH 1540 COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN BURIAN REF: USUN 2994 Classified By: Ambassador Jackie Sanders, Alternative Representative fo r Special Political Affairs, for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)). ¶1. Summary: (SBU) Ambassador Bolton met on February 28 with Slovak PermRep and 1540 Committee Chairman Peter Burian, who sought U.S. views on the extension of the 1540 Committee's mandate. During the discussion, which also touched on Iran and how the Council's consideration of Iran could affect its discussions on the 1540 Committee's mandate, Ambassador Bolton said the U.S. is still considering whether to support a simple extension or to seek to expand Resolution 1540 and the Committee's mandate. He said he would follow up with the Department and update Ambassador Burian by the end of the week. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Ambassador Burian said he hoped to hear the U.S. position soon because he intends to convene a special meeting of the 1540 Committee on March 21 to discuss the mandate. As a basis for that discussion, he plans to draft a brief non-paper that would summarize the Committee's February 15 discussion on the mandate renewal. Although he did not express views on what any resolution the Council adopts on Resolution 1540 and the Committee should contain, he proposed that the Committee pursue two priorities in its future work: (1) outreach to Member States; and (2) facilitation of technical assistance. ¶3. (SBU) The Russian delegation and the 1540 experts both favor having the Council adopt a simple resolution, he said. The Russian delegation has given him a draft "technical" resolution to extend the Committee's mandate and advised him that they plan to discuss it first with the U.S. (Comment: USUN has forwarded the draft Russian resolution to IO. End comment.) In his discussions with the 1540 experts, Ambassador Burian said they favored a simple resolution that would avoid complicating the negotiations. Rather than including language on the Committee,s role in outreach and technical assistance in the resolution to extend the Committee,s mandate, they recommended that the Committee experts clarify its work in a detailed work program covering its activities for the next year. (Comment: The Committee now prepares work programs every 90 days. End comment.) ¶4. (SBU) While emphasizing that the U.S. has yet to finalize its position, Ambassador Bolton said the Council could accomplish valuable nonproliferation objectives by clarifying or expanding the requirements of Resolution 1540, noting that the resolution extends well beyond terrorism. Nonproliferation poses one of the most significant threats to peace and security, Ambassador Bolton stressed, so it should be one of the Council's key priorities. Acknowledging that the UK and French favored a simple resolution because they do not want the extension of the Committee's mandate to compete with the Council's consideration of Iran, Ambassador Bolton said "more might be accomplished" and Council members should be encouraged to think more ambitiously. ¶5. (SBU) For example, he suggested the provision of Resolution 1540 concerning interdiction could be broadened to require states to enhance their national capabilities to interdict weapons of mass destruction. Such a provision would also facilitate the Proliferation Security Initiative. Proposing to broaden the scope of Resolution 1540 could encourage other members of the Council to think carefully about the issue of nonproliferation, particularly in the context of Iran. Ambassador Bolton also said the idea to expand the Committee's work on technical assistance had merit, citing the extensive U.S. assistance programs to assist law enforcement officials, militaries, and customs authorities in countering proliferation. Ambassador Burian said that the Chinese and perhaps the Russians might hesitate, but that he was "ready to support a more ambitious approach." ¶6. (SBU) Ambassador Bolton acknowledged that it might be difficult to obtain an ambitious expansion of Resolution 1540 and the Committee,s mandate in the time remaining before the Committee,s mandate expires. Alternatively, he suggested the Council could adopt a simple resolution extending the Committee's mandate that also requests the Committee to consider and make recommendations to the Council on how to elaborate upon the requirements of 1540 and the Committee's mandate. In the meantime, the U.S. could work with the Chinese and the Russians to allay their concerns. That option would not be as effective as expanding the mandate now, Ambassador Bolton said, but given the short time remaining before the Committee's mandate expires on April 28, it might be the most feasible option. ¶7. (C) Ambassador Bolton also stressed the importance of the Council taking meaningful action to demand Iran's compliance with its international obligations and to signal the Council's ability to take action to address the most difficult threats to international peace and security. The IAEA's new report demonstrates that Iran is planning a weapons program, and the IAEA has voted to refer Iran to the Council. We have delayed action in the Council over the past month, Ambassador Bolton noted, to demonstrate further our commitment to pursue a diplomatic outcome, but Iran has responded only with defiance. Ambassador Bolton noted that should the issue come before it, while various options are available, the Council should begin to consider whether to pursue a Chapter VII resolution that instructs Iran to comply with the IAEA's resolutions and establishes a timeframe in which Iran must respond. Ambassador Bolton said he did not think China would pose an obstacle, but securing Russia's consent was essential. He thought Russia would soon understand that Iran has no intention to reach an acceptable agreement. Ambassador Burian agreed and said Slovakia would work with the United States in the IAEA Board of Governors and New York on Iran. BOLTON