FIRST UNSCR 1540 OUTREACH IN ARAB REGION PROMOTES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 004015

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ELA AND ISN/CPI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL AORC KPAO PTER UNSC KNNP EU OSCE ARF
OAS, JO
SUBJECT: FIRST UNSCR 1540 OUTREACH IN ARAB REGION PROMOTES
IMPLEMENTATION DIALOGUE


UNSCR 1540 Workshop in Amman
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1. (U) Summary. The Regional Seminar, "Implementing United
Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) for Arab
States," took place on 4-5 September 2007 in Amman, Jordan.
Jordan hosted the workshop jointly with the United Nations
Office for Disarmament Affairs (UN ODA) in close cooperation
with the United States as co-sponsor along with the EU and
Norway. A total of 44 participants from states in the
region, international and regional organizations, and states
from outside the region attended the workshop.


2. (U) This workshop was carried out within a similar
framework as outreach activities in 2006 that took place in
China, Ghana, and Lima. The focus of this workshop was on
furthering implementation (as all but one of the Arab
countries in attendance had submitted a report) and
encouragement for the Arab region to increase its commitment
to the obligations of UNSCR 1540. Themes proposed since the
United States and the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held a 1540 Workshop were
repeated by the 1540 Chair Ambassador Burian and several
delegations. Although the Arab region has just now hosted
its first event, the choice of location and timing permitted
a useful dialogue. The DOE/Sandia-funded Cooperative
Monitoring Center (CMC) created an atmosphere which focused
on implementation. A representative of the Arab League (Mr.
Abdallah Kailani) took careful note of the OSCE example, as
well as the first agenda presentation focused on
proliferation financing at a UN-sponsored workshop by the
Middle East & North Africa Financial Action Task Force
(MENAFATF). See paragraph 7 for way ahead observations. End
summary.


3. (U) The workshop served as the first regional forum to
focus on implementation as called for in UNSCR 1673 (which
extended the work of the 1540 Committee for two years). The
workshop had seven sessions: Session I - Status of UNSC
Resolution 1540 Reporting and Implementation Globally and in
the Arab Region; Session II -- National Experiences in
Implementation of Nonproliferation Treaties and UNSCR 1540;
Session III - Roles for Intergovernmental Organizations
(IAEA, OPCW, WCO); Session IV - Role for Regional
Intergovernmental Organizations; Session V - Implementation
and Assistance Planning for UNSCR 1540; Session VI -
Assistance requests, and Session VII Themes, Priorities, and
Next Steps. The full texts of presentations are available
from the UN 1540 Coordinator as well as from the United
Nations.


4. (U) In opening remarks, Ms. Hannelore Hoppe of UN ODA
reminded participants that: implementation of Resolution 1540
(2004) is a long-term and continual process; there was a
continuing need to share experiences on the issue of weapons
of mass destruction; concrete challenges exist with respect
to the implementation of the resolution; and UN ODA remains
firmly committed to furthering international disarmament and
non-proliferation instruments by working with the 1540
Committee. 1540 Committee Chair Burian noted: the timeliness
of the workshop; his belief that the discussion would support
further work in the Arab League or other regional
organizations; the need for assistance in the preparation of
plans of action; and the Committee's interest in helping to
serve as a clearinghouse for assistance in implementation of
the established obligations of the resolution. Ambassador
Hale and the other co-sponsors provided remarks and
reinforced these themes.

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5. (U) The liveliest discussion took place on day 2 when the
provisions for developing road maps and assistance were
discussed. Delegations welcomed the interventions by the
United States and Norway on ways to obtain technical
assistance. Moreover, the examples cited from previous
workshops and the overview of possible assistance programs
prompted interesting exchanges by representatives from Libya,
Morocco, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and the Arab League. Danish
Ambassador Bernhard from the OSCE's Forum for Security
Cooperation welcomed the interest in working with the Arab
League to increase regional awareness. NOTE: CMC later
distributed in Arabic the Organization of American States
(OAS) 1540 regional resolution adopted in June, 2007. End
note.


6. (SBU) Jordan, Libya, Egypt, Comoros, Syria, Saudi Arabia,
and Lebanon all took the floor at various times, with three
general themes being noted. First, although all countries
agreed that WMD proliferation is a threat, they emphasized to
varying degrees the difficult nuclear issue in the region
because of Israel's presumed possession of nuclear weapons.
Second, since the region strives to be a nuclear free zone,
participants focused on effective controls related to
chemical, biological, and means of delivery through export
and border controls. And third, while the Arab League could
serve as a useful forum, the outstanding nuclear issues made
an agreement along the lines of the OAS's more challenging.
COMMENT: Prior to the workshop, post and 1540 Coordinator
met with the Head of the Intentional Organizations Department
of the Jordanian MFA, Mr. Ayman Aamiry, who echoed similar
themes. He indicated that Jordan was happy to serve as the
host at this first event, but urged the United States to
focus next on other regional states - specifically suggesting
Egypt. His comments were reinforced as Egypt provided the
only politically charged statement of the workshop: the
Egyptian representative, Mr. Aly Sirry, Director, Department
of Disarmament Affairs, chose to focus on issues often raised
by Indonesia, South Africa and non-aligned states questioning
the legitimacy of a Security Council-imposed resolution. End
comment.


7. (U) During a private post-workshop discussion with the
Committee Chair, Ambassador Burian indicated to the 1540
Coordinator his view that the workshop exceeded his
expectations. Aside from the Egyptian intervention noted in
paragraph 6, he thought the CMC (as a Jordanian
nongovernmental organization) helped to focus the discussion
on practical implementation and not on broader political
issues. He lamented the Norwegian and EU practice of
sponsoring but not actively working to shape the agenda or
outcome - while recognizing that neither are members of the
Committee itself. He also welcomed the first participation
of the World Customs Organization from its headquarters in
Brussels and the MENAFATF presentation. Last, Burian noted
his time as Chair would end soon, and Washington should start
considering possible next steps for the Chair and the
Committee.


Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/

Hale