GOI RECEIVES U.S./UK COMMENTS TO CWC INITIAL

S E C R E T BAGHDAD 002819 SIPDIS SIPDIS THE HAGUE FOR CWC DELEGATION E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/2017 TAGS: CW IZ PARM PGOV PREL OPCW SUBJECT: GOI RECEIVES U.S./UK COMMENTS TO CWC INITIAL DECLARATION REF: STATE 107595 Classified By: POLMIL COUNSELOR MARCIE B. RIES, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) PolMilOff and other EmbOffs met with Minister of Science and Technology Raid Fahmi Jahid, Director General Mohammed Jawad Al Sharaa (Head of the National Monitoring Directorate),Dr. Muhaned Kareem Al-Hilli (Chief, Chemical Department, NMD),and other MOST officials August 20 to discuss progress on Iraq,s accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention and other issues (septel). PolMilOff delivered the combined U.S./UK comments on Iraq,s draft initial declaration with accompanying letter per Department,s request (reftel). ¶2. (C) Al Sharaa thanked PolMilOff for the comments and indicated that the National Monitoring Directorate (NMD) had made progress in completing its initial declaration since the last OPCW workshop in December 2006. He undertook to contact PolMilOff after he had reviewed the latest U.S./UK comments and incorporated necessary changes into the initial declaration, although he was noncommittal regarding how long this would take. Al Sharaa indicated that the NMD would be ready to participate in a further OPCW workshop after reviewing the U.S./UK comments. He mentioned some difficulties in gathering the data necessary to make a complete initial declaration, including the redaction of information from the CAFCD which NMD had received from UNMOVIC. Al Sharaa also claimed that he lacked information about relevant activities taking place in areas of Iraq administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). He complained that the KRG was raising bureaucratic obstacles to GOI efforts to gain visibility on industrial activity in Kurdistan that would need to be reported in the initial draft. ¶3. (C) Al Sharaa explained that the Council of Representatives (CoR) might take up ratification of the CWC as soon as next month when it is scheduled to begin its next session. The instrument of ratification remains with the CoR,s security and defense committee and must undergo a third reading before the CoR can vote on its passage. ¶4. (C) Al Sharaa also provided an update on the progress of the &Law of Non-Proliferation in the Republic of Iraq8, which would serve as implementing legislation for the CWC, the Biological Weapons Convention, and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The law has been reviewed by OPCW lawyers in its Arabic and English versions, reported Al Sharaa, and they had no comments regarding the aspects concerning the CWC. The law is now being considered by the Shura Council, after which it will need the approval of the Prime Minister,s office before it makes it to the CoR to be voted on. This process is likely to take three months or more, according to Al Sharaa. Post will forward to the Department the English version of the draft law which Al Sharaa provided. ¶5. (C) NOTE: MOST Deputy Minister Samir Raouf was kidnapped from his residence near the ministry August 19. MOST officials insisted that our meeting go forward despite the kidnapping. END NOTE. CROCKER