BRIEFING AZERBAIJAN ON U.S. PROPOSALS ON MD, CFE

UNCLAS BAKU 001430 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR EUR/CARC AND EUR/PRA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL MARR MASS KPAO NATO RS AJ SUBJECT: BRIEFING AZERBAIJAN ON U.S. PROPOSALS ON MD, CFE REF: STATE 159773 (SBU) Per reftel, Emboffs briefed Azerbaijani Government officials on recent discussions with Russia regarding Missile Defense and the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, leaving the points in paras five and six as nonpapers. In a November 30 meeting, Presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Novruz Mammadov said that he appreciated the United States' efforts to keep Azerbaijan informed of its missile defense discussions with Russia, particularly those that involve any plans to incorporate Azerbaijan's Gabala radar station into a new regional missile defense architecture. He said that he would appreciate a readout of the November 26 informal discussions in Washington, and also noted that Russian Defense Minister Serdyukov had visited the Gabala radar station on November 28. Mammadov said he did not yet have a readout of the visit. (We will provide septel a readout of Serdyukov's visit from the Russian Ambassador.) Poloff separately briefed MFA International Security Department Deputy Director Yusuf Mammadaliyev on the Missile Defense and CFE discussions in a November 28 meeting. Mammadaliyev had no substantive comment, but promised to share the nonpapers with Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov, who oversees Azerbaijani policy in these areas. LU