DEMARCHE TO BRUNEI ON GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO COMBAT

UNCLAS BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000113

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

FOR ISN/WMDT AND T:TIM KATSAPIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KNNP MCAP PARM PINR PINS PREL PTER BX
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO BRUNEI ON GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO COMBAT
NUCLEAR TERRORISM

REF: SECSTATE 21284


1. Ambassador delivered reftel points on March 29 to Datin
Maimunah, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Bilateral and
Political Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Trade (MFAT). (We were unable to arrange for a joint
demarche with Russian Federation; it has no resident
diplomatic representation and Russian Ambassador resident in
Kuala Lumpur is not scheduled to visit Bandar Seri Begawan in
the immediate future.)


2. Datin Maimunah was already aware of the Global Initiative
from discussions at the Fourth Asian Senior-Level Talks on
Non-Proliferation (ASTOP IV) in Tokyo, which she attended as
the Bruneian representative. She said the ASTOP discussions
had been useful for clarifying the distinctions between the
Global Initiative and other nonproliferation programs such as
the Proliferation Security Initiative. Maimunah said MFAT
would take note of our demarche and study the possibility of
Brunei endorsing the Global Initiative Statement of
Principles.
SKODON