HUNGARY'S POSITION ON OSLO CLUSTER MUNITIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUDAPEST 000098 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR/NCE MICHELLE LABONTE E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2022 TAGS: MOPS PARM PREL NATO SUBJECT: HUNGARY'S POSITION ON OSLO CLUSTER MUNITIONS CONFERENCE REF: SECSTATE 6667 Classified By: POL/C Eric V. Gaudiosi. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) GOH officials say that Hungary will accept the Government of Norway's (GON) invitation to attend the February 22-23 Oslo conference per reftel. MFA Director of Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Policy Andras Toth told POL off on 22 January that the GOH will attend the conference "in order to observe" the deliberations. Toth added that Hungary "agrees in principle" with limiting the use of cluster munitions but does not agree with discussing the issue outside of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) framework. Toth speculated that he would represent the GOH at the Oslo conference, but said "the decision (on who would attend) is not yet final." ¶2. (C) Also on 22 January, MOD State Secretary for Security Policy Jozsef Bali told DATT that the GOH received the GON invitation and that Hungary at this point has "no specific position." He added that the GOH position would be finalized at an interagency working group meeting this week. According to Bali, Hungary "clearly understands" the U.S. position on this issue and agrees that it should be negotiated "within the CCW framework." Mr. Bali did not say who, if anyone, would attend the Oslo conference from the MOD. FOLEY