(C) HMG UNLIKELY TO PARTICIPATE IN GLOBAL NUCLEAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 001420 SIPDIS SIPDIS T FOR JIM TIMBIE DOE/NE FOR MAUREEN CLAPPER AND EDWARD MCGINNIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2017 TAGS: ENRG TRGY KNNP IAEA AORC UK SUBJECT: (C) HMG UNLIKELY TO PARTICIPATE IN GLOBAL NUCLEAR ENERGY PARTNERSHIP MINISTERIAL REF: A. STATE 42657 ¶B. 06 LONDON 03014 Classified By: Acting Economic Minister-Counselor Sandra E. Clark for reason 1.4 (b). ¶1. (SBU) This is an action request. See para 6. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: HMG is unlikely to attend the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) Ministerial on May 21 in Washington. Given the pending HMG decision on the expansion of nuclear technology, HMG believes that attending the GNEP meeting would attract attention to its sensitive, domestic nuclear issue. When the domestic consultation period on the UK energy white paper ends in September, HMG plans to publicly support GNEP. END SUMMARY ¶3. (C) Mel Draper, Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) Director for Nonproliferation, told EmbOffs on April 16 that HMG does not plan to send officials from London to the May 1 GNEP pre-meeting, nor is it likely that the UK would attend the Ministerial-level meeting (ref A). Stephen Walsgrove, head of the DTI Nuclear Consultations and Liabilities Unit, said the UK embassy in Washington may participate in the May 1 meeting. ¶4. (C) Draper and Walsgrove said it would be difficult to send even an observer to the Ministerial meeting. They told us that to publicly support GNEP during the same period HMG releases and begins conducting public consultations of its energy policy white paper would draw more negative publicity to this already challenging domestic situation, in which HMG is accused of having made up its mind on nuclear energy without properly consulting the public. (NOTE: Prime Minister Blair and DTI Secretary Darling continue to state publicly that HMG will support nuclear power within its energy mix, as it has a role to play in cutting emissions and providing energy security. END NOTE.) ¶5. (C) Per EmbOffs' request, Walsgrove will provide HMG comments on the GNEP Statement of Principles. (NOTE: We believe taking HMG views into consideration will facilitate official HMG endorsement of GNEP in the autumn. END NOTE.) Additionally, Neil Tuley, DTI Principal Safeguards Advisor, told EmbOffs that the UK will need additional details on the "back end" of GNEP, including the plans to deal with nuclear waste material from spent fuel. If the UK reprocesses spent fuel, UK legislation requires the nuclear waste byproduct to be exported to the country requesting the reprocessing. HMG suspects other countries would have the same legal restrictions. ¶6. (C) ACTION REQUEST: Please provide any additional details on GNEP that can be passed to HMG. In particular, HMG is interested in the plans for dealing with spent fuel. HMG would like to know if the USG is facing the same legislative issues on nuclear waste and, if so, how the USG is dealing with the issue. HMG also would be interested in knowing if there have been any updates to the GNEP plan since their last briefing (March 2006) in London from USG officials (ref B). END ACTION REQUEST. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm Tuttle