LUXEMBOURG: OSLO PROCESS WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L LUXEMBOURG 000491 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR PM/WRA, EUR/WE, EUR/RPM E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2017 TAGS: PARM PREL NATO NAMSA LU SUBJECT: LUXEMBOURG: OSLO PROCESS WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH ALLIANCE RESPONSIBILITIES REF: A. STATE 164503 ¶B. LUXEMBOURG 39 Classified By: DCM Steven H. Kraft for Reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Ambassador and DCM discussed points contained Ref A with Paul Duhr, Secretary General of the Luxembourg MFA on 12 December. Duhr made it clear that he understood the U.S.' position on the Oslo Process and cluster munitions and assured the Ambassador that whatever the outcome of the Oslo Process, nothing in Luxembourg's implementing legislation would infringe upon its responsibilities as a NATO member. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) On 12 December, Ambassador and DCM raised points contained Ref A with Ambassador Paul Duhr, Secretary General of the Luxembourg MFA. Duhr, a security and defense expert, was quite familiar with the subject and began by explaining that Luxembourg domestic and Parliamentary opinion was overwhelmingly in favor of banning Cluster Munitions (CM). Luxembourg would thus continue to participate in the Oslo Process. He quickly added that the GOL took its obligations as a NATO member seriously and agreed with our concerns for the potentially serious detrimental impact on interoperability if CM were to be criminalized. Accordingly, he assured the Ambassador that whatever the outcome of the Oslo Process, in any required implementing national legislation, Luxembourg would state the understanding that "nothing in the legislation would interfere with Luxembourg's responsibilities as a NATO member." ¶3. (SBU) Points and texts contained Ref A were also delivered separately to Claude Faber, MFA desk officer for Security, Defense, and NATO Affairs and to Serge Alzin, Deputy Defense Director on 11 December. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: Duhr's comments are consistent with past conversations with MFA interlocutors (Ref B). Thus we are confident that the GOL will strive to ensure that any agreement resulting from the Oslo Process will not affect its obligations as a NATO member. Most specifically to the U.S. and NATO operations, this means that the GOL will not allow resulting legislation to hinder the transshipment of CM through Findel International Airport (ICAO: ELLX, IATA: LUX) or CM related procurement services at the Luxembourg-based NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA). END COMMENT. WAGNER