GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO COMBAT NUCLEAR TERRORISM:

UNCLAS MOSCOW 001355

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR EUR/RUS, EUR/PRA AND ISN/WMDT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL PTER PINR KGIT RS
SUBJECT: GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO COMBAT NUCLEAR TERRORISM:
US-RUSSIA CONSULTATIONS ON NEXT STEPS

REF: A. STATE 33258


B. STATE 21535


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. A US-Russia working-level meeting at the
MFA March 27 discussed the June 11-12 meeting in Kazakhstan
of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT),
and considered recruitment efforts with both the EU and the
OSCE to broaden participation in the Global Initiative.
Although the current list of new participants includes only
five countries, many more states appear close to joining, and
the results seem likely to meet the U.S. and Russian minimum
target of a two-fold increase in participation by the Astana
gathering. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) On March 27 T Senior Advisor Katsapis met at the
MFA with Oleg Rozhkov, deputy director of the MFA's
Disarmament and Security Affairs (DVBR) Directorate, for
consultations on the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism (GICNT). EST Counselor and a DVBR staffer sat in.
Rozhkov asked for, and received, confirmation that the USG
still favors a June 11-12 meeting in Kazakhstan, despite the
conflict with a GICNT event in Miami. Rozhkov also asked who
on the US side now serves as Deputy Foreign Minister
Kislyak's counterpart. Katsapis said the Secretary has
delegated all T responsibilities, including the Global
Initiative, to ISN A/S Rood.


3. (SBU) Rozhkov said he has promised his Kazakh MFA
colleague to help support the Astana gathering. He noted
that the new participants currently number only three:
Ukraine, Greece and Palau. Katsapis said Israel and Cambodia
also have endorsed the GICNT Statement of Principles.
Rozhkov said DFM Kislyak is concerned that the new states are
so few -- not what he expected. The initial target was a
two-fold or three-fold increase by the June meeting. There
had actually been a projection of 50 new members at one
point. Rozhkov said he had tried to reassure Kislyak that
there was an inevitable delay as countries prepared their
partnership documentation. All the EU are still expected to
join, which would swell the ranks significantly. Russia had
already received positive signals from Portugal. Katsapis
noted that Afghanistan too is working from the partnership
application template which the USG had provided, and expected
an endorsement in the near future.


4. (SBU) Rozhkov said Kislyak had asked if the next meeting
should be postponed to early September, to allow time for
more new countries to join. Katsapis said this was worth
considering but that he did not believe it would be
necessary. Rozhkov said he shares our optimism that the U.S.
and Russia should be able to declare that the participation
has been doubled. Numerous countries were in the wings:
Afghanistan, Denmark, Phillippines, Finland, Latvia, Iceland,
Bangaladesh, Czech Republic, Singapore. Rozhkov added that
Oman also was pending. Katsapis mentioned that we are still
waiting to hear from South Korea. Consistent with U/S
Joseph's and DFM Kislyak's statements in Ankara, Katsapis
noted that if all the EU member states were to join, than the
EU itself might be accorded observer status.


5. (SBU) Katsapis asked for Russia's views on the Global
Initiative text in the draft G-8 Statement. Rozhkov said he
was fine with the text and added that DVBR Director Antonov
would have the opportunity to raise GICNT at the upcoming G-8
nonproliferation working group meeting. Meanwhile, during a
recent meeting of the Collective Security Agreement (CSTO)
countries, Russia had urged Kyrgystan, Tajikstan, Armenia and
Belarus to join. The reaction had been positive. Katsapis
said the USG had contacted the OSCE secretariat about
providing a statement of support. The OSCE's 56 nations
could be lobbied over the next few weeks. Rozhkov agreed
that a two-fold expansion was within reach.


6. (SBU) Rozhkov noted that Egypt had approached Moscow
about joining as an observer. Katsapis said this would
undermine GICNT efforts to expand actual participation.
Rozhokov agreed. Katsapis said the GICNT also needs
countries such as Argentina and Brazil, to expand the reach
of GICNT. He noted that South Africa, India and Pakistan
were also prime recruits. Rozhkov suggested that one of the
themes in Astana could be to urge member states to brief
countries that are interested in joining.


7. (SBU) Katsapis raised the issue of public diplomacy, and
noted that NSA Hadley and Security Council Secretary Ivanov
would like to highlight the progress that has been made, and

the range of US-Russia leadership. Rozhkov seemed skeptical.
While on the one hand it was important to publicize, on the
other this was an area where it would be unwise to "open up
everything." Rozhkov suggested the inclusion of several
paragraphs in the G-8 statement, as well as the US-Russia
Summit document -- "this is a must."


8. (SBU) Katsapis asked if Moscow foresees any problems with
welcoming Israel, a non-NPT state before the NPT Prepcom.
Rozhkov replied that, on the contrary, it would be a good
example to other non-NPT states. This was never intended to
be an exclusive list, he said. Katsapis agreed.


9. (SBU) Katsapis asked Rozhkov to consider follow-up
demarches to the European countries most interested in EU
participation in the Initiative and encourage them to urge
other EU states to join in. Rozhkov said the upcoming
EU-Russia summit would provide a "good occasion" to lobby the
Europeans, as would the pending US-EU summit. Katsapis
agreed. He underscored that the EU's gaining observer status
would hinge on all 27 EU states becoming GICNT partners.
RUSSELL