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