DPRK: AMBASSADOR INFORMS GOR ABOUT RESOLUTION OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 001635 SIPDIS SIPDIS TREASURY FOR JAMES WILKINSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/11/2017 TAGS: PREL PARM MNUC KNNP KN RS SUBJECT: DPRK: AMBASSADOR INFORMS GOR ABOUT RESOLUTION OF BDA DISPUTE Classified By: Ambassador William J. Burns. Reasons 1,4 (B/D) ¶1. (C) On April 10, the Ambassador alerted DFM Losyukov to the resolution of the Banco Delta Asia (BDA) dispute and urged the GOR to publicly welcome the breakthrough and to push North Korea to fulfill its February 13 obligations. Losyukov said he understood the significance of the message, welcomed Macao's action and would follow up. (Note: Losyukov is departing Moscow on a swing through Asia and will return April 23.) ¶2. (C) Oleg Davydov, a Senior Advisor to DFM Losyukov and participant of the Six-Party Talks, told us April 11 that the GOR was treating official statements regarding the resolution of the dispute with caution, given the DPRK's unpredictability. However, he underlined that a conclusive resolution would "add a political impulse to the process and open many new doors." Davydov asked that the GOR be provided with a U.S. readout about the resolution. He also requested that the dates for the next round be notified early enough to give other parties time to prepare; normally, the GOR would like to have at least one week for a regular round of the talks. The ministerial meeting, which Russia supported, required even more preparation to avoid it becoming an empty "propaganda" meeting, he added. Davydov emphasized that the GOR saw a true partnership with the U.S. in the Six-Party Talks and hoped that the U.S. kept the Russian team in the loop. ¶3. (C) Comment and Action Request: Moscow is eager to see the Six Party Talks restart and will weigh in with Pyongyang to encourage the DPRK to fulfill its obligations. Sharing information with the GOR about the resolution of the BDA dispute will aid in this process. BURNS