RUSSIA COOL TO U.S. PROPOSAL TO EXPAND AND EXTEND

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 002333 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT OF STATE FOR ISN (SEMMEL),ISN/CTR (GOODMAN, DOLLIFF, CAMERON, EVANS),E (DUNCAN, WOLF),P (BROOKS),T (KOCH, TIMBIE),S/P (LACEY),EUR/PRA (FRIEDT, BENTHIEN, NASH) DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FOR DOE/NNSA (CONNERY AND STACEY) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR DOD/CTR (REID, MELASON, AND WEBER) NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL (HAYWARD, LEDDY, NEWHOUSE) E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2012 TAGS: PARM PREL ETTC KNNP CBW TRGY RS SUBJECT: RUSSIA COOL TO U.S. PROPOSAL TO EXPAND AND EXTEND THE G-8 GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP REF: STATE 61331 Classified By: DCM Daniel A. Russell. Reasons: 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (SBU) On May 16 we delivered REFTEL points on the U.S. proposal to expand and extend the G-8 Global Partnership (GP) to Valeriy Biryukov, Head of the GP Section in the MFA's Department of Security and Disarmament Affairs, and his assistant Tatyana Balykina. Biryukov and Balykina had just returned from Germany, where they had participated in the May 14-15 meetings of the G-8 Nonproliferation Directors Group (NPDG) and the GP Working Group (GPWG). Biryukov told us he had discussed the U.S. proposal with the U.S. delegation in Germany, and he repeated the Russian position to us. ¶2. (SBU) According to Biryukov, Russia remains opposed to expanding and extending the GP at this time. He suggested it would be more appropriate to take up the U.S. proposal in 2010 when it will be clear whether the projects currently underway will be completed before the end of the GP's original 2002-2012 mandate. Russia does not want to consider expanding and extending the GP while many projects are still only at the halfway point. ¶3. (SBU) Balykina elaborated that only $740 million had been allocated for GP projects in 2008 ($297 million for chemical weapons destruction (CWD) and $443 million for nuclear submarine dismantlement),but at least $1 billion is needed. She said the GPWG meeting in Germany had brought to light problems with funding, timing, and coordination among the GP partners. In particular, there had been no evident enthusiasm to increase financial pledges for existing projects. She emphasized that submarine dismantlement in Russia's Far East is behind schedule and underfunded and that more funding is needed to complete Russia's CWD commitments by 2012 as required by the Chemical Weapons Convention. In light of this, Balykina said it was premature to consider the U.S. proposal at this time. ¶4. (SBU) Biryukov concluded by repeating his opening point that 2010 would be the earliest date at which Russia would wish to begin considering expanding and extending the GP. BURNS