BILATERAL BIOTERRORISM LETTER DELIVERED

UNCLAS MOSCOW 005448

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR OES/IHA (OSTFIELD, HILLESHEIM)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO PTER PINS RS
SUBJECT: BILATERAL BIOTERRORISM LETTER DELIVERED

REF: STATE 154159

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.


1. (SBU) On November 9, we provided reftel letter from State
Department Bioterrorism Senior Adviser Ostfield to Deputy Director
Titorenko in the MFA's Department of New Challenges and Threats
(DNV). On November 16, DNV Senior Adviser Vladimir Prokhorov
advised us that S/CT Coordinator Dailey and Russian Counterterrorism
Special Presidential Representative Safonov met in Vienna on
November 6. In Vienna, they discussed incorporating bioterrorism
into the agenda of a proposed U.S.-Russian meeting of WMD experts in
Moscow in early December.


3. (SBU) Prokhorov told us Russia expected the bioterrorism agenda
outlined in the Ostfield letter to be included in a subsequent
letter from S/CT Coordinator Dailey to Safonov on the proposed
meeting of WMD experts. Prokhorov noted that Russia was hoping a
WMD meeting (including the bioterrorism component) would take place
on either December 3 or 4 in Moscow. Alternatively, Prokhorov
suggested a smaller meeting of bioterrorism experts in Moscow the
week of December 17.


3. (SBU) Prokhorov also expressed doubts about whether Russian
officials from the Ministries of Defense, Agriculture, and Health
and Social Development would take part in bilateral bioterrorism
discussions. He noted that Russia views combating bioterrorism as
purely a law enforcement function, and that these ministries do not
see that they have a role to play.

BURNS