MOU ON CHALLENGE INSPECTIONS UNDER CHEMICAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 000358 SIPDIS SIPDIS ISN/CB FOR RICHARD D'ANDREA E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/11/2017 TAGS: PARM PREL KTIA CWC MU SUBJECT: MOU ON CHALLENGE INSPECTIONS UNDER CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): OMAN UPDATE REF: STATE 40655 Classified By: Ambassador Gary A. Grappo for Reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 3. ¶2. (C) Pol/Econ Chief delivered reftel points on April 10 to Abdullah al-Riyami, Deputy Director of the Department of International Affairs at the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Riyami stated that he was very well acquainted with the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on CWC challenge inspections as he had worked closely on the matter with Ambassador Talib Miran al-Raisi at the MFA for the last few years. (Note: Talib Miran was promoted to Chief of the Economic and Technical Cooperation Department at the MFA in February 2007. End note.) Apologizing for Oman's delay in formally responding to the proposed U.S. text, Riyami said that the draft MOU remained under review at the Ministry of Defense. He confided that the MOU had been "temporarily put aside" for a number of reasons unrelated to the actual document, but emphasized that he was not aware of any specific objections raised within the Omani government to eventually signing such an MOU. Riyami asked for continued U.S. patience and said he would press relevant Omani government offices for a formal, detailed response to the draft MOU text before the end of May. ¶3. (C) Action Request: Riyami said that it would be "helpful" for Oman to complete its review of the MOU if it had a list of Arab countries with which the U.S. had concluded a CWC challenge inspection MOU. Post would accordingly appreciate the names of such countries, either via e-mail or front channel cable, to share with the Omani government if possible. GRAPPO