DISPOSAL OF EXCESS WEAPONS

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000565 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR WHA/CAR - JACQUELYN ROSHOLT DEPT FOR PM/WRA - MICHAEL WILLIAMS, MARK ADAMS AND SHO MORIMOTO DEPT FOR WHA/PPC - MICHAEL BORDERS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MASS PREL NS SUBJECT: DISPOSAL OF EXCESS WEAPONS STOCKPILES: DIPNOTE TO CONCLUDE PROJECT ¶1. (SBU) Summary. The U.S. government provided assistance to the Government of Suriname for the disposal of small arms, light weapons and explosive materials through a contract with the Ronco Corporation. The contracted work was completed by the Ronco Corporation on October 22, 2007. Post plans to send a DIPNOTE to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inform the Government of Suriname of the completion of the project and to advise them of three outstanding issues related to the project. This cable includes an action request in paragraph 8. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) The U.S. government assisted the Government of Suriname in the disposal of small arms, light weapons and explosive materials. The purpose of this assistance was to contribute to regional security and counterterrorism efforts due to the potential for misuse of excess weapons stockpiles. The Ronco Corporation, contracted for this project, completed work on October 22, 2007. ¶3. (SBU) On October 23, 2007, RSO and Ronco contractor visited the burn and demolition sites and mapped the GPS locations. During the visit, they found the sites to be completely unsecured. While remnants of items destroyed were found on the ground, nothing appeared unexploded or dangerous. (Note: GPS and photo documentation of this visit will be forwarded to the Department: WHA/CAR Suriname Desk by email and by pouch.) ¶4. (SBU) The burn site had been dug into by scavengers looking for brass and other items to sell to scrap dealers. Near the burn site, the RSO found a pile of several hundred .50 Cal bullets that had been unearthed. (Note: The local press has reported that some locals were arrested selling weapons parts that were later discovered to have come from a disposal project. The press article did not make any reference to the U.S. government. The contractor told us that he heard that the scavenging was started by the soldiers assigned to work with him in the demolition, and that it is rumored that one soldier made 10,000 Surinamese Dollars (roughly 335 USD) profit from selling the scrap metal. End Note.) The burn site covered an area of approximately 2.5 acres. The GPS coordinates of the four corners of the site were: +-05 degrees26/17.5, 055degrees13/23.2; +05degrees26/17.9, - 055degrees13/21.5; +05degrees26/14.0,- 055degrees13/21.7; +05degrees26/15.4,- 055degrees13/20.3. ¶5. (SBU) The demolition site did not appear to have been disturbed. The demolition site covered approximately 1.78 acres. The GPS coordinates of the four corners of the site were: +05degrees25/18.1,055degrees14/48.8; +05degrees25/17.2,-055degrees14/47.6; +05degrees25/15.4,- 055degrees14/49.4;+05degrees25/16.2,- 055degrees14/50.6. ¶6. (SBU) The following items were destroyed by burning or demolition: Rockets, Signal, Slap Flares: 791 90mm, HE, HEAT: 297 90mm, TPI: 1352 81mm Mortar, HE: 4000 2" Mortar, HE: 1781 57mm, HE, HEAT: 1693 75mm, HE: 58 Mines, AP, M-969: 154 37mm Rocket, HE: 1584 Hand Grenade, HE: 651 3.5 Bazooka, HE: 60 20mm, HE: 768 Cos por bomba: 2399 Cos por bomba, fuze: 1640 Trip flare: 1 Hand Grenade, MK1, Offensive: 31 Rocket Fuzes: 1584 Bomb Fuze, Aerial: 50 Hand Grenade, Incendiary: 1384 Seiamic Explosive (lbs): 550 Blasting caps, unserviceable: 10,000 Powergel (lbs): 800 Fireworks (cases): 807 Hand Grenade, CS: 21 Bomb Ignitors, WP: 30 90mm, WP, fixed: 190 2.75 Rocket, WP: 477 50 Cal. Ball: 724,740 Incendiary Powder (drums): 5 26.5 Flare Carts: 1200 37mm, HE: 40,000 Hand Grenade, Smoke: 2528 2" Mortar, Illumination: 342 303 Cal. Ball: 200,000 30 Cal. Blanks: 199,925 ¶7. (SBU) At the completion of the project, there are three issues Post should address with the Government of Suriname: 1) the securing of the site since people are digging up the pits, 2) the Ministry of Defense removal from the list of some items scheduled for disposal, and 3) the need for reimbursement to Ronco Corporation for importation fees levied. ¶8. (SBU) Action Request. In order to address the issues noted above in paragraph 7, Embassy requests Department cable clearance on the following DIPNOTE text for release to the Government of Suriname: The Embassy of the United States of America presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Suriname. Endeavoring to contribute to the regional security and counterterrorism efforts and recognizing the potential for misuse of excess weapons stockpiles around the world, at the request of the Republic of Suriname, the Embassy agreed to assist in the disposal of Small Arms, Light Weapons and Explosive Materials in Suriname, through a contract with the Ronco Corporation. We are pleased to inform you that the Ronco Corporation project was completed on 22 October 2007. During the course of the contracted disposal, a total of 1, 201, 893 items were disposed of by demolition or burning and then buried in pits on Government of Suriname property. We wish to advise the Government of Suriname that the remnants of the items remain hazardous materials and the pits should not be reopened. We encourage the Government of Suriname to secure the site and remind the Government that the Embassy of the United States of America is not responsible for the safety or security of the site. Due to the potential for misuse of excess weapons stockpiles, the Embassy also wishes to inform the Ministry that the following items were removed from the original disposal list by the Ministry of Defense: 90mm, HE, HEAT (quantity: 458) 90mm, TPI (quantity: 102) 81mm Mortar, HE (quantity: 1000) 57mm, HE, HEAT (quantity: 40) 75mm, HE (quantity: 50) 2.75 Rocket, HE (quantity: 689) 40mm, HE (quantity: 18,000) 50 Cal. Ball (quantity: 2, 275,260) Weapons (quantity: 1064) The Embassy wishes to inform the Ministry that the following items could not be located for disposal: 20mm, HE (quantity: 4232) 26.5 Flare Carts (quantity: 718) There were importation fees charged to the contractor, Ronco Corporation, by the Government of Suriname during the course of this project; the Embassy requests these fees be reimbursed. The Embassy of the United States avails itself of this opportunity to renew the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the assurances of its highest consideration. Embassy of the United States of America Paramaribo, Suriname, XX October 2007 SCHREIBER HUGHES