U.S. AND RUSSIANS JOINTLY DEMARCHE CZECH REPUBLIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 000289 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR/NCE FOR FICHTE, ISN/WMDT, T:TIM KATSAPIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2016 TAGS: PTER KNNP MCAP PINR PREL PINS PARM PGOV EZ RU SUBJECT: U.S. AND RUSSIANS JOINTLY DEMARCHE CZECH REPUBLIC ON GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO COMBAT NUCLEAR TERRORISM REF: A. STATE 21535 ¶B. STATE 26678 Classified By: DCM Cameron Munter for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On March 16, DCM and Russian DCM Oleg Lushnikov presented the points outlined in reftel to Jan Kara, director of the United Nations Department of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kara was very receptive to the message, and responded that he was "nearly 100 percent sure" the Czechs would agree to respond in writing to the Americans and the Russians in support of the initiative. Kara promised to circulate our information (provided in English and Russian, he noted) within the ministry, and said he believe that within a week or two we would get an answer. ¶2. (C) Kara had only two questions: he asked whether, by writing in support of the initiative, the Czechs would become "members" of the initiative and if so, what precisely membership entailed (other than participation in the next meeting of the initiative in Kazakhstan this summer); and whether the United States and Russia had approached the EU on this initiative as they had to constituent members of the EU. The mood of the meeting was friendly, and the Russian DCM seemed pleased to be taking part in such a joint demarche (which he referred to as "historic"). (Note: The Embassy is providing details of the Global Conference (Ref B) to Kara, as well as a copy of the February 12 Joint Statement of the Co-Chairmen. End note) ¶3. (U) ACTION REQUEST: Post requests guidance on the two questions asked by Kara in paragraph 2 above. GRABER