C O N F I D E N T I A L REYKJAVIK 000248

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR -- PDAS VOLKER AND VCI/CCA
DEPT ALSO FOR EUR/RPM, EUR/NB

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2017
TAGS: NATO KCFE PARM PREL IC
SUBJECT: ICELAND: TIMELINE ON ADAPTED CFE DELIVERED

REF: STATE 116194

Classified By: Amb. Carol van Voorst for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

(C) Pol Chief called the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA)
on August 20 to alert the Ministry to the rollout of a proposed
Adapted Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) timetable in
Washington that day, and delivered reftel points and timetable in a
follow-up meeting on August 21. MFA Minister Counsellor Nick
Hannigan noted his appreciation for Washington's efforts to find a
way forward on the issue of the CFE and Russia's unmet Istanbul
Commitments, though noting that "the Russians don't seem to be in a
constructive mood of late." He added that Iceland's delegation to
the September 13 HLTF meeting would be prepared to discuss the
timetable.


2. (C) Post notes that Icelandic ratification and entry into force
of the original CFE Treaty took over a year, though most of this
delay involved translation of the proposed treaty into Icelandic.
The Althingi (parliament) opened its session that year on October 1,

1991. The actual time from the introduction of the treaty in the
Althingi Foreign Affairs Committee on November 25, 1991 to its
approval by the full Althingi on December 14, 1991 and ratification
by the government on December 24, 1991, was comparatively short.
Barring a need to completely re-translate an Adapted CFE, it would be
plausible that the Government of Iceland could push through
ratification during the upcoming October 1 - May 31 Althingi session.

van Voorst