Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07STOCKHOLM98
2007-01-26 15:30:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Stockholm
Cable title:
SWEDEN: VIEWS ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS
how-toVZCZCXRO9830 OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHSM #0098 0261530 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 261530Z JAN 07 FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1618 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO BRUSSELS BE RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0558
C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000098
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE PM/WRA FOR KATHERINE BAKER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2017
TAGS: MOPS PARM PREL NATO PGOV SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN: VIEWS ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS
REF: STATE 6667
Classified By: Polcouns Casey Christensen, reason 1.4 (b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000098
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE PM/WRA FOR KATHERINE BAKER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2017
TAGS: MOPS PARM PREL NATO PGOV SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN: VIEWS ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS
REF: STATE 6667
Classified By: Polcouns Casey Christensen, reason 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (c) Polcouns met January 26 with MFA Deputy Director
General and head of International Law and Human Rights
Department Bosse Hedberg in connection with the proposed
February 22-23 cluster munitions conference in Oslo. Hedberg
noted that he was closely involved with developments on
cluster munitions (CM) at the Conference on Certain
Conventional Weapons (CCW),and would head the Swedish
delegation to Oslo. Hedberg said he was aware of the U.S.
position on CM, which he characterized as being "existing
laws on CM are sufficient," and said that Sweden disagreed.
Sweden believed there needed to be specific guidelines on CM;
at the same time, Sweden wanted to ensure that the right
balance was found between military and humanitarian concerns.
Sweden's "political goal" was to see formal, more specific
regulation of the use of CM, as well as the prohibition of
the use and transfer of the older generation of CM, and
provisions for their destruction.
2. (c) Hedberg said one of Sweden's purposes in
participating in Oslo was to make sure the process did not
get out of hand. Some countries (he mentioned Mexico and the
Holy See) and interest groups that would be participating
could seek a complete ban on cluster weapons. He said the
ICRC would participate at Oslo. Hedberg said Sweden used,
and may -- he was not certain -- produce and did assemble
cluster weapons, and did not want this capability curtailed.
He had been assured, he said, that Sweden's CM were "more
than 98 percent reliable," and were of the new generation,
such that they would not, in the Swedish scenario, be
affected by a ban. Sweden would seek to avoid an outcome
that sought to ban CM entirely, because that would produce a
much smaller critical mass of support. Hedberg said he had
spoken extensively with Norwegian officials, and they were
also seeking a regulation, not a prohibition of CM.
3. (c) Hedberg said Sweden will also participate in the
April ICRC meeting on CM. He expected these meetings would
be more at the expert level, following up on the Oslo
"political" initiative Sweden hoped to influence along the
lines described. He expected that the Oslo conference would
adopt a declaration or issue a chairman's statement stating
the political conclusions; he did not expect a draft of a
binding instrument to be a result.
WOOD
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE PM/WRA FOR KATHERINE BAKER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2017
TAGS: MOPS PARM PREL NATO PGOV SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN: VIEWS ON CLUSTER MUNITIONS
REF: STATE 6667
Classified By: Polcouns Casey Christensen, reason 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (c) Polcouns met January 26 with MFA Deputy Director
General and head of International Law and Human Rights
Department Bosse Hedberg in connection with the proposed
February 22-23 cluster munitions conference in Oslo. Hedberg
noted that he was closely involved with developments on
cluster munitions (CM) at the Conference on Certain
Conventional Weapons (CCW),and would head the Swedish
delegation to Oslo. Hedberg said he was aware of the U.S.
position on CM, which he characterized as being "existing
laws on CM are sufficient," and said that Sweden disagreed.
Sweden believed there needed to be specific guidelines on CM;
at the same time, Sweden wanted to ensure that the right
balance was found between military and humanitarian concerns.
Sweden's "political goal" was to see formal, more specific
regulation of the use of CM, as well as the prohibition of
the use and transfer of the older generation of CM, and
provisions for their destruction.
2. (c) Hedberg said one of Sweden's purposes in
participating in Oslo was to make sure the process did not
get out of hand. Some countries (he mentioned Mexico and the
Holy See) and interest groups that would be participating
could seek a complete ban on cluster weapons. He said the
ICRC would participate at Oslo. Hedberg said Sweden used,
and may -- he was not certain -- produce and did assemble
cluster weapons, and did not want this capability curtailed.
He had been assured, he said, that Sweden's CM were "more
than 98 percent reliable," and were of the new generation,
such that they would not, in the Swedish scenario, be
affected by a ban. Sweden would seek to avoid an outcome
that sought to ban CM entirely, because that would produce a
much smaller critical mass of support. Hedberg said he had
spoken extensively with Norwegian officials, and they were
also seeking a regulation, not a prohibition of CM.
3. (c) Hedberg said Sweden will also participate in the
April ICRC meeting on CM. He expected these meetings would
be more at the expert level, following up on the Oslo
"political" initiative Sweden hoped to influence along the
lines described. He expected that the Oslo conference would
adopt a declaration or issue a chairman's statement stating
the political conclusions; he did not expect a draft of a
binding instrument to be a result.
WOOD