CLUSTER MUNITIONS CONFERENCE: ESTONIA STILL TO

UNCLAS TALLINN 000330 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/RPM (RICHARD PROSEN),USOCSE (CHRISTOPHER SIBILLA),AND S/CT (ROOPA RANGASWAMY) SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MOPS NATO PARM PREL EN SUBJECT: CLUSTER MUNITIONS CONFERENCE: ESTONIA STILL TO DECIDE ON OSLO PROCESS Ref: STATE 66596 SBU) On May 18, we delivered reftel points to Arti Hilpus, MFA Security and Arms Control Director, and Ketlin Susmalainen, MFA Desk Officer, and discussed the upcoming conference in Lima, Peru on Cluster Munitions. Like the United States, Hilpus said that Estonia is also greatly concerned by the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions. Susmalianen, the MFA's delegate to the Lima Conference, said that Estonia's main goal at the conference is to uphold and strengthen existing multilateral arms control frameworks, principally the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW). While the GOE is aware that several countries have expressed the view that the CCW process has failed to produce an adequate response to the "humanitarian challenges" of cluster munitions, Hilpus said that the GOE still sees the CCW as the most effective and suitable framework in dealing with cluster munitions. However, Hilpus also made clear that the GOE has not ruled out supporting the Oslo process, arguing that it has already given political impetus to the CCW proceedings and may continue to play a complimentary and mutually reinforcing role to the CCW. PHILLIPS