ISRAEL ENDORSES PRINCIPLES OF GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 000909 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2017 TAGS: PREL KNNP MCAP PINR PINS PARM IS SUBJECT: ISRAEL ENDORSES PRINCIPLES OF GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO COMBAT NUCLEAR TERRORISM; WILL ATTEND JUNE CONFERENCE REF: A. STATE 26678 ¶B. TEL AVIV 690 Classified By: Marc J. Sievers, Acting DCM. Reasons: 1.4 (b)(d). ¶1. (C) In response to ref A demarche on the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, the Israeli MFA sent a diplomatic note to the Embassy on March 22, announcing Israel's endorsement of the Initiative's principles and its readiness to contribute to the Initiative. A copy of the Israeli note has been sent by fax to NEA/IPA. The text of the note follows: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jerusalem Israel welcomes the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism initiated by the United States of America and the Russian Federation, endorses its principles, and is ready to cooperate with the initiative's activities and contribute to its success. Israel has been combating acts of terrorism since its independence and suffered from their dire consequences. In order to confront the threat of terror and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Israel has already adopted numerous measures that include, inter alia, endorsing and launching the ratification process of the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) as well as the convention on the suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, supporting UN Security Council Resolution 1540 and submitting reports on its implementation, and stepping up security of its international borders against illicit trafficking of nuclear and radiological materials. Israel will be glad to participate in the initiative's work, and will examine carefully the areas of the plan of work to decide where it could contribute most effectively to the initiative's success. 18 March 2007 Jerusalem Embassy of the United States of America. END TEXT OF NOTE. ¶2. (C) Additionally, Eyal Propper, an official in the MFA's Arms Control Department, informed Embassy polmiloff on March 22 that Israel plans to send a representative to the June 11-15 Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism Law Enforcement Conference in Miami, Florida. He identified the Israeli participant as Dr. Itshak Lederman, the Senior Director for CTBT Affairs and Special Projects at the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC). (NOTE: Dr. Lederman is well known to the embassy and has actively participated in joint work on countering radiological terrorism conducted by teams from the IAEC and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA),and their affiliated laboratories. He will be traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada in September to participate in a joint tabletop exercise which involves a simulated "dirty bomb" attack on a civilian target. END NOTE.) ********************************************* ******************** Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. ********************************************* ******************** JONES