PAKISTANI CANDIDATE FOR CRITICAL OPCW CHAIRMANSHIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 001962 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR ISN/CB, SCA/PB ISLAMABAD FOR AMBASSADOR PATTERSON FROM AMBASSADOR JAVITS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2017 TAGS: PARM PK PREL CWC SUBJECT: PAKISTANI CANDIDATE FOR CRITICAL OPCW CHAIRMANSHIP REF: A. A. THE HAGUE 1909 ¶B. B. STATE 148567 ¶C. C. ISLAMABAD 4622 Classified By: Permanent Representative Eric M. Javits, for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D). This is CWC-86-07. ¶1. (U) This is an action message ) see para 4. ¶2. (C) We received word today informally from Embassy Islamabad that a key official being demarched on the issue of Ambassador Sibte Yahva Naqvi,s extension to chair the OPCW,s Second Review Conference (Refs a, b and c) is Colonel Shahab Ab Din from the Disarmament Directorate of the MFA. Colonel Ab Din is currently in The Hague, and the Embassy suggested that I might want to contact him myself. I have spoken to Ambassador Naqvi, who informed me that there is no point in involving Colonel Ab Din because he is incapable of making the call to the Foreign Secretary under the present circumstances. The Foreign Ministry has to date only heard from Ambassador Naqvi and could well be under the impression that seeking this position is a personal enterprise of Naqvi with a view to extending his term. Hearing from Ab Din would not change that impression. (Comment: Naqvi has not put himself forward for this position. The OPCW Director General and I agreed to approach him to ascertain whether he would be available and willing to take it on. End Comment) ¶3. (C) According to Naqvi, only the Foreign Secretary or the Additional Foreign Secretary (ASUN),Khalid Aziz Babar, can decide that Pakistan should chair the RevCon, and only the President (head of government) can make the further decision to extend Naqvi,s term from February to the end of April to make that possible. The Foreign Secretary does not have that power. ¶4. (C) Action requested. We request the Department,s authorization for Ambassador Patterson to phone Khalid Aziz Babar or the Foreign Secretary directly. The points to emphasize are that Naqvi,s chairing the OPCW Review Conference is in the mutual interests of the U.S. and Pakistan, that Pakistan is well suited to provide the leadership needed for the Review Conference, and that Ambassador Naqvi,s extended service would only need to be three months, from February through April. Ambassador Naqvi is a most capable diplomat, is popular here in The Hague, and is the choice of many in and out of the Asian Group at the OPCW. ¶5. (C) I know this issue is not at the top of an overloaded bilateral Pakistan-U.S. agenda, but would very much appreciate Ambassador Patterson,s time for a phone call to the Foreign Secretary. It is critical here that Pakistan take the lead for this honor to obviate the move by Iran to seek it, a move which would destroy the chances for a successful Review Conference. ¶6. JAVITS SENDS. Gallagher