VCC AND EXPERTS MEETINGS, MARCH 29, 2007

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USNATO 000218

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2017
TAGS: PREL PARM NATO OSCE KCFE
SUBJECT: VCC AND EXPERTS MEETINGS, MARCH 29, 2007

REF: STATE 38562

Classified By: DCM Richard G. Olson for reasons 1.4 (b/d).


1. (SBU) Summary: During meetings on March 29, VCC experts
reached agreement on procedures for reporting ambiguities
related to BRM-1K vehicles and use of GPS during inspections;
they will continue to address use of digital cameras to
report ambiguities and definition of inspection site. The
VCC agreed the VCC seminar will be held Oct 4-5. The VCC
sent several issues to the experts for discussion over the
next few months: possible coordination of Vienna Document
verification activities; follow-up to the Central Asian
Republics seminar; information about dates associated with
updates to the CFE inspectors list and start of the Treaty
residual year; and a response to Poland's question on
reporting the entry into service of conventional armaments
and equipment. See guidance requests paragraphs 2 and 6.
End summary.


2. (C) Results of the experts meeting:

-- (SBU) Reporting on BRM-1K vehicles (AC/319-D(2005)0001
(CFE)): Experts agreed to several amendments to this paper;
the Chair will issue a revised note under silence procedure.
The following changes will be made: a new paragraph noting
that Russia has not notified BRM-1K vehicles at all since the
July 2005 exchange; status will be updated to reflect that
Russia does not brief these vehicles at all; and current
paragraph 4.2 and its Annex will be deleted since Russia does
not address these vehicles.

-- (SBU) Digital cameras: Germany noted that paragraph two
of the Chair's proposal did not include any provision
addressing the possibility that use of a digital camera is
denied. The Chair suggested that Polaroid film was still an
option, but withdrew his proposal since it did not address
the issue adequately. The Chair then asked for agreement on
the German proposal. When U.S. rep noted this would be
satisfactory for declared site inspections, but that it did
not fully address our concerns with regard to use for
specified area inspections, the Chair deferred the issue to a
future meeting and asked U.S. rep to seek alternative
language. (Comment and Guidance Request: Following the
meeting, U.S. experts discussed the text in light of reftel
and tried to identify a way forward. We recommend using the
Chair's (withdrawn) proposal, but including language that
calls for the inspected State Party to provide the digital
camera and printer to photograph ambiguities if it otherwise
refuses use of digital cameras by the inspecting State Party.
Mission requests Washington review this suggestion and
provide guidance to make the proposal in advance of the next
experts meeting on May 16, in order to reach agreement on
this issue. End Comment and Guidance Request.)

-- (SBU) GPS: After U.S. rep noted concerns with the text
regarding use during specified area inspections, Canada
suggested revising the end of the text to call for use of GPS
to verify the coordinates of units, sites and facilities
inspectable under Section VIII as notified under the
information exchange or notifications. Judging this to meet
the guidance provided reftel, U.S. rep agreed to the Chair's
proposal to draft and put under a silence a letter to send
the text on use of GPS to Vienna.

-- (C) Definition of inspection site: Several delegations
noted that language in the German paper was not consistent
with Treaty language; Germany agreed, noting that the
translation from German had been made without referring to
the Treaty itself (in English). Per reftel, U.S. rep
questioned whether the effort was likely to meet with success
in Vienna. Germany will contact their Vienna delegation
seeking a reply to the U.S. question. The Chair will issue a
revised text so discussion can continue at the next meeting.
On the margins, a German representative stated that the
impetus behind Germany's proposal was a bilateral
disagreement with Russia over the definition of an inspection
site and the inspected State Party's obligations to provide
information on units and holdings at the site. On the advice
of the German delegation in Vienna, Germany is seeking Allied
agreement on this issue before pursuing it further.


3. (C) The VCC received information about the following
planned Vienna Document 1999 (VD99) verification events:

-- (C) Evaluation visits to be conducted on a bilateral
basis: Denmark to Albania, April 16-20; Hungary to Serbia,
April 3-5; and Hungary to Ukraine, April 11-13.


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-- (C) Inspections announced previously: Canada to
Tajikistan, originally scheduled for Feb 26, has been
rescheduled to April 23-27 following discussions with the
Tajiks; Slovenia to Albania in March has been postponed, but
no date announced; and Denmark to Tajikistan has been
postponed from April 16-20, with no date announced.

-- (C) Inspections announced at this meeting: U.S. to Serbia
the week of April 1; Spain to Montenegro, May 14-18; Germany
to Armenia, June 18-21; the UK to Turkmenistan, June 18-21;
and Romania to Croatia, May 7-11.


4. (SBU) The VCC agreed to have experts discuss the
suggestion to coordinate VD99 verification events with
non-Allies; it may be discussed as early as April 24. ACCS
will draft a food-for-thought paper on this topic; Germany
indicated they would make a contribution. Based on recent
comments by Germany in Vienna and the Annual Implementation
Assessment Meeting, we expect Germany to be very forward
leaning in the VCC on this issue. Denmark and Norway reported
that during a recent Nordic seminar, they had discussions
with Sweden and Finland on the general topic of coordinating
VD99 events; Sweden and Finland expressed interest.


5. (SBU) As follow-up to the Central Asian Republics
seminar, Germany noted it will conduct an arms control
workshop at the regional center in Kazakhstan July 16-22;
attendees will be announced later. This general topic
(follow-up to the seminar) will also be passed to the
experts, to be discussed as early as April 24.


6. (SBU) The VCC agreed the VCC seminar will be held October
4-5. The experts will meet on April 24 to work out the
agenda, to include identifying sponsors for specific topics.
ACCS distributed a list of topics for consideration (emailed
to VCI/CCA); U.S. rep noted our concern about keeping the
focus on implementation issues; the U.S. volunteered to
address small arms and light weapons. To prepare for this
meeting, delegations are to provide comments on the topic
list (additions and/or deletions) by April 11. (Guidance
request: Mission requests information about the topic list
be provided in advance of the April 11 deadline. End
Guidance request.)


7. (U) Since meetings have been scheduled less frequently
(e.g., every 7-8 weeks vice every 4 weeks),the VCC agreed to
start its meetings at 1330 (vice 1415).


8. (C) In addition to the U.S. report delivered per reftel,
the following reports were provided:

-- (C) Germany reported on its inspection of the 15th
Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade at Roshchinskiy on February
13-16. Russia briefed that 144 armored combat vehicles among
the unit's holdings are temporarily located in Abkhazia and
South Ossetia (specific details on types and locations are
contained in the inspection report). Germany also provided a
paper and photos on a number of vehicles they encountered
during the inspection, which have been added to the POET
working group list.

-- (C) France reported on its February 2-9 inspection to the
42nd Armaments and Equipment Storage Base in Vladimirskiy
Lager'. During the inspection, the national escorts indicated
Russia would add four more POE's: Samara, Rostov-on-Don, St.
Petersburg, and Kaliningrad.

-- (C) Romania noted that during the March 5-8 inspection in
Russia, they were permitted to use GPS (provided by Russia),
and had been allowed to bring digital cameras and to take
pictures inside buildings. They did observe a site diagram
discrepancy that they commented on via paragraph 7.b.


9. (C) Changes to CFE inspection schedule:
France merged planned inspections to Russia in time blocks
(TB) 5 and 10 into a sequential to be conducted in TB 12;
French inspection to Georgia from TB 7 to TB 32;
French inspection to Russia flank from TB 31 to TB 52;
French inspection to Ukraine from TB 36 to TB 35;
Belgian inspection to Belarus from TB 30 to TB 27; and
Danish inspection to Russia from TB 34 to TB 26.


10. (C) Paired inspections: Georgia will conduct an
inspection of Russian stationed forces in Armenia with
Turkey; Turkey is currently working out the details. Georgia
also wants to pair on an inspection in Russia, but no one has
come forward to date; this will be sent to the experts for
further discussion.


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11. (C) The Chair noted that ACCS is reviewing comments
provided on the POET issues paper to ensure all updates are
incorporated. They expect to issue the paper under silence
next week, and will then send it to the JCG-T in Vienna (if
silence is not broken). Transmission of this paper in
response to the JCG-T request will complete VCC action on
this issue. Indications are that Germany will not object to
the paper in its current form.


12. (SBU) Information exchange issues: This item was added
to the agenda in response to questions raised by Norway, who
was seeking clarification of dates for providing the updated
list of inspectors and the start of the residual period
treaty year. Norway was asked to provide a paper outlining
its concerns so the experts will be better prepared to
respond. Poland recently provided an F21 adding F-16's to
its combat aircraft holdings, but did not provide an F13
(entry into service). Russia questioned why no F13 was
provided, and Poland is looking for assistance in responding.
They provided a food-for-thought paper on this issue
(emailed to VCI/CCA) and will look for advice from the
experts during the meeting on May 16.
NULAND