BELGIUM WILLING TO JOIN CONSENSUS ON AMENDED NSG

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 001821 SIPDIS STATE FOR ISN/NESS:RDELABARRE AND EUR/WE E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2018 TAGS: ENRG ETTC KNNP MNUC PARM TRGY BE SUBJECT: BELGIUM WILLING TO JOIN CONSENSUS ON AMENDED NSG GUIDELINES FOR ENR REF: STATE 126581 Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Richard Eason, reason 1.4(b ) and (d). Poloff delivered reftel request for support of a consensus on the text for amendment of the Nuclear Suppliers Group Nuclear Guidelines on Control of Transfers of Enrichment and Reprocessing Equipment and Technology to Werner Bauwens, Director of the MFA Office of Non-Proliferation and Export Controls on December 2. Bauwens said that Belgium supports the current draft as amended. He said that Belgium will join a consensus in that it will not put forward any objections to the text. Poloff urged that Belgium assist in convincing other countries to join the consensus. Bauwens said he feels that the United States will have to take the lead in convincing skeptics to accept the current text or other language which may yet be agreed upon by the December 12 deadline mentioned reftel. .