DEMARCHE DELIVERED: RUSSIAN ROLE IN ENERGY

S E C R E T MOSCOW 002239

SIPDIS

STATE: EUR, EAP, EAP/K; NSC/ASIA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2018
TAGS: EAID ENRG KNNP PARM PREL RS KN JA CH KS
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: RUSSIAN ROLE IN ENERGY
ASSISTANCE TO NORTH KOREA UNDER SIX-PARTY TALKS

REF: STATE 82221

Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Alice Wells. Reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (C) On August 1 PolOff delivered reftel demarche to MFA
First Asia Department Second Secretary Dmitriy Kulkin, a
Russian delegation member at Six-Party meetings. Kulkin
emphasized that Russia continues to support the "action for
action" principle outlined by the Six-Party Talks Economy and
Energy Cooperation Working Group, and added that Russia will
work actively to fulfill its commitments and complete its
shipments of heavy fuel oil (HFO) to the DPRK by October 2008.


2. (S) Kulkin noted that Russia has already completed half
of its HFO shipments to the DPRK, and emphasized that all
relevant GOR agencies are aware of the timeline and
commitments to which Russia agreed at the June 2008 meeting
of the Economy and Energy Cooperation Working Group. He then
added the caveat that, "Russia is looking for all financial
resources and administrative capabilities to achieve this
goal." Kulkin remarked that according to the agreements from
the June Working Group meeting, states could consider
financial and administrative means to determine when to
deliver remaining HFO shipments. When asked for an answer
about adhering to the October 2008 deadline, he firmly
responded that Russia is doing everything possible to meet
its obligations.


3. (S) Kulkin declined to clarify when Russia would deliver
its third HFO supply, as requested by the U.S. at the July
Working Group meeting and in reftel demarche. He claimed the
Working Group agreements did not specify that Russia had to
deliver its third HFO tranche by the end of July, and pointed
out that the U.S., to his knowledge, had not fully supplied
its own third tranche to the DPRK. In response to Kulkin's
request for clarification, PolOff reiterated what the U.S.
delegation told Russia at the July Working Group meeting,
namely that the U.S. would complete its third HFO shipment by
the end of August. Kulkin noted that the U.S. and Russia had
reached an understanding to piggyback off one another; in
other words, once the U.S. had completed a delivery, Russia
would ship its own HFO. Considering the U.S. had not yet
completed its third shipment, Kulkin commented that the
demarche surprised him to some extent.


4. (S) When Kulkin turned to the DPRK's nuclear disablement,
he hinted that the Six Parties should be doing more to verify
the DPRK's progress. If the DPRK received its HFO shipments
according to a specific timetable, he argued we should be
doing more to ensure the DPRK fulfills its own
denuclearization commitments on time.
RUBIN