ENCOURAGING OMAN TO SUBSCRIBE TO HCOC

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 000358 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR ISN/MTR, NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/2018 TAGS: PREL MNUC MTCRE KSCA TSPA MU SUBJECT: ENCOURAGING OMAN TO SUBSCRIBE TO HCOC REF: STATE 40626 ¶1. (SBU) Pol-Econ Chief delivered reftel demarche, talking points and sample note verbale on April 22 to Abdullah al-Riaymi, Deputy Director of the International Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and strongly encouraged the Omani government to promptly subscribe to the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC). Al-Riyami replied that Oman's subscription continued to be "under review" and that he would endeavor to provide a further response within the next month. ¶2. (SBU) Contacted by Pol-Econ Chief on May 15, al-Riyami apologized for having no additional information to pass on regarding the HCOC. Reflecting earlier remarks (reftel),he noted that he did not know of any government objections to the substance of the HCOC, but added that Oman was often hesitant to be the first GCC country to sign on to international documents of this nature. He pledged to continue to try to move the issue forward. ¶3. (C) Comment: Al-Riyami's comments about Omani reluctance to be the GCC leader on international security and non-proliferation agreements ring true from post experience. Oman's consideration of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, for example, continues after many months with no visible progress. This cautious approach, combined with the slow pace of Oman's bureaucracy and the need for full Council of Ministers approval, may delay a final Omani decision on the HCOC for quite some time. On the positive side, once the Omani government formally signs on to an agreement, it is very conscientious in fulfilling its resulting obligations. End Comment. GRAPPO