BAHAMAS ASKED TO SUBSCRIBE TO HCOC

UNCLAS NASSAU 000406 SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN/MTR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MTCRE PREL MNUC KSCA ETTC TSPA BF SUBJECT: BAHAMAS ASKED TO SUBSCRIBE TO HCOC REF: A. STATE 36361 ¶B. NASSAU 359 ¶1. (U) PolOff conveyed reftel demarche points encouraging The Bahamas to subscribe to the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC) to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Permanent Secretary, and Head of Legal Division, Donna Knowles-Lowe, and Under Secretary, International Relations Division, Marilyn Zonicle, on May 5. Mrs. Lowe indicated the issue had "crossed her desk" in the past but gave no indication of the government's position. PolOff emphasized that the request was timely given the recently-concluded, successful negotiations on The Bahamas signing a Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) ship-boarding agreement (reftel b). PolOff provided talking points in the form of a non-paper and a sample note verbale. Post will report any substantive response septel. ELMO