NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP: CANADA WILL JOIN

UNCLAS OTTAWA 001519 SENSITIVE SIPDIS ISN/NESS FOR R. DELABARRE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PARM ENRG ETTC KNNP CA SUBJECT: NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP: CANADA WILL JOIN CONSENSUS ON ENR REF: STATE 126581 ¶1. (SBU) Canada will join consensus on the U.S. proposal for strengthening Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) control of transfers of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) equipment and technology, according to Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) non-proliferation senior policy advisor Che van Haastrecht. Van Haastrecht said that he had been instructed to pass on the "high level of appreciation by senior levels of DFAIT" over U.S. flexibility in taking into account Canadian concerns in the original proposal. Although he described the current draft proposal as "not perfect" and containing "a certain amount of ambiguity," van Haastrecht said it does meet Canada's needs from economic and non-proliferation points of view. Canada is drafting a letter for the NSG Consultative Group chair to make its agreement formal and to lay out its understanding of how the U.S. proposal will operate, according to van Haastrecht. He added that Canada originally had concerns about sections 7 (b) and (c),with the latter being the predominant concern. Van Haastrecht also expressed keen interest in the reactions of key capitals, including Moscow, Brasilia, Buenos Aires, Pretoria, and the EU. Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada BREESE