CANADA SEEKS MORE INFORMATION ON IMPENDING

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 000250 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/19/2018 TAGS: PREL PNAT PARM KITA TSPA TPHY CA SUBJECT: CANADA SEEKS MORE INFORMATION ON IMPENDING SATELLITE INTERCEPT ATTEMPT Classified By: PolMinCouns Scott Bellard, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) Deputy Director for Continental Defence Victor Rakmil on February 19 told Poloff that DFAIT had instructed the Canadian Embassy in Washington to contact the Departments of State and Defense for additional information about USG attempts to intercept Satellite USA 193, notably to request the "earliest notification possible" of any attempt at interception as well as information about how U.S. officials planned to structure their emergency response if the satellite, or parts of it, landed on Canadian territory. He emphasized that the Canadian government strongly hopes to receive notifications at each step of the way to the downing of the satellite and the development of measures to deal with possible debris strikes in Canada. ¶2. (C) Rakmil added that Canada wants to be ready with a diplomatic note and other necessary communications should the satellite, or parts of it, strike Canadian territory. He said that Canadian officials expected that the most efficient exchange would begin with a U.S. offer of assistance conveyed via dipnote, followed by a Canadian dipnote accepting the assistance. Canadian emboffs will seek early copies of draft U.S. dipnote language, as well as advice from U.S. officials on what language Canada would need to include in its response. He expressed Canada's wish to "pre-cook" this cooperation, in order to make sure our governments react -- and are seen by our publics to react -- as quickly as possible if the need arises. ¶3. (C) Rakmil noted that DFAIT officials had been turning to CNN and amateur trackers for up-to-date information, and that some experts in the private domain were predicting an intercept as soon as February 21. He stressed that it was important that the U.S. do a "better job" of reaching out to the Canadian government to coordinate a common public affairs strategy and to ensure that "our understanding of events and our media relations are in sync" when the attempted intercept occurs, and beyond. Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada WILKINS