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.

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WILKINS