CHILE WELCOMES GLOBAL INITIATIVE MEMBERS

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000712

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR ISN/WMDT, T-KATSAPIS, AND WHA/BSC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER KNNP MCAP PINR PINS PARM PREL KGIC CI
SUBJECT: CHILE WELCOMES GLOBAL INITIATIVE MEMBERS

REF: A. STATE 80436

B. STATE 77168


1. Poloff informed two members of the MFA's Office of
Special Policies, Counselor Julio Bravo and Third Secretary
Alvaro Guzman, of the recent addition of Mauritius and
Uzbekistan to the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism on August 1. Both officials welcomed the new
members.


2. Bravo also raised the issue of the upcoming GI conference
in Germany September 4-5, 2008 (Ref B). He noted that, as a
small country with a relatively small MFA staff and travel
budget, Chile must often pass up opportunities to attend
worthwhile foreign policy events, particularly when they are
held far from South America or there are multiple events per
year on similar topics. While Chile will not be able to send
an official representative to the September 2008 conference,
Bravo noted that he always passes invitations to other
members of Chile's nuclear terrorism working group, which
includes government and non-government members.
SIMONS