MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME (MTCR) -- NEXT

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 067437 E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2033 TAGS: MTCRE ETTC KSCA AU FR GM JA UK SUBJECT: MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME (MTCR) -- NEXT STEPS FOR SMALL GROUP PROPOSALS FOR 2008 (C) REF: A. STATE 26726 ¶B. STATE 44438 Classified By: ISN/MTR Director Pam Durham. Reason: 1.4 (B),(D),(H). ¶1. (U) This is an action request. Embassies Berlin, Canberra, London, Paris, and Tokyo, please see paragraph 2. ¶2. (C) BACKGROUND/ACTION REQUEST: As follow-up to the April 9 small group meeting held on the margins of the April 10, 2008 Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) Reinforced Point of Contact (RPOC) meeting in Paris (REF B), Embassies Berlin, Canberra, London, Paris, and Tokyo are requested to deliver the paper in paragraph 3 below to appropriate host government officials and report response. Posts should urge host governments to provide feedback back by no later than July 11, 2008. ¶3. (C) BEGIN TEXT OF NON-PAPER: (CONFIDENTIAL/REL Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom) The United States found the small group meeting on the margins of the April 2008 Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) Reinforced Point of Contact (RPOC) meeting in Paris extremely helpful in trying to identify initiatives for the 2008 MTCR Plenary in Canberra. In light of our discussions in Paris, we understand that France and the United Kingdom will work with other EU countries to try to develop an proposal on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) outreach for the Canberra Plenary; that Australia will take the lead in promoting a proposal on outreach to Indonesia and Malaysia; and that Germany will put forward a proposal for a seminar on risk assessment in licensing. In addition, the United States will examine options for updating its proposal on machine tools to reflect the input received from small group members and will circulate a revised proposal to small group members for further feedback. We hope to provide that revised proposal to you in the next several weeks. In addition to the initiatives discussed in Paris in April, the U.S. has developed an additional proposal for small group consideration. We believe this initiative would build on decisions taken at the 2007 Athens Plenary and would help sustain our collective efforts to combat missile proliferation. We would appreciate your review and feedback on this proposal by July 11, 2008. In keeping with past practice, if this suggested initiative 
is agreed by small group members, the U.S. would then move quickly to preview the proposal with Brazil, Russia, and South Africa. After the expiration of an appropriate comment period with Brazil, Russia, and South Africa, we would plan to submit the proposal formally to all MTCR Partners via the MTCR POC - preferably by August 15, but no later than September 15. Suggested U.S. Proposal on Regime Outreach for Small Group Consideration: At the 2007 Athens MTCR Plenary, the MTCR Partners acknowledged the growing risk of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery. Additionally, as noted in the Athens press release, they welcomed the growing awareness of the need for export controls and the expressed interest by many states in cooperating with the MTCR. They also confirmed their intention individually and through the outreach activities of the Chair to consult and cooperate with non-members to promote effective export controls over missiles and missile technology. In particular, they agreed: "(that the MTCR Chair, assisted by the TEM Chair, as appropriate, will inform, following Plenary decisions, non-member states, as well as the 1540 Committee, of changes to the Guidelines and Annex for their information and use with a view to facilitating the widest possible application of the latest versions of these instruments and enabling interested non-member states to harmonize their controls with those of MTCR Partners. Contacts with non-member states may also include information on the rationale for changes to the Annex, while respecting the principle of confidentiality within the MTCR." The United States strongly supports the MTCR Partners' commitment to outreach and cooperation with non-members on missile nonproliferation issues. We believe that in view of the ongoing global missile proliferation threat, outreach is a critical mission of the MTCR and MTCR Partners need to work side-by-side with non-Partners to actively encourage their support for the Regime's missile nonproliferation efforts, including by implementing the MTCR Guidelines and Annex on a national basis. Accordingly, we think the Regime should build on the decision taken at the Athens Plenary to promote the widest possible application of MTCR controls by creating a specific opportunity to explain to interested non-member countries the rationale for changes made to the MTCR Guidelines and Annex. In particular, we believe it would be extremely valuable for the Regime to hold a meeting for representatives of interested non-Partner countries immediately following the conclusion of the MTCR Reinforced Point of Contact (RPOC) in Paris. The purpose of this meeting would be to brief interested non-Partners on any changes to the MTCR Guidelines and Annex agreed at the previous MTCR Plenary, including by explaining why the changes were made, what they entail from a technical perspective, and the potential impact on licensing reviews. If such a meeting were held following the 2009 MTCR RPOC meeting in Paris, the main agenda item would be any changes agreed to the MTCR Guidelines and Annex at the 2008 Canberra Plenary. Of course, other questions, including changes from previous years, also could be entertained. Holding such an outreach activity immediately following the RPOC would potentially allow broad MTCR Partner participation and could include experts from all MTCR countries, as well as the MTCR Chair and the TEM Co-Chairs. It also would be a way for Partners to maximize their outreach efforts in this era of rising fuel costs and limited resources. If Partners agree to host such an outreach event - and either the Australian Chair, the French POC, or another Partner is able to provide a venue for this activity immediately following the 2009 MTCR RPOC meeting in Paris - the Partners could consider inviting the following non-Partner countries to the initial meeting in 2009: Belarus, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Pakistan, Estonia, Jordan, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Panama, Romania, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Syria, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. We suggest beginning with these countries because they are countries that either have membership applications pending with the Regime or are countries that have been agreed as possible destinations for MTCR outreach visits at the past two Plenaries. We would expect Partners to evaluate the results of the initial outreach meeting at the 2009 MTCR Plenary, and then decide whether to continue the practice in 2010. The Partners also could decide at that time whether to make any changes to the invitee list. END TEXT OF PAPER. ¶4. (U) POINT OF CONTACT: Please contact ISN/MTR Director Pam Durham with any questions or follow-up related to this issue (202-647-4931; durhampk@state.sgov.gov). ¶5. (U) Please slug any reporting on this or other MTCR-related issues for ISN/MTR. RICE NNNN End Cable Text