CWC: OPCW DIRECTION GENERAL DENIES REQUEST TO

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000696 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR ISN/CB, VCI/CCA, L/NPV, IO/MPR, SECDEF FOR OSD/GSA/CN,CP> JOINT STAFF FOR DD PMA-A FOR WTC COMMERCE FOR BIS (ROBERTS) NSC FOR FLY WINPAC FOR WALTER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM PREL CWC SUBJECT: CWC: OPCW DIRECTION GENERAL DENIES REQUEST TO RECONSIDER INSPECTION NOTIFICATION REF: A. CWC/OTS/1310GMT/1308/20080310/F010 ¶B. CWC/USA/1400GMT/1408/2008/189/F38 ¶C. TELCON 140808 ISN-CB DIRECTOR MIKULAK AND DEPUTY PERM REP BEIK This is CWC-35-08 ¶1. (SBU) On August 15, per instructions REF C, Delegation reps Beik and Robinson met with OPCW Director General Rogelio Pfirter regarding the OPCW's intent to inspect the U.S. Chemical Weapons Storage Facilities at Pueblo and Newport, arriving August 17 (REF A),and the U.S. request for a later close-out inspection of the Newport facility pending official notification (REF B). OPCW Verification Director Horst Reeps also attended the meeting. ¶2. (SBU) Pfirter had clearly been briefed by his staff on the issue and preempted Delreps' explanation by stating that his overriding concern was one of precedent. He then went on to cite a number of occasions on which States Parties had requested that he reconsider a notification of inspection, naming France and India specifically, and noted that he had refused to do so in each case despite considerable pressure. He reminded Delreps that the Secretariat is willing to take into account information it receives in advance concerning dates or time periods during which it would be particularly difficult to support an OPCW inspection, and that the U.S. had not done so in this case. Pfirter also noted that one State Party (unidentified) had replied to the notification of inspection with a message that it was "not in a position to receive an inspection at that time," and that the U.S. always had this option, but that he would be obliged to report such a response to the Executive Council. Delrep replied that she would report back to Washington but that this case did not appear to reach that level, and the U.S. would be prepared to receive the inspection as scheduled. ¶3. (U) Beik sends. Culbertson