FSC DECEMBER 17: CYBER SECURITY AND AIAM AGENDAS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USOSCE 000317 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR VCI/CCA, VCI/NRRC, EUR/RPM, EUR/PRA, EUR/CARC, SCA/CEN, SCA/RA, PM/WRA JCS FOR J-5 OSD FOR ISA (PERENYI) NSC FOR HAYES USUN FOR LEGAL, POL EUCOM FOR J-5 CENTCOM FOR J-5 UNVIE FOR AC GENEVA FOR CD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM PREL KCFE OSCE RS XG SUBJECT: FSC DECEMBER 17: CYBER SECURITY AND AIAM AGENDAS ADOPTED REF: A. STATE 131459 ¶B. STATE 131458 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The December 17 Forum for Security Cooperation adopted the agendas for the March 17-18, 2009 cyber security workshop and the March 3-4, 2009 Annual Implementation Assessment Meeting. Russia complained that South Ossetia still needed natural gas and appealed for international efforts to restore pipe line deliveries. Georgia said it was completing pipeline repairs in territory it controlled. Delegations are still waiting for further instructions on the draft Code of Conduct questionnaire update. End summary. Natural Gas for South Ossetia -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Russia (Ulyanov) again warned that South Ossetia urgently needed natural gas with winter approaching. Citing an OSCE Mission to Georgia spot report (SEC.FR/769/08), Ulyanov welcomed news that pipeline repairs on the "Georgian side" were in progress. Thanking "European" delegations, who "were not indifferent to the humanitarian crisis," Ulyanov urged a pragmatic response not linked to political issues. He noted the matter was also under discussion at the Geneva talks. ¶3. (SBU) Georgia (Giorgadze) replied it would not predict when the pipeline would be operable as its engineers could not access "the other side" in South Ossetia. Giorgadze thanked the U.S. and Canada for the draft decision in the Permanent Council that would dispatch OSCE inspectors to South Ossetia to inspect the pipeline, adding that Russia was blocking the decision. Georgia welcomed international assistance to restore the pipeline. ¶4. (SBU) Ulyanov countered that Russia actually had proposed amendments, still under consideration. He offered to report favorably to Moscow on any Georgian request for assistance in restoring gas deliveries. Russia, he reported, has spent over ten billion rubles in reconstructing infrastructure in South Ossetia damaged during the August war. AIAM and Cyber Security Agendas -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The agendas for the 2009 Annual Implementation Assessment Meeting, to be held March 3-4, and the March 17-18, 2009 cyber security workshop, were adopted without discussion, the U.S. joining consensus per guidance (ref A). Code of Conduct -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Belarus rejected as unnecessary the language from the Helsinki Final Act proposed by Denmark and Sweden (FSC.DEL/188/08) as a supplement to its own edit (FSC.DEL/186/08) of preamble para 3 in the draft decision on an update of the Code of Conduct questionnaire (FSC.DD/14/08). Denmark reserved the right to make further comment. Other delegations are still waiting for further instructions. U.S. Defense Planning Submission USOSCE 00000317 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The U.S. Vienna Document 1999 defense planning submission for 2008 was distributed (FSC.EMI/460/08) per guidance (ref B). Melange -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The "Group of Friends of Melange" met informally on December 16. The OSCE Secretariat reported tenders were invited on the OSCE melange project in Ukraine on 15 December. The suspense for bid submission is 16 March, with a visit to the top two priority sites by interested firms planned in mid-February. The project would be the largest yet attempted by the OSCE, involving up to 16,000 tons of melange. The first phase of the project envisions the elimination of 3,000 tons of melange at a budget of 3.1 million euros. The melange project in Montenegro was completed in late November, with the last of the toxic chemicals destroyed at the SABAK plant in Sweden. Melange and related materials in Albania are ready for shipment, but no transportation solution has been found to date. Finnish Valedictory -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Finland (Turunen and Kangaste) welcomed France as the incoming chair of the FSC. Delegations, including Russia and the U.S., praised Finland for its chairmanship, noting the additional demands of serving as CiO, including preparation for the Ministerial Conference. France (Lebedel) will present its work plan in January 2009 after consulting with the other FSC Troika members, Finland and Georgia, and the new CiO, Greece. Next Meeting -------------- ¶10. (U) The next meeting on January 21 will be the first of the 2009 winter session. FINLEY