UNSCR 1540: COMMITTEE NEARS AGREEMENT ON REPORT

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000569 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL AORC KPAO PTER UNSC SUBJECT: UNSCR 1540: COMMITTEE NEARS AGREEMENT ON REPORT REF: A. STATE 30483 ¶B. STATE 66384 ¶C. STATE 63111 ¶D. STATE 49749 ¶E. STATE 28412 ¶F. STATE 80042 (07) ¶G. STATE 13539 ¶H. JAPANESE NONPAPER - DRAFT AGENDA ¶I. GERMAN PAPER ON 2007 1540 DEMARCHE RESULTS ¶1. BEGIN SUMMARY: The Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 ("1540 Committee") agreed ad referendum on June 25 on revisions to the Committee's draft report to the Security Council on States' compliance with resolution 1540 (2004). Per ref (C),USUN also proposed that the Committee should write the Japanese Presidency of the G-8 Non-Proliferation Directors' Group (NPDG) before the end of July with recommendations on how the G-8 can better support the work of the 1540 Committee. END SUMMARY. ¶2. At an informal meeting on June 25, the 1540 Committee agreed provisionally on final revisions to its draft report to the Security Council. P-5 Committee members had negotiated those revisions previously, and Committee members generally welcomed them. The Committee also agreed to minor clarifications to two sentences and a new paragraph proposed by South Africa concerning the issue of illicit trafficking by non-State actors in nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, their means of delivery and related materials. To address South African concerns about the penultimate paragraph, the Committee also agreed to the following new language: "The information obtained by the Committee, during the reporting period, clearly demonstrates that States have initiated measures to meet more fully their obligations under resolution 1540 (2004). The full implementation of the resolution, however, is a long-term endeavour requiring ongoing outreach and assistance programmes tailored to the needs of each State. To that end, in resolution 1810 (2008), the Security Council decided to extend the 1540 Committee's mandate for a further period of three years." ¶3. Resolution 1673 (2006) required the Committee to submit a report on states' compliance with resolution 1540 by April 28, and resolution 1810 (2008) extended that deadline until July 31. The 1540 Committee's Group of Experts will incorporate the revisions into the text, which will be circulated to delegations within one week. The 1540 Committee will then meet to approve the report for submission to the Security Council. ¶4. Following consultations with the G-8 members of the 1540 Committee, at which USUN delivered points per ref B, USUN proposed that the Committee send recommendations to the G-8 NPDG by the end of the July concerning how the G-8 can better support the Committee. In USUN's earlier discussions with G-8 members on the Committee, several had expressed support in principle for the idea, while noting they needed instructions, but recommended that USUN circulate a draft letter for Committee members to review. In those discussions, the French Committee member had suggested that the G-8 could assist the Committee by sending subject-matter experts to accompany the 1540 Committee's Group of Experts on targeted visits to assist countries with their 1540 implementation. He also argued that the G-8 could provide useful assistance by focusing its efforts on countries facing the greatest proliferation risk. ¶5. During the Committee's brief discussion of USUN's proposal, USUN offered to circulate a draft letter for delegations' consideration as soon as possible. The Russian delegation expressed support in principle for sending a letter to the G-8 NPDG but added that the timing might not be appropriate, since the G-8 summit will be occurring in July. On the margins of the meeting, USUN responded that any letter from the Committee would be consistent with any G-8 summit outcome and stressed that the G-8 NPDG has already sought input from the 1540 Committee so it can decide on a way ahead at a future NPDG meeting. ¶6. Also on the margins of the meeting, Nikita Smidovich of the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs sought U.S. views on planning for a 1540-related outreach workshop in September in Bangkok, which is tentatively scheduled to take place at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA). Smidovich informed USUN that the Thai government has expressed reluctance to negotiate a host country agreement with the United Nations, which would be necessary if the UN holds the outreach workshop at the ILEA rather than a UN facility. Smidovich asked if the United States would agree to having the workshop at another venue. The UN would still give the United States credit for assisting with the workshop and would seek U.S. assistance with the substantive portions of the workshop, as well as with a field visit to a port security facility. Khalilzad