1540 COMMITTEE: RUSSIANS SEEK TO REPLACE RUSSIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000592

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/03/2018
TAGS: PREL AORC KPAO PTER UNSC KNNP
SUBJECT: 1540 COMMITTEE: RUSSIANS SEEK TO REPLACE RUSSIAN
ON COMMITTEE'S GROUP OF EXPERTS

REF: A. ISN EMAIL TO IO/USUN/EUR
(WUCHTE/WILCOX)-07/01/2008

B. ISN EMAIL TO IO/USUN (PURCELL/WILCOX)-06/26/2008

Classified By: Minister Counselor for Legal Affairs, Carolyn L.
Willson, for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Russian Deputy Permanent Representative Shcherbak
approached USUN on June 25 to request U.S. support for a
Russian candidate to replace the Russian national currently
serving on the 1540 Committee's Group of Experts, Viktor
Slipchenko. Shcherbak said the Russian Federation wants to
handle the matter quietly and expeditiously, without having
the Committee solicit nominations from all Member States to
fill Slipchenko's slot. USUN assured Shcherbak that the
United States would work with and support the Russian Mission
on the matter. The contracts for all of the Committee's
Group of Experts will expire on July 31 unless the UN Office
of Disarmament Affairs renews them or appoints new experts
with the consent of the Committee.


2. (C) Separately, the French Mission has advised USUN that
France intends to nominate a French candidate to serve on the
Committee's Group of Experts. The French representative to
the 1540 Committee has advised that he understands that Brad
Howlett (Australia) or V. Siddartha (India) may both be
planning to leave when their contracts expire, leaving open
two slots. USUN has requested the name of the French
candidate, and the French Mission has advised that he is an
official with the French Ministry of Defense who has
extensive experience relating to implementation of resolution
1540 (2004) and nonproliferation issues generally.
Consistent with the permanent members' convention, USUN would
expect to receive instructions to support both the Russian
and French candidates for these positions.


3. (C) Before ODA has extended contracts to members of the
Committee's Group of Experts in the past, the Committee has
circulated a diplomatic note to all UN Member States,
inviting them to nominate candidates. ODA and the 1540
Committee then vetted the nominees and recommended candidates
to the Committee for its approval. In recommending
candidates, ODA and the 1540 Committee Chairman considered
nominees' qualifications, the Committee's need for experts
knowledgeable in the different substantive areas addressed by
resolution 1540, and the need for geographic representation.


4. (C) COMMENT: Moscow's desire to replace Slipchenko may
reflect its dissatisfaction with the initial drafts of the
1540 Committee's report to the Security Council on states'
compliance with resolution 1540, which resolutions 1673 and
1810 require. Moscow may blame Slipchenko for what it
evidently saw as a flawed report. Whatever the reason behind
Moscow's approach, replacing Slipchenko would be useful. He
has been one of the less proactive and productive members of
the 1540 Committee's Group of Experts and has actively worked
against U.S. interests in some cases. END COMMENT.


Khalilzad