UNSCR 1540: DEMARCHES ON MANDATE RENEWAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000093

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL AORC KPAO UNSC OAS KNNP UK FR
SUBJECT: UNSCR 1540: DEMARCHES ON MANDATE RENEWAL
DELIVERED TO UK AND FRANCE

REF: STATE 08246


1. (SBU) Begin Summary: Per reftel, Mission delivered the
demarche providing U.S. objectives for the renewal of the
1540 Committee's mandate to the UK and French representatives
to the Committee. While emphasizing that they did not have
reactions from Paris or London, both welcomed the U.S.
initiative and thought a five-year extension would be useful
but raised questions and concerns about aspects of the U.S.
proposals. Separately, South Africa's representative to the
1540 Committee advised USUN that South Africa would oppose
any effort to change the obligations set forth in resolution
1540 or to strengthen the Committee's mandate by defining
standards for states' implementation of the resolution. End
Summary.

Five-Year Renewal
--------------


2. (SBU) Both the UKUN and French experts supported a
five-year renewal, but cautioned against closing down the
Committee at the end of that five-year period, stressing the
Committee's importance in ensuring that states implement
their 1540 obligations. They also questioned whether any
other UN entity would have the teeth to play an effective
monitoring role. France also argued that it is premature to
make decisions about the 1540 Committee's ultimate future
since the proliferation threat is evolving.

Action Plans
--------------


3. (SBU) UKUN's expert welcomed the proposal to mandate
states to prepare action plans focusing on implementing
resolution 1540. UKUN said it would be useful to emphasize
that the plans would serve as a substitute for the submission
of reports and matrices to the Committee.


4. (SBU) The French expert favored a more focused approach
that did not seek new paperwork from all states. Developing
states would see a call for action plans as another
burdensome paper exercise, he said. He also doubted that the
political pledges the members of the Organization for
American States (OAS),the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),and ASEAN Regional Forum have
made to prepare 1540-related action plans would significantly
change states' skepticism. Since many states lack the
ability to assess their technical assistance needs
effectively, he thought it would be unrealistic to think that
they could prepare action plans that the Committee could use
to facilitate the delivery of technical assistance.


5. (SBU) Instead, the French expert thought the Committee
should target its outreach to states in areas of
proliferation risk and work with them individually, including
through focused country visits, to identify technical
assistance needs. He admitted that it could be politically
difficult for the Committee to develop a risk-based outreach
strategy but suggested the P-3 or the P-5, through work
outside the Committee, might find ways for the Committee to
accomplish that objective in a less direct way.

Regional Organizations
--------------


6. (SBU) Both UKUN and France's experts welcomed the
proposal to strengthen ties to relevant regional
organizations. UKUN suggested calling for the Committee to
strengthen its ties to the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW) so these organizations can provide technical
assistance to promote states' implementation of resolution

1540.

FATF
--------------


7. (SBU) While welcoming the concept of having the
resolution take note of the Financial Action Task Force's
work, UKUN and France's experts thought the concept could
prove controversial within the Council.

Specific Financial Measures and Controls
--------------


8. (SBU) UKUN and France's experts both said it would be
difficult to achieve consensus on resolution language listing
specific financial measures and controls that states could
elect to adopt to implement resolution 1540. UKUN expressed
concern that any language other Council members could accept

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would fall well below the FATF standards. France expressed
caution about trying to prescribe ways in which states should
implement their obligations, but supported a general call for
the Committee to disseminate "good" practices that states
could follow as appropriate.

Voluntary Fund
--------------


9. (SBU) France welcomed the proposal to establish a
voluntary fund for Committee use in supporting
implementation, but UKUN expressed concern. Among other
things, UKUN expressed doubt that the Security Council has
the authority to establish such a trust fund and questioned
whether the Committee and its experts would have the capacity
to oversee the use of such a fund. Per reftel, USUN
responded that the United States would provide details in a
supplementary paper. Comment: The UK's concerns about the
Security Council's authority appear to be technical ones.
End Comment.

Comprehensive Review/Caucus Meetings
--------------


10. (SBU) UKUN asked for details on the proposal for the
Security Council to conduct a comprehensive review of the
status of implementation of resolution 1540. Would the
United States want the Committee to prepare a detailed report
to the Council in connection with that review, along the
lines of the Committee's April 2006 report to the Council and
the report the Committee will submit this April? To prepare
such a report, UKUN thought the Committee would need to
solicit, review, and analyze additional reports from states.


South Africa Raises Concerns
--------------


11. (SBU) Although reftel instructed USUN to raise the 1540
Committee's mandate renewal with the UK and France, in an
unplanned encounter at the UN on January 30, South Africa's
representative to the 1540 Committee raised the mandate
renewal issue and expressed interest in U.S. views. USUN
responded that Washington had begun to consider options and
recommended that the United States and South Africa remain in
contact as thinking evolved. South Africa's expert advised
USUN that South Africa favors a simple technical rollover of
the 1540 Committee's current mandate but did not elaborate on
the duration of such an extension. South Africa would oppose
efforts to strengthen the Committee's mandate, either by
mandating the Committee to apply specific standards for
measuring states' implementation of resolution 1540 or by
expanding or making more specific the underlying obligations
in resolution 1540, he said.
KHALILZAD