CHINA: GICNT UPDATE WITH RUSSIA DEMARCHE DELIVERED

UNCLAS BEIJING 002883 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AND EAP/CM, ISN/WMDT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM PREL PTER KGIC CH RU SUBJECT: CHINA: GICNT UPDATE WITH RUSSIA DEMARCHE DELIVERED REF: STATE 100994 ¶1. PolOff and Russian Embassy Second Secretary Andrey Chernyshov delivered reftel demarche informing China that the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) Exercise Planning Group (EPG) meeting scheduled for November had been postponed to January 19, 2010 to MFA Arms Control and Disarmament Department Nuclear Division Officer Xu Feng on October 15. Xu said that his office was "thinking positively" about attending the meeting especially since it supported the planned Nuclear Summit. Xu asked whether his office could receive more information about the planned November 24-26 COBALT exercise and suggested that such information be posted on the webpage described in reftel. Xu suggested that, by providing more information about the exercise, the USG would help the MFA persuade other Chinese ministries to send observers. ¶2. In a pull-aside, Xu asked PolOff whether Washington could provide more information about the planned International Technical Working Group on Nuclear Detection seminar scheduled for November and the Nuclear Smuggling Outreach initiative. Xu indicated that MFA had been invited to participate in those events but needed more information. HUNTSMAN