SOUTH KOREA INVITES CHINA TO GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO

UNCLAS BEIJING 000794 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/CM, ISN, AND PM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM PREL PTER PGIC MNUC KGIC KS CH SUBJECT: SOUTH KOREA INVITES CHINA TO GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO COMBAT NUCLEAR TERRORISM WORKSHOP IN SEOUL REF: A. STATE 21325 ¶B. STATE 18574 ¶1. On March 26, PolOff joined Lee Heon, Director at the South Korean Embassy in Beijing, and Andrey Chernyshov, Second Secretary at the Russian Embassy in Beijing, in extending an invitation to China to attend a Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) workshop and Exercise Planning Group (EPG) meeting in Seoul on April 14-16 to MFA Arms Control and Disarmament Department Nuclear Division Deputy Director Zhang Shen. Lee provided ref A invitation to Zhang as well as a proposed workshop agenda, and invited China to give a presentation at the workshop. PolOff emphasized that the follow-on EPG meeting, jointly chaired by the United States and Russia, would provide an opportunity for GICNT partners to discuss and make plans for the 2009-2010 exercise program. ¶2. Zhang thanked Lee and PolOff for the information and said he would consult within the Chinese government to determine who might attend the workshop and EPG meeting. Zhang noted that China was an active member of the GICNT that had attended all previous GICNT plenary meetings and most workshops, and would "do its best" to attend this workshop as well. Noting the short time remaining until the meeting, Zhang said China would notify South Korea, the United States and Russia when the decision was made. PICCUTA