Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BERLIN1169
2009-09-21 10:42:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Berlin
Cable title:  

NPT REVCON: GERMANY UNDERSCORES NEED TO REASSURE

Tags:  AORC CDG ENRG KNNP MNUC PARM PGOV PREL IAEA 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0352
RR RUEHSL
DE RUEHRL #1169/01 2641042
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 211042Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5258
INFO RUCNDSC/DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE COLLECTIVE
RUEHXX/GENEVA IO MISSIONS COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUCNNSG/NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP
RUEHII/VIENNA IAEA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 001169 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2019
TAGS: AORC CDG ENRG KNNP MNUC PARM PGOV PREL IAEA
NPT, GM
SUBJECT: NPT REVCON: GERMANY UNDERSCORES NEED TO REASSURE
NAM, TREAD CAREFULLY AT NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT

REF: A. STATE 83600

B. BERLIN 1004

C. BERLIN 187

Classified By: Political M/C George Glass for reasons 1.4 (b/d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 001169

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2019
TAGS: AORC CDG ENRG KNNP MNUC PARM PGOV PREL IAEA
NPT, GM
SUBJECT: NPT REVCON: GERMANY UNDERSCORES NEED TO REASSURE
NAM, TREAD CAREFULLY AT NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT

REF: A. STATE 83600

B. BERLIN 1004

C. BERLIN 187

Classified By: Political M/C George Glass for reasons 1.4 (b/d)


1. (C) Summary. Post addressed ref A questions about German
positions on non-proliferation in refs B & C. During
subsequent meetings, German officials have also emphasized
the need to overcome NAM suspicions that non-proliferation
efforts are veiled attempts to infringe on NPT Article IV
rights. Moreover, the April 2010 Nuclear Security Summit
must be seen as supporting the NPT Review Conference, not as
an attempt to pre-cook its outcome. Germany will give the
U.S. room to work on ratification of the CTBT and is ready to
get to work on the FMCT in January at the Conference on
Disarmament sessions. It is safe to assume that whichever
government coalition emerges from the September 27 German
parliamentary election will have arms control and disarmament
high on its agenda. End summary.


2. (C) On September 14, MFA Arms Control Chief Peter Gottwald
told POL M/C that Germany was in broad agreement with USG
non-proliferation and disarmament objectives. However, he
emphasized that the U.S. must work to convince NAM countries
that Global Zero goals would not infringe on their NPT
Article IV rights. Gottwald added that he was already
working to fend off suspicions that leaders would pre-cook
the results of the 2010 NPT Review Conference during
President Obama's Nuclear Security Summit -- now scheduled
for April 2010, just five weeks before the RevCon. However,
Gottwald said he was satisfied with assurances from U.S.
sherpa Gary Samore that the summit would deal exclusively
with nuclear security and avoid discussions on
non-proliferation.



3. (C) Separately, MFA Deputy Office Director for Nuclear
Disarmament and Non-proliferation Stephan Kordasch said that
Germany had not yet seen a concrete path toward the USG's
professed non-proliferation goals. As a way forward, he
emphasized the need to better couple the securing of fissile
material with disarmament efforts by nuclear states.
Kordasch also underscored the need for the U.S. to earn
support from Brazil and Egypt -- Brazil, because it is
influential and shares U.S./German objectives and Egypt for
its ability to mobilized countries in its role as NAM Chair.


4. (C) Kordasch echoed the frequently-voiced concern that a
failed RevCon in 2010 would weaken confidence in the NPT and
hoped the RevCon would produce a consensus document that
strengthened all three NPT pillars: disarmament,
non-proliferation, and peaceful uses. However, he feared
that NAM expectations on disarmament were "sky high" -- an
assessment also voiced by experts at a recent Boell
Foundation non-proliferation conference in Berlin. Kordasch
agreed that non-proliferation efforts would, of course, be
important. However, he said Germany placed particular weight
on addressing issues of non-compliance and withdrawal from
the NPT.

--------------
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)
--------------


5. (C) Though greatly encouraged by President Obama's Prague
speech in April, Kordasch said German officials understood
that the U.S. would still need more time to build
congressional support for ratification of the CTBT. He
reiterated that Germany would be willing to offer public
support if USG officials believed it would be helpful.
Specifically, Kordasch suggested that Germany could make
public statements reasserting that the CTBT would not
negatively impact U.S. ability to uphold its NATO nuclear
responsibilities.

--------------
Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT)
--------------


6. (C) According to Kordasch, Germany is anxious to start
substantive work toward the FMCT when the next Conference on
Disarmament session kicks off in January. He emphasized the
need to keep up pressure on Pakistan in order to make
progress.

BERLIN 00001169 002 OF 002



--------------
Comment
--------------


7. (SBU) Arms control and disarmament remain core tenets of
all the major political parties in Germany and we expect no
major shift on these fronts after national elections on
September 27. Free Democratic Party (FDP) Chair Guido
Westerwelle, who is likely to be the next foreign minister if
his party and Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democratic
Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) win a parliamentary
majority, has said that the motto of the MFA under his
leadership will be "peace through disarmament." Like FM
Steinmeier and his Social Democratic Party (SPD) colleagues,
Westerwelle has also spoken out in favor of removing all
remaining nuclear weapons from German territory. Therefore,
it is safe to assume that whichever government coalition
emerges from the September 27 election will have arms control
and disarmament high on its agenda. End comment.
Murphy