GERMANY URGES U.S. TO SUPPORT ITS OPCW CANDIDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 001233 SENSITIVE SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - (missing SENSITIVE caption) ISN/CB FOR ROBERT MIKULAK AND JENNIE GROMOLL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC CDG KNNP MNUC PARM PGOV PREL CWCM GM SUBJECT: GERMANY URGES U.S. TO SUPPORT ITS OPCW CANDIDATE PETER GOTTWALD BERLIN 00001233 001.3 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. In a September 22 letter to the Ambassador, German MFA DepSec-equivalent Reinhard Silberberg strongly lobbied the USG to support German Ambassador Peter Gottwald for Director General of the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Silberberg underscored the importance that Germany places on Gottwald's candidacy and noted the German cabinet's role in the nomination. German MFA Political Director Volker Stanzel has personally lobbied the Ambassador in support of Gottwald as well. In a recent meeting with POL M/C, Gottwald also emphasized the weight that Germany has placed on helping him secure the Director General slot. Paragraph 4 contains a translation of Silberberg's letter. End Summary ¶2. (SBU) On September 14 Gottwald told POL M/C that German officials were making every effort in support of his candidacy, underscoring that many remained troubled by the dearth of Germans at the helm of multilateral organizations. Most importantly, however, Gottwald said Germany saw him as a good fit for the OPCW. As a result, he was being very active in campaigning -- making recent trips to Australia and Latin America. Gottwald emphasized that his candidacy had the direct support of the Chancellor's office (CDU) and the Foreign Ministry (SPD),projecting strong bipartisanship. Gottwald understood that he was under stiff competition amongst the field of seven candidates -- particularly from Turkey and the U.K. -- however, he was cautiously optimistic that he could garner broad support for the job. Nevertheless he placed particular importance on securing support from the U.S. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Germany's interest in the OPCW position is consistent with its long-standing, deep interest in disarmament. Moreover, the German government's continuing support of arms control suggests that Gottwald would enjoy high-level backing for his work at the OPCW should he land the Director General position. In our experience, Gottwald has proven to be open and engaging with U.S. officials and comes across as a polished and capable interlocutor. End comment. ¶4. (U) Begin text of letter to Ambassador Murphy: Excellency, Allow me to draw your attention to a matter of high political priority for my country. The Federal Republic of Germany has, by a Cabinet decision, nominated Ambassador Peter Gottwald as its candidate for the post of Director-General of the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). I would like to request your support for his appointment within the OPCW Executive Council. Ambassador Gottwald is the Federal Government Commissioner for Disarmament and Arms Control, and a renowned expert on disarmament issues. He played an active role in the successful endgame negotiations for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The general impression is that his presentation to the Executive Council at The Hague in mid-July was highly convincing. The CWC is a success story. It is the only agreement which, in a non-discriminatory way, bans a whole category of WMDs and mandates their destruction. Nonetheless, it is facing several challenges for the future. We want to achieve the universality of the Convention and the destruction of all chemical weapons within the set deadlines. The appointment of the new Director-General takes place at a decisive point in time: The destruction of all chemical weapons will be completed over the next decade. The OPCW will therefore soon have to readjust its position within the international disarmament architecture. During that phase it will need a Director-General able to think in a future-oriented fashion and who has the necessary diplomatic and leadership skills. From Ambassador Gottwald's enclosed curriculum vitae you will see that he is especially well-qualified to meet these challenges alongside the member states, thus ensuring that BERLIN 00001233 002.3 OF 002 the OPCW will continue to meet the high expectations in the future. Your Government's support for his candidature would mean a great deal to us. Yours sincerely, Reinhard Silberberg (signature) End text of letter. Murphy