1. (U) This is an action request. See paragraph 5 below.



2. (C) Germany welcomed the reftel nonpaper on U.S. space
situation awareness (SSA) policy and noted the upcoming
bilateral meeting in Washington at the end of April as an
excellent opportunity to further discuss this topic. As a
possible agenda item at the April bilat, German arms control
and non-proliferation officials are particularly interested
in further information regarding any USG policy shifts
regarding arms control arrangements in space - something
Germany is very supportive of.



3. (C) On March 27, EconOff delivered reftel nonpaper to
Ellen Goelz, MFA Desk Officer for Arms Control and
Non-Proliferation. Goelz said Germany has a strong
willingness to engage the USG on SSA discussions. Goelz has
seen information on the White House website indicating that
the administration is supportive of a worldwide ban on
weapons that interfere with military and commercial
satellites; and Goelz is encouraged by this as it aligns with
German views. (COMMENT: Goelz indicated a hint of
disappointment from Germany that the Bush administration did
not move further on this issue. END COMMENT)



4. (C) Regarding the upcoming SSA bilat in Washington,
Germany requested from the USG a schedule and list of topics
to be discussed no later than Friday April 3 so that the
German delegation can arrange their flight plans and properly
prepare for the bilat. EconOff mentioned the USG interest to
add discussion on U.S. and German space strategies and
referenced documents "Use of Space by the Bundeswehr" and the
DoD Joint Publication 3-14 "Space Operations" as potential
discussion items for the bilat. Goelz responded very
positively to this suggestion and said these items would be a
welcome addition. In addition, EconOff mentioned that the
USG would have discussions regarding the bilat with Dr.
Hinnrichsen from the German Embassy in Washington. Goelz
supports such a meeting and looks forward to any readout from
Dr. Hinnrichsen.



5. (SBU) Action Request: We would welcome Department
guidance regarding any US policy changes pertaining to arms
control arrangements in space leading up to the Washington
bilat. In addition, we would welcome a notional schedule and
proposed topics of discussion for the bilat.
Koenig