GERMANY LIKELY TO ATTEND JUNE GLOBAL INITIATIVE

UNCLAS BERLIN 000459 SENSITIVE SIPDIS ISN/WMDT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM KNNP PREL PTER MUNC KGIC RS NL GM SUBJECT: GERMANY LIKELY TO ATTEND JUNE GLOBAL INITIATIVE MEETING REF: STATE 35549 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Germany will likely attend the June Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) plenary at The Hague in June 2009, but does not desire to make a substantive presentation. Germany is not likely to host a GICNT meeting in the next two years. End Summary ¶2. (SBU) Econoff, along with Dutch First Secretary Roger van Laak and Russian Federation First Secretary Dmitri Cherkaschin, met with German MFA officer Marc Hinrichsen and delivered reftel points. Hinrichsen could not confirm Germany's attendance at the GICNT plenary, but expressed as his "gut feeling" that Ambassador Viktor Elbling, Commissioner for Energy, Globalization and Sustainable Development, would attend, as he had also attended the last two GICNT meetings. Hinrichsen also stated he was working with the German ministries of Environment, Interior and their related agencies to ensure their views were represented at the meeting. ¶3. (SBU) Hinrichsen said that Germany would not seek a specific speaking role at the meeting beyond ontributing to the heads of delegation opening remarks session. ¶4. (SBU) Despite Hinrichsen's past requests within the German MFA to host a GICNT session, he stated that no such meeting was on the horizon. Germany, he said, is choosing to focus its efforts on participating in meetings and providing inputs for various workshops. 5 (SBU) Finally, Hinrichsen asked Econoff, as well as Russian and Dutch participants, if there was a formal invitation forthcoming. Post appreciates any Department guidance on this point. Koenig