GICNT: SEOUL WORKSHOP AND EPG (APRIL 14-16)

UNCLAS BERN 000124 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN/WMDT (M.TERHAAR, T.LOWE) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MNUC PARM PTER PREL KGIC SZ SUBJECT: GICNT: SEOUL WORKSHOP AND EPG (APRIL 14-16) REF: A. STATE 21325 ¶B. STATE 22354 ¶1. (SBU) On March 19, poloff delivered reftel messages to Andreas Friedrich, Head of the Arms Control and Disarmament Section of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Friedrich is the Swiss national point-of-contact for the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT). Poloff presented the demarche jointly with In-ki Lee, Counselor for Political Affairs at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea; and with Alexander Gladkow, Counselor for Political and Public Affairs at the Embassy of the Russian Federation. Lee led the presentation on the April 14-15 Workshop and poloff led the presentation on the April 16 Exercise Planning Group (EPG). Gladkow encouraged Switzerland to send a participant to the Workshop and EPG, expressing the hope that Switzerland would respond positively to the invitation for enhanced GICNT cooperation, while observing that Russian and U.S. colleagues jointly were presenting the demarche against the backdrop of a more positive tone in U.S.-Russian relations. ¶2. (SBU) Friedrich acknowledged the importance of such cooperation and said that he would do his best to encourage an appropriate Swiss colleague to attend the Workshop and EPG. He noted, however, that Swiss resources are limited and that Switzerland therefore has not thus far been able to send appropriate representatives to such meetings. CARTER