AUSTRALIAN QUESTION ON IRAQI WMD SCIENTIST

S E C R E T CANBERRA 000121


STATE FOR NEA/I, S/I, ISN/CTR AND EAP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2019
TAGS: PTER PINR PINS PARM PREL AS IZ
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN QUESTION ON IRAQI WMD SCIENTIST

REF: A. 08 CANBERRA 309

B. 07 CANBERRA 1795

C. 07 STATE 169818

D. 07 CANBERRA 1651

E. 07 STATE 157364

F. 07 CANBERRA 1217

G. 07 STATE 84894

H. 12/20/2007 CROWLEY-KUCHINSKY E-MAIL AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Political Counselor James F. Cole; reasons 1.4 (b),(d),(h).


1. (U) This is an action request for ISN/CTR. Please see
para 5 below.


2. (S) Gerry McGuire, Director for Counter-Proliferation,
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, called in Deputy
POLCOUNS on February 4 to discuss Dr. Ali Abdulrahman
Abdullah Al-Za'ag, the former biological weapon scientist
during Saddam Hussein's regime whom the Department sought to
place temporarily at Victoria University in Melbourne under
the ISN/CTR Temporary Relocation program. The GOA had
declined the U.S. request in March 2008, citing "a range of
compelling security, immigration and legal reasons," as well
as a separate pending humanitarian/refugee visa application
(ref A).


3. (S) According to McGuire, Al-Za'ag applied for a "Visiting
Academic" visa at the Australian Embassy in Amman on January
21, 2009, seeking to work temporarily at Victoria University.
His destination, contact data, academic placement and other
details in the visa application corresponded closely to the
arrangement earlier proposed by the United States under the
Temporary Relocation program, except for the absence of
details on how his placement would be financed. Because of
this coincidence, McGuire explained, the Government of
Australia was interested in knowing whether the U.S. had any
role in Al-Za'ag's recent decision to reapply for an
Australian visa. The GOA also wished to know whether the
Temporary Relocation program still exists, whether Al-Za'ag
remains a candidate for relocation under the program, and,
regardless of the foregoing, whether the U.S. possesses and
is willing to share any background information or updates on
Dr. Al-Za'ag's activities and movements over the past year.
This latter information would be helpful in adjudicating his
most recent "Visiting Academic" visa application, McGuire
told us.


4. (S) McGuire noted that, should the GOA grant the visa, it
would not regard it as establishing a precedent in regards to
accepting applicants under the Temporary Relocation program.
He added that Al-Za'ag's earlier humanitarian/refugee visa
application, filed with the help of his son who is resident
in Australia, is still pending.


5. (C) ACTION REQUESTED: Embassy would appreciate ISN/CTR's
responses to the questions in para 3 above so that we can
respond to the GOA.

CLUNE