GICNT: AUSTRALIAN RESPONSE TO SEOUL GI WORKSHOP,

UNCLAS CANBERRA 000286 SIPDIS STATE FOR ISN/WMDT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KGIC MNUC PARM PREL PTER KS AS SUBJECT: GICNT: AUSTRALIAN RESPONSE TO SEOUL GI WORKSHOP, EPG INVITATION REF: A. STATE 22354 ¶B. STATE 18574 ¶C. STATE 21325 ¶1. Embassy Poloff and Republic of Korea Embassy Political Counsellor Youngsik Park met with Australian Assistant Secretary for Counter-Terrorism Paul Foley, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT),on March 18 to hear Australia's response to reftel invitations to Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) events in Seoul, which the South Korean PolCouns had passed to DFAT via e-mail on March 13. (The Russian Embassy declined to participate in the joint demarche, owing to high-level visitors.) ¶2. Foley advised that Mohan Mathews of the Counter-Terrorism Branch, who is the GOA's point person on GI, planned to attend the Exercise Planning Group meeting in Seoul on April ¶16. Because of Mathew's other commitments, however, including attendance at the GI Model Guidelines Document for Nuclear Detection Architectures in Garmisch, Germany during April 20-22, and his need to prepare the Australian-hosted May 7-8 GI seminar and exercise "Blue Glow," Mathews was not able to attend the April 14-15 Workshop. Foley said DFAT had not yet identified alternative participants for the Workshop, but had sent out inquiries to the interagency community, especially those with nuclear expertise and those connected with border control. RICHE