GICNT: RUSSIA DELIVERS DEMARCHE TO AUSTRALIA ON

UNCLAS CANBERRA 000382 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR ISN/WMDT AND EAP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM PTER MNUC KNNP PREL AS SUBJECT: GICNT: RUSSIA DELIVERS DEMARCHE TO AUSTRALIA ON 2009 PLENARY MEETING REF: STATE 35549 ¶1. (SBU) Roman Voloshchenao, a Russian Embassy political officer who apparently had received reftel demarche instructions before the four-day Easter holiday, notified us by telephone on April 14 he had arranged to deliver reftel points to James Nachipo, head of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Counter-Terrorism Cooperation Section, that morning. It appeared his instructions were to inform the U.S. Embassy rather than carry out a joint demarche. ¶2. (SBU) Voloshchenao advised that Nachipo had welcomed the invitation but said DFAT would need additional time to consider details of the GOA's participation and had promised a more detailed response at a later time. ¶3. (SBU) We contacted Dutch DCM Eric Strating to inform him of these developments. While Strating was aware of the Dutch plans to host the plenary, he had received no instructions regarding a joint demarche and had not been contacted by the Russian Embassy regarding its plans. ¶4. (SBU) We plan to follow-up with Nachipo on April 15 to ensure that Voloshchenao passed on the specific invitation for Australia to give a presentation on its GICNT Discussion Exercise (DISCEX) Blue Glow during the afternoon of June 16, and will advise septel. CLUNE