AUSTRALIAN RESPONSE TO MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL

C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000720 NOFORN SIPDIS ISN/MTR E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/04/2019 TAGS: MTCRE PARM PREL MNUC ETTC KSCA TSPA AS SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN RESPONSE TO MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME (MTCR) RIO CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS REF: STATE 80072 Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR JAMES F. COLE FOR REASONS: 1.4 (b) A ND (d) ¶1. (C/NF) August 4, John Quinn, Assistant Secretary for Strategic Issues and Intelligence Branch of the International Security Division, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) readily agreed to pass on the request to add one further presentation, which was previously given in Berlin, to their present three arranged for the MTCR Plenary in Rio November 9-13. Quinn suggested that the fourth one was appropriate for the Rio venue and there was little expectation that there would be any objections. However, he will inform the Embassy before they actually include the fourth presentation in the final schedule. ¶2. (C/NF) Quinn noted that he had just returned from a July 22 meeting in Beijing and that he had written an ample report on the proceedings. The Chinese, in his words, were very assiduous in expressing their commitment to furthering Non-Proliferation. However, they complained that they felt their request to join MTCR had been delayed for political reasons. He had assured them that there had been little recent movement on any applicant country to the MTCR, and that China was as welcome an applicant as any other. RICHE