Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09GENEVA1203
2009-12-20 13:52:00
SECRET
Mission Geneva
Cable title:  

START FOLLOW-ON NEGOTIATIONS, GENEVA

Tags:  KACT MARR PARM PREL RS US START 
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VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHGV #1203/01 3541352
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 201352Z DEC 09
FM USMISSION GENEVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0846
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/VCJCS WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO IMMEDIATE 5912
RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/DTRA ALEX WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RUESDT/DTRA-OSES DARMSTADT GE IMMEDIATE
RUENAAA/CNO WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/DIRSSP WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
INFO RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA PRIORITY 3091
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV PRIORITY 2101
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 7308
S E C R E T GENEVA 001203 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR T, VCI AND EUR/PRA
DOE FOR NNSA/NA-24
CIA FOR WINPAC
JCS FOR J5/DDGSA
SECDEF FOR OSD(P)/STRATCAP
NAVY FOR CNO-N5JA AND DIRSSP
AIRFORCE FOR HQ USAF/ASX AND ASXP
DTRA FOR OP-OS OP-OSA AND DIRECTOR
NSC FOR LOOK
DIA FOR LEA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2019
TAGS: KACT MARR PARM PREL RS US START
SUBJECT: START FOLLOW-ON NEGOTIATIONS, GENEVA
(SFO-GVA-VII): (U) U/S TAUSCHER MEETING WITH RUSSIAN START
HEAD OF DELEGATION ANTONOV, DECEMBER 9, 2009

Classified By: A/S Rose E. Gottemoeller, United States
START Negotiator. Reasons: 1.4(b) and (d).

S E C R E T GENEVA 001203

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR T, VCI AND EUR/PRA
DOE FOR NNSA/NA-24
CIA FOR WINPAC
JCS FOR J5/DDGSA
SECDEF FOR OSD(P)/STRATCAP
NAVY FOR CNO-N5JA AND DIRSSP
AIRFORCE FOR HQ USAF/ASX AND ASXP
DTRA FOR OP-OS OP-OSA AND DIRECTOR
NSC FOR LOOK
DIA FOR LEA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2019
TAGS: KACT MARR PARM PREL RS US START
SUBJECT: START FOLLOW-ON NEGOTIATIONS, GENEVA
(SFO-GVA-VII): (U) U/S TAUSCHER MEETING WITH RUSSIAN START
HEAD OF DELEGATION ANTONOV, DECEMBER 9, 2009

Classified By: A/S Rose E. Gottemoeller, United States
START Negotiator. Reasons: 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (U) This is SFO-GVA-VII-117.


2. (U) Meeting Date: December 9, 2009
Time: 5:00 P.M. - 5:30 P.M.
Place: U.S. Mission, Geneva

Participants:

UNITED STATES RUSSIA

U/S Tauscher Amb Antonov
A/S Gottemoeller
Mr. Desaultes
Ms. Kirchgasser (notetaker)

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


3. (S) U/S Tauscher met with Ambassador Antonov to discuss
progress toward concluding the new START treaty. Antonov
provided Tauscher with several papers on the offense-defense
relationship in the new START treaty and stated that Russia
was asking for "so little" on this issue, while at the same
time linking the successful conclusion of the telemetry issue
to the acceptance by the U.S. of missile defense language in
the treaty. Antonov believed that both sides were close to
finalizing the new START treaty, but that it was "up to the
U.S. to decide." Tauscher briefed Antonov on her recent trip
to Egypt and plans for the May 2010 Nuclear Non-proliferation
Review Conference. Antonov noted his desire to work closely
with the U.S., especially with Special Representative of the
President for Nuclear Nonproliferation, Ambassador Susan
Burk. End Summary.


4. (S) SUBJECT SUMMARY: Successful START Could Lead to
Return to CFE; START Progress Report; Number of Inspections;
Egypt and NPT RevCon; Developing a Unified P5 Statement.

--------------
SUCCESSFUL START COULD LEAD TO RETURN TO CFE
--------------


5. (S) Tauscher opened the meeting by commenting on the
improved relationship between the U.S. and the Russian
Federation. She added that the START negotiations were the
first experiment in capitalizing on the reset relationship.
Antonov responded that it had been important to restore
confidence and that initially there was distrust between the
delegations. As the two sides began working together,
confidence grew, he said. He added that a successful START
negotiation and the ongoing conversation about strategic
stability could lead to the resumption of talks regarding
CFE. "We are optimists," he said.

--------------
START PROGRESS REPORT
--------------


6. (S) Tauscher asked Antonov and Gottemoeller for an update


on the day's meetings. Gottemoeller reported that there was
a good discussion in the Ad Hoc Working Group and that the
Russian side was interested in nailing down the U.S. offer
regarding deployed and non-deployed launchers. Gottemoeller
explained that the Russians were concerned about U.S. older
equipment including the B52 and Minuteman II and their upload
potential.


7. (S) Antonov said missile defense remained an important
issue from the Russian perspective and that Deputy Foreign
Minister Sergey Ryabkov, whom Tauscher met in Moscow, wanted
to be sure she had a clear understanding of the Russian
proposal on missile defense. He provided Tauscher with a
copy of the proposal which was provided to VCI via email.
Antonov said Russia wanted a paragraph in the text of the
treaty and viewed this proposal as asking very little of the
U.S. "It's a principle without which we cannot solve the
treaty," he said. Antonov said that resolution of the
telemetry issue was linked to resolution of this missile
defense issue for Russia.


8. (S) Antonov went on to say that the U.S. wanted telemetry
and that although his original instructions were to say no,
his president sent new instructions and elements of telemetry
were put in the draft treaty. "We viewed this as a good
step, but the U.S. side told us it was not enough," he added.
Gottemoeller said there had been a discussion during the
visit of U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ADM
Mullen and Chief of the Russian Federation General Staff, Gen
Makarov regarding telemetry and that this had been a fruitful
area of discussion and would be so in the future. Antonov
said he hoped for new instructions from Moscow but that this
was a political issue and that all decisions, especially
those involving telemetry, were coming out of the Kremlin.


9. (S) Tauscher asked if the sides could conclude the treaty
by the end of the year. Antonov said it depended on whether
or not the Russian proposal was enough for the U.S. "It's up
to the U.S. to decide," he said, though he did admit that the
two sides were "very close."

--------------
NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS
--------------


10. (S) Tauscher inquired if the number of inspections
called for in the treaty was agreed. Gottemoeller responded
that the number was an unresolved issue and that the Russians
proposed 16 inspections and the U.S. proposed 20. Antonov
questioned why such a technical issue had become politicized.
Tauscher explained that many elements of the treaty are
highly technical but that numbers in the new START treaty
would be viewed in comparison with numbers in START I. She
said that having 20 inspections was significant for
ratification because it would demonstrate that there are
signification verification provisions. Antonov argued that
quality was more important than quantity; that it was better
to have fewer, but more in depth inspections. Gottemoeller
stated that differences in proposed numbers were relative
given the small number of bases that would be subject to
inspection in the U.S. compared to the large number in
Russia, thereby making a smaller number acceptable to the
Russians.





11. (S) Antonov reported that President Medvedev had said he
would be willing to proceed without inspections and asked why
the U.S. was suspicious of Russian activities, especially
since the two countries were no longer enemies. Tauscher
responded that inspections were important to both sides for
strategic stability. Gottemoeller added that the two sides
were originally far apart on this issue but that they were
steadily moving toward each other.


12. (S) Antonov said more time was needed by Washington and
Moscow to find solutions. He added that all top officials in
the Kremlin were watching the negotiations and pressuring the
relevant agencies to help. "My president is keen to see
President Obama and have a result," he said.

--------------
EGYPT AND NPT REV CON
--------------


13. (S) Tauscher told Antonov she had recently visited
several Middle Eastern countries including Egypt. She said
she was concerned that Egypt was not finding its way with
regard to a resolution on a Middle East nuclear free zone and
that the current situation was not sustainable. She said she
wanted the Egyptians to resolve the issue in a way that
provided them with a political benefit but was not harmful to
Israel. She also wanted them to come down harder on Iran for
its nuclear activities. With regard to determining language
on a Middle East nuclear free zone, she said her Egyptian
counterpart agreed that technical teams would meet soon to
discuss and resolve the issue. She told Antonov she raised
this issue with Ryabkov in Moscow as well. Antonov said he
did not understand what Egypt hoped to get out of the May
2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference (NPT
RevCon). He said he often heard from the Egyptian Ambassador
but still did not know what Egypt wanted. Antonov recounted
that the Egyptians had complained about him to his superiors
about NPT issues and that he was upset with how that had been
handled.

--------------
DEVELOPING A UNIFIED P5 STATEMENT
--------------


14. (S) Antonov expressed strong interest in meeting with
Special Representative of the President for Nuclear
Nonproliferation, Ambassador Susan Burk. He said he was 100
percent sure that Russia had the same goals as the U.S. for
the RevCon and that he wanted a unified P5 position. He
asked Tauscher to give instructions to the U.S. to look at
Russia's proposal, especially those from the May Third
Preparatory Committee meeting and added that Russia does not
want to isolate Israel. He stated his desire to discuss
these proposals with the United States and hear what the
United States thoughts' were on them. He also noted his
concern that the U.S. and Russia have the same goals, and he
wants to consult to ensure there are no "technical
difficulties" in our positions. Tauscher responded that she
would make sure Burk came to see Antonov and Gottemoeller
added that Burk was coming to Geneva in January.


15. (S) Antonov emphasized his concern that the P5 was


moving too slowly on a unified statement and that this was a
crucial time for the NPT. Tauscher said she had discussed
this with Ryabkov and that there would be an effort to get
the P5 delegation together in January. Trying to persuade
others is more easily done when we have a unified statement,
Antonov added. Tauscher agreed and said a unified statement
would be characteristic of our new relationship with Russia.
Antonov added that on a sensitive issue like the Middle East,
it is better to be unified.


16. (U) U/S Tauscher did not have an opportunity to review
this cable before departing Geneva. Gottemoeller sends.
GRIFFITHS