MALAYSIA ON NPT ISSUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUALA LUMPUR 000125 SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR ISN/MNSA/DAVIS AND EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/19/2019 TAGS: PARM PREL PGOV AORC CDG ENRG KNNP MNUC UNGA IAEA, NPT, MY SUBJECT: MALAYSIA ON NPT ISSUES REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 0064 -- NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY (NPT) CONTACTS ¶B. STATE 6970 -- NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY (NPT) REQUEST FOR INFO Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Jeremy Nathan for reasons 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (U) Acting Political Counselor met with Mr. Shazryll Zahiran, Principal Assistant Secretary in the Malaysian Foreign Ministry's Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Division, on February 20 to discuss the current Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review cycle. No Changes Foreseen, But A Complex Issue -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In response to reftel B points, Shazryll stated that because of the upcoming leadership change in the Malaysian government, it would "be premature to give any concrete positions." (Note: Malaysia's Prime Minister has announced he will step down in late March, after which he will be replaced by his Deputy. End Note.) Shazryll also noted that GOM internal discussions of non-proliferation issues are more complex than others, because of the multiplicity of government agencies involved. That said, Shazryll didn,t foresee any changes in his government's previous position. Frustration with Past Results; Will Engage More -------------- -- ¶3. (C) Shazryll said that it is Malaysia's intent to become "engaged more actively" in non-proliferation. He quietly expressed frustration with the track records of previous Preparatory Committee's (PrepComs),because they "achieve minimal results" that "usually fail to reach a consensus" and end up "choosing the easy way out." Shazryll explained that this frustrated his government because the only concrete result from these meetings was the Chairman's statement, which Malaysia considers "non-binding" and "carrying no weight." He suggested that the Prepcoms should stop using the Chairman's summary. Malaysia's Hopes for the Non-Proliferation Treaty -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Shazryll said that Malaysia's primary goal is for all countries to become signatories of the NPT. When asked about what Malaysia hoped to see from the United States, Shazryll noted that his government wants to study more closely the U.S. policy towards country India. Shazryll did not make any specific comments about other non-signatory countries, other than to say that Malaysia hoped that India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea would become signatories to the NPT. Shazryll was reluctant to comment on Iran's non-compliance with the NPT, stating that he had not yet read the latest report from the IAEA. Shazryll mentioned that Iran and North Korea "always come up" when he attends a meeting about non-proliferation. KEITH