SPAIN INTRIGUED BY EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN GLOBAL

UNCLAS MADRID 001018 SENSITIVE SIPDIS EUR/WE FOR ALEX MCKNIGHT AND STACIE ZERDECKI FOR ISN/WMDT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM PREL PTER KGIC SP SUBJECT: SPAIN INTRIGUED BY EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN GLOBAL INITIATIVE REF: SECSTATE 100994 ¶1. (SBU) POLOFF and Political Counselor Dmitry Sokolov of the Russian Embassy on October 15 delivered reftel demarche to Gonzalo de Salazar, the MFA's Deputy DG for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament and Monica Colomer de Selva, Counselor for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament in the MFA's DG for Strategic Affairs & Terrorism. ¶2. (SBU) Salazar was intrigued by news that the USG and Russia - in their capacities as co-Chairs of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) - were reviewing the Terms of Reference for the GICNT to support enhanced implementation of the Initiative's activities. Informed that this was part of an initiative to strengthen the GICNT, Salazar asked whether this was part of an effort to establish the GICNT as a formal institution with a Secretary General and a headquarters. POLOFF replied that details of the proposal were as yet unavailable but would be provided in advance of the Exercise Planning Group (EPG) Meeting on January 19, 2010 and that GICNT partners would have the opportunity to review the proposal beforehand to enable them to come prepared to discuss the proposal at that meeting. CHACON