SPAIN RESIGNED TO END OF USG ROLE AT SEISMIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 001117

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR ISN/MNSA
DEPT ALSO FOR EUR/WE
FOR US UNVIE
DOD FOR AFTAC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2019
TAGS: SP TPHY KTBT KSCI PREL
SUBJECT: SPAIN RESIGNED TO END OF USG ROLE AT SEISMIC
MONITORING STATION

REF: SECSTATE 113884

Classified By: Acting DCM William H. Duncan for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENTARY: Per Reftel, Embassy Madrid on
November 10 delivered a diplomatic note informing Spain's MFA
of the USG's decision to terminate support for the seismic
monitoring Station (hereafter, the "Station") at Sonseca,
Spain and to conclude the gradual withdrawal of US personnel
and US-owned equipment at the Station. The MFA reacted with
muted disappointment. END SUMMARY AND COMMENTARY.


2. (C) POLOFF on November 12 met Fernando Prieto,
sub-Director General of the MFA's Directorate General for
non-EU Europe and North America, and Asis Barrera, the MFA's
North America Desk Officer, to review key points of the
diplomatic note. POLOFF conveyed the USG's appreciation to
Spain for its decades-long collaboration at Sonseca and
provided key historical documentation on the status of
agreement, including the exchange of letters which have
provided the basis for cooperation at the Station from 2001
until now.


3. (C) Prieto thanked POLOFF for the historic documentation
and indicated he regretted the end of "an important symbol of
bilateral cooperation." He asked if the Embassy was aware of
any formal communications between our two governments on this
issue since 2001. Specifically, he wanted to know if the USG
had ever formally raised to the GOS the issue of the
"cultural noise" from nearby industrial and commercial
facilities that began to interfere with the Station's
monitoring operations. POLOFF said he was unaware of any
formal level communications such as a diplomatic note, but
noted that there has indeed been contact at several other
levels, including the presence of two USG contractors working
side-by-side with Spanish colleagues at the Station
throughout this period.


4. (C) On November 10, POLOFF discussed the Station closure
with Carlos Torres, Counselor for Nuclear Non-Proliferation
and Disarmament in the MFA's DG for Strategic Affairs &
Terrorism, who said the news was a "surprise." Upon hearing
the contents of the diplomatic note, Torres, a technical
expert, suggested that further USG conversations with the MFA
on this issue be held with Prieto's sub-directorate rather
than with his own, since the USG had made a "political"
decision.


5. (C) COMMENT: Torres and his office in July 2009 conducted
some preliminary outreach to the Station to discuss plans for
expanding the basis for cooperation. In response to this
outreach, the Station reportedly provided to the MFA the
contact information for appropriate officials within the US
Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC),the US
Executive Agent that operates and maintains the United States
Atomic Energy Detection System for nuclear treaty monitoring.
Torres briefly mentioned to POLOFF in late October that the
MFA wanted to propose adding "infrasound" monitoring
capability, which uses acoustic gauges to measure low
frequency signals from explosions. In practice, this would
have been used in conjunction with the Station to
differentiate between underground and surface explosions.
However, infrasound signals only travel regionally.
Furthermore, the MFA never contacted AFTAC, never presented
its proposal, and never discussed with Post in any detail its
interest in this matter. The MFA's preliminary interest was
overtaken by events on the USG side. Vaguely aware since
early October of the MFA's general interest in expanding the
Station's capability, Post took steps to manage the MFA's
expectations until the diplomatic note conveyed the decision
to terminate USG activities at Sonseca. END COMMENT.


6. (SBU) Post coordinated the diplomatic note and MFA
outreach with Rusty Strum, an International Affairs Officer
at AFTAC. Post understands that he has informed Spanish
officials that AFTAC is flexible in the timing of the U.S.
withdrawal and, in the event that the GOS and/or the
Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization's
Provisional Technical Secretariat (CTBTO/PTS) is interested
in continuing operations at Sonseca, wants to coordinate the
withdrawal with the GOS to ensure a smooth transition. Post
appreciates Strum's assistance in this matter.
CHACON