FRANCE LOOKS FORWARD TO P3 CONSULTATIONS ON NPT

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001293 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2019 TAGS: AORC CDG ENRG KNNP MNUC PARM PGOV PREL UNGA IAEA, NPT, FR SUBJECT: FRANCE LOOKS FORWARD TO P3 CONSULTATIONS ON NPT AND FMCT REF: STATE 96412 Classified By: Acting Political Minister-Counselor Andrew Young, Reason s 1.4(b),(d). ¶1. (SBU) France looks forward to the P3 consultations on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Fissile Materials Cutoff Treaty (FMCT) on October 9, confirmed MFA NPT officer Celine Jurgensen September 22. Jurgensen said the French delegation was yet to be confirmed, but would probably consist of: -Patrick Maisonnave, A/S-equivalent for Strategic Affairs, MFA -Martin Briens, DAS-equivalent for Disarmament and Nuclear Nonproliferation, MFA -Celine Jurgensen, NPT officer, MFA -Michel Miraillet, Director of Strategic Affairs at the Ministry of Defense (USDP-equivalent) -Daniel Verwaerde, Director of Military Applications, Atomic Energy Commission (for FMCT meeting) Jurgensen added that Francois Richier, Presidential Advisor for Strategic Affairs, and Antoine Beaussant, Deputy Military Advisor to the President, may also attend. ¶2. (C) Jurgensen praised the proposed agenda included in reftel, especially the inclusion of a discussion of subsidiary bodies in the NPT Review Conference (RevCon), noting that there is a risk that Non-Aligned Movement nations will push to establish subsidiary bodies to judge progress made on what they view as disarmament pledges from the 1995 and 2000 RevCons. She added that it might be useful to include outreach to key states in the NPT agenda, as well. Jurgensen said the consultations may be more fruitful if P3 partners are able to enumerate their minimum objectives and red-lines for the RevCon and circulate them before the October 9 meeting. ¶3. (C) France supports the idea of a P5 luncheon on October 12, but Jurgensen was eager for more logistical details and expected U.S. representation, adding that it was difficult to say at this time who might represent France. RIVKIN