AMBASSADOR JENKINS DISCUSSES COOPERATION WITH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 002435 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN, AF/S, EEB/ESC AND CBA DOE FOR TSPERL, GPERSON, MSCOTT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG PREL EPET EMIN MNUC KNNP SF SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR JENKINS DISCUSSES COOPERATION WITH SOUTH AFRICA'S DOE ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUEST: Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins called on South African Department of Energy Acting Chief: Nuclear, Ditebogo Kgomo, on November 9. They discussed the Nuclear Security Summit and the bilateral agreement on cooperation in nuclear energy R&D. Kgomo said the SADOE had submitted recommended names for a Sherpa and Sous-Sherpa to the Presidency, but no decision had yet been reached. Kgomo expressed enthusiasm about the nuclear R&D agreement, but asked for more time to generate ideas. Post requests that the USDOE, with the NSC and the Department, consider ideas on next steps in implementing the R&D agreement and proposing a general energy dialogue in advance of a yet-to-be-scheduled initial call by Ambassador Gips on the Minister of Energy. Post requests Washington agencies' assistance to forward nuclear R&D cooperation and broader energy dialogue(See paragraph 7 for details). End Summary and Action Request. ¶2. (SBU) NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT: Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins called on South African Department of Energy Acting Chief: Nuclear, Ditebogo Kgomo, on November 9. Ambassador Jenkins noted that South Africa had not sent a representative to the recent Sous-Sherpa meeting in Washington and apologized if there had been a communication snafu. Kgomo said she had attended the first Sherpa meeting in Vienna and expressed the SAG's commitment to participating in the Summit. She said the President had not yet named a Sherpa or Sous-Sherpa, but the SADOE had submitted names. Ambassador Jenkins briefed on the status of the outcome document and planning for Heads of State statements. Kgomo said that South Africa is preparing for the next planning meetings in December in Tokyo and in February in the Hague. Ambassador Jenkins noted that the Summit will mark the start of President Obama's four-year effort to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials. ¶3. (SBU) REGIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY TRAINING CENTER: Ambassador Jenkins expressed support for the idea of a regional nuclear security training center in South Africa - broached at the Einhorn-Minty dialogue in August - as a way to augment bilateral and trilateral cooperation. Kgomo said South Africa liked the idea, but was still evaluating the proposal. ¶4. (SBU) NUCLEAR R&D AGREEMENT: Ambassador Jenkins said the signing of the bilateral nuclear R&D agreement in Vienna in September had been an important positive step and asked Kgomo for her views on next steps. Kgomo agreed that the agreement was important and needed to be made a living agreement. She said that the SADOE was still distracted with its split from minerals (from the former DME) and said there were still gaps in personnel and many acting officials. Moreover, the SADOE would shortly be moving into a new building, so she asked for more time to evaluate next steps and ideas for cooperation. Ambassador Jenkins also mentioned the long-standing idea for a Joint Standing Committee on Nuclear Energy Cooperation, but Qa Joint Standing Committee on Nuclear Energy Cooperation, but both interlocutors agreed that they should focus on priorities and that this cooperation might be effectively conducted under separate initiatives. ¶5. (SBU) ENERGY DIALOGUE: Ambassador Jenkins inquired about the status of the broader, high-level energy dialogue to include nuclear and renewable energy and energy efficiency, proposed by Robert Einhorn in August. The energy dialogue had not been specifically advanced at the meeting of the two Energy Ministers in Vienna in September. Kgomo said the SADOE was interested in the idea and would welcome further discussion on partnering in key areas. ¶6. (SBU) USDOE participants also broached cooperation imminent and underway in Megaports and Commodity Identification Training, respectively. Michael Stafford presented the proposal for enhancing cooperation through the Nuclear Smuggling Outreach Initiative to prevent, detect, and PRETORIA 00002435 002 OF 002 respond to nuclear smuggling attempts, noting that the area most relevant to the SADOE would be nuclear security. Stafford acknowledged the SAG's reported preference for working with the IAEA on its own nuclear security, but noted the U.S. interest in collaborating with both the SAG and IAEA to help other African countries in this area. ¶7. (SBU) COMMENT AND ACTION REQUEST: Energy Officer noted that the on-going nuclear security dialogue, the nuclear R&D agreement, and the energy dialogue were key action items under the bilateral mechanism that Secretary Clinton and the South African Foreign Minister had committed to developing during the Secretary's visit in August. Ambassador Gips will soon meet with Energy Minister Dipuo Peters to advance these initiatives, but a date has not yet been set. Post requests that the USDOE, with the NSC and the Department, develop ideas for next steps and areas for cooperation under the nuclear R&D agreement and the proposed broader energy dialogue. ¶8. (U) This cable has been cleared by Ambassador Jenkins. GIPS