Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09SANJOSE93
2009-02-13 19:44:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy San Jose
Cable title:
DEMARCHE DELIVERED: UNSCR 1540 PROGRAM OF WORK
how-toVZCZCXYZ0008 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHSJ #0093 0441944 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 131944Z FEB 09 FM AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0489 INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0817
UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000093
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN, ISN/CPI TWUCHTE, AND USUN MGORDON.
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL AORC KPAO PTER UNSC CS
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: UNSCR 1540 PROGRAM OF WORK
REF: STATE 10774
UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000093
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN, ISN/CPI TWUCHTE, AND USUN MGORDON.
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL AORC KPAO PTER UNSC CS
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: UNSCR 1540 PROGRAM OF WORK
REF: STATE 10774
1. (U) SUMMARY: In response to reftel, Costa Rica's UNSC team
told us that it had not studied the 1540 Program of Work at
the MFA level since recently relinquishing the chairmanship
of the 1540 Committee. The MFA would review the U.S. draft
edits with close attention to improving mechanisms for
accurate and complete reporting. The team's initial reaction
was that "monitoring and implementation" was a more important
role for the Committee over coordination of international
assistance. The GOCR would review the text with an eye
toward ensuring that a strengthened 1540 Committee would
focus on Costa Rican priorities -- such as weapons of mass
destruction, applying oversight to countries in the process
of developing weapons, and reporting gaps -- and would not
duplicate work of other UN agencies or mechanisms. END
SUMMARY.
2. (U) On February 10, we delivered reftel demarche to MFA
Director of Foreign Policy Alejandro Solano, UNSC Team Leader
Adriana Murillo, and Head of Disarmament, Terrorism and
Organized Crime Carlos Cordero. Solano told us that the MFA
had not spoken to its New York Mission regarding the 1540
Program of Work but would do so and would then respond to us.
3. (SBU) The MFA's initial reaction, however, centered on the
fact that the monitoring and implementation role was more
important to Costa Rica than coordination of international
assistance. Solano noted, for example, that the British and
French reports were very incomplete, not to mention problems
with Pakistan's report and recent release of A.Q. Khan from
house arrest. We emphasized that the U.S. proposal would
provide stronger mechanisms to work to "fill in gaps" in
country reports.
4. (SBU) The MFA officials told us that, additionally, the
fight against non-proliferation must focus on countries that
were in the process of developing capabilities; the Committee
needed to concentrate on both "horizontal and vertical"
proliferation. Therefore, monitoring was most important
because the greatest risks could come from countries that
already had capabilities but were not admitting it. The
MFA's UNSC team also wanted to see how the Program of Work
would address the ability of the Committee to monitor weapons
of mass destruction, which they said was of particular
concern to Costa Rica.
5. (SBU) Our MFA interlocutors told us they would examine the
Program of Work (including U.S. edits) with an eye toward
ensuring that it would not duplicate or usurp the roles of
other UN agencies or mechanisms. In other words, Costa Rica
would be looking at not only the background focus of the
Committee, but the way in which it would complete its task in
harmony with existing UN mechanisms. (COMMENT: Improving
this "harmony" remains an overall GOCR objective in the UN,
and especially within the Security Council. END COMMENT.)
CIANCHETTE
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN, ISN/CPI TWUCHTE, AND USUN MGORDON.
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PARM PREL AORC KPAO PTER UNSC CS
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: UNSCR 1540 PROGRAM OF WORK
REF: STATE 10774
1. (U) SUMMARY: In response to reftel, Costa Rica's UNSC team
told us that it had not studied the 1540 Program of Work at
the MFA level since recently relinquishing the chairmanship
of the 1540 Committee. The MFA would review the U.S. draft
edits with close attention to improving mechanisms for
accurate and complete reporting. The team's initial reaction
was that "monitoring and implementation" was a more important
role for the Committee over coordination of international
assistance. The GOCR would review the text with an eye
toward ensuring that a strengthened 1540 Committee would
focus on Costa Rican priorities -- such as weapons of mass
destruction, applying oversight to countries in the process
of developing weapons, and reporting gaps -- and would not
duplicate work of other UN agencies or mechanisms. END
SUMMARY.
2. (U) On February 10, we delivered reftel demarche to MFA
Director of Foreign Policy Alejandro Solano, UNSC Team Leader
Adriana Murillo, and Head of Disarmament, Terrorism and
Organized Crime Carlos Cordero. Solano told us that the MFA
had not spoken to its New York Mission regarding the 1540
Program of Work but would do so and would then respond to us.
3. (SBU) The MFA's initial reaction, however, centered on the
fact that the monitoring and implementation role was more
important to Costa Rica than coordination of international
assistance. Solano noted, for example, that the British and
French reports were very incomplete, not to mention problems
with Pakistan's report and recent release of A.Q. Khan from
house arrest. We emphasized that the U.S. proposal would
provide stronger mechanisms to work to "fill in gaps" in
country reports.
4. (SBU) The MFA officials told us that, additionally, the
fight against non-proliferation must focus on countries that
were in the process of developing capabilities; the Committee
needed to concentrate on both "horizontal and vertical"
proliferation. Therefore, monitoring was most important
because the greatest risks could come from countries that
already had capabilities but were not admitting it. The
MFA's UNSC team also wanted to see how the Program of Work
would address the ability of the Committee to monitor weapons
of mass destruction, which they said was of particular
concern to Costa Rica.
5. (SBU) Our MFA interlocutors told us they would examine the
Program of Work (including U.S. edits) with an eye toward
ensuring that it would not duplicate or usurp the roles of
other UN agencies or mechanisms. In other words, Costa Rica
would be looking at not only the background focus of the
Committee, but the way in which it would complete its task in
harmony with existing UN mechanisms. (COMMENT: Improving
this "harmony" remains an overall GOCR objective in the UN,
and especially within the Security Council. END COMMENT.)
CIANCHETTE