INVITATION TO SOUTH ASIA REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON

UNCLAS STATE 026631 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC KPAO EUE PREL PTER UNSC EUN SAARC SUBJECT: INVITATION TO SOUTH ASIA REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON UNSCR 1540 IMPLEMENTATION REF: A. 08 STATE 110381 (08) -- UNSCR 1540 -- IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION FOR 1540 ¶B. 08 BRUSSELS 1638 -- EU WELCOMES US 1540 IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION ¶C. STATE 13976 -- SOUTH ASIA WORKSHOP ON UNSCR 1540 ¶1. This is an action request for all Posts with host governments who are current members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC),as well as UNVIE, The Hague (OPCW),Geneva (BWC),EU, and USNATO -- see relevant paras 2 and 3, additional for USEU (see para 4), additional USUN New York (see para 5). Info for SAARC observer posts. ¶2. Action request for Posts in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka as well as EU, UNVIE, The Hague, USNATO, and Geneva: -- Please notify appropriate officials in your host government with policy responsibility for UNSCR 1540 (in the case of the IAEA, OPCW, BWC, EU, and NATO, please notify the appropriate representatives working on UNSCR 1540) of our commitment to host a South Asia Regional Workshop on UNSCR 1540 implementation to take place June 23-25, 2009 in Colombo, Sri Lanka (leave text in para 6 for background). As in the case of other recent USG-funded UNSCR 1540 outreach events, including the workshops for OAS and MERCOSUR countries, this workshop will engage countries on a regional, geographic basis and will include SAARC members as a means to ensuring broad, regional South Asian participation. Post should note that SAARC is being used in this sense as a geographical designation and that the workshop itself is not an official SAARC-sponsored event. A set of additional documents for the meeting is to follow shortly through a dedicated web portal. -- Post should inform appropriate officials that handle host country participation in the SAARC, United Nations, as well as WMD nonproliferation and/or disarmament. We are interested in hosting participants from capitals with broad policy responsibility in the area of WMD nonproliferation and who contributed to the host government's report to the UNSCR 1540 Committee. ¶3. These invitation documents will be placed for downloading from a secure website by the workshop coordinator, who will announce their availability through Posts. The document set will include the following documents: invitation to 1540 workshop, tentative program of activities, and administrative arrangements. Further general information and background on UNSCR 1540 can be downloaded from: http://www.un.org/sc/1540. ¶4. Washington requests that USEU relay the following objectives, which are considered essential to our further funding of 1540 nonproliferation implementation programs in cooperation with the United Nations 1540 Committee. This may be left as a nonpaper for EU Commission and Council of Europe. Begin text: The objective of the workshop is to promote capacity-building on national and regional levels to advance full implementation of resolution 1540 (2004). The workshop is hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka with support and funding from the United States and in cooperation with the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) and the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. We are interested in your views and cooperation going forward. Our intent is to coordinate early and up front with both potential participants and appropriate regional, intergovernmental, and nongovernmental organizations. The workshop should result in assisting participants to create potential components of their summary action plans and in mapping out their priorities and plans for implementing the key provisions of resolution 1540 (2004),particularly in the area of export controls. Through the effective use of the 1540 Technical Assistance Template, specific regional and international sources of technical support will be identified. The workshop will encourage experience-sharing in related areas among the participating States and also the identification of specific capacity-building measures which are responsive to regional and specific national requirements. Pertinent information on lessons learned based on the activities of the 1540 Committee will also be shared. End text. ¶5. Action request for USUN New York: please distribute at the next 1540 Committee meeting (or no later than March 30) the text below: As previously announced in October 2008, the United Sates is proceeding to provide an in-kind contribution to complement regional UNSCR 1540 Workshops. The U.S. 1540 Coordinator, along with Sandia National Labs, is coordinating with the UN 1540 Committee Panel of Experts and the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA),along with the National Security Council and all other U.S. agencies involved with UNSCR 1540 implementation to determine the most effective workshop topics and locales. U.S. contributions in kind will have the following characteristics: (1) clearly defined goals keyed to the needs of each specific country with whom work is contemplated; (2) non-duplicative activities; and (3) measurable and recorded outcomes. In coordination with the UN 1540 Committee the U.S. government will: -- Plan and organize a UNSCR 1540 implementation regional workshop in Colombo, Sri Lanka June 23-25, 2009 for SAARC member countries. -- Make all logistical arrangements for the workshop (e.g. venue, audiovisual support, interpreter support/equipment, fund selected participant travel from SAARC member countries, lodging, and per diem). -- We welcome any and all suggestions from other Committee members to make this an effective outcome that is complementary in nature. End text. ¶6. Text for background to all posts. Begin text: We are pleased to announce this save-the-date with Sri Lanka to host the South Asia Regional Workshop on implementation of Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) to be held June 23-25, 2009 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The objective of the workshop is to promote capacity-building on national and regional levels to advance full implementation of resolution 1540 (2004). The planned workshop is to be hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka with support and funding from the United States and in cooperation with the Committee established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) and the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. We will welcome other donor contributions and ideas, and will fund all expenses for SAARC member country participants. The workshop will highlight the importance of full implementation of UNSCR 1540, which the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted on April 28, 2004 under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. The Resolution imposes binding obligations on all States to take a series of measures to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery, and related materials. The primary focus of the workshop will be on furthering the cooperative implementation of UNSCR 1540 by identifying ways that SAARC and Partner Member States can share lessons learned and develop such items as their own national implementation plans, as suggested in UNSCR 1810 that extended the work of the Committee until April, 2011 and the &Report of the Committee pursuant to Resolution 1540 (2004)8 dated July 2008. End text. ¶7. Reporting deadline: Post support is greatly appreciated. Washington requests a response NLT March 31. POINT OF CONTACT ¶8. The primary POC for this action and for questions, SAARC follow-up and WMD proliferation questions is U.S. 1540 coordinator, Tom Wuchte (202-736-4275, wuchteta@state.gov). CLINTON