U/S TAUSCHER,S MEETING WITH GERMAN MINISTER OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 075504 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2019 TAGS: PARM PREL KACT START US GE SUBJECT: U/S TAUSCHER,S MEETING WITH GERMAN MINISTER OF STATE GERNOT ERLER, JULY 16, 2009 REF: STATE 073192 Classified By: Under Secretary Ellen O. Tauscher. Reasons: 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security (T),Ellen Tauscher, met in Washington with Gernot Erler, Minister of State in the German Foreign Office, on July 16, 2009. They promised to maintain a dialogue on strategic arms control, missile defense, CTBT, FMCT, and CFE. Tauscher noted her intention to visit Germany in the early fall for further discussion of these issues. Tauscher urged Germany,s support for an 8.5 percent increase in the IAEA budget. Erler promised to look into the matter and highlighted the IAEA's importance. END SUMMARY. -------------- Nuclear Arms Control -------------- ¶2. (C) Tauscher opened by empasizing the U.S. commitment to begin acting now on steps toward the eventual goal of zero nuclear weapons. Following a very good Summit in Moscow, the United States would work toward signing and ratifying a START Follow-on treaty as soon as possible, although the process might not be completed by December. Together with the 2010 NPT Review Conference (RevCon) and ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT),the Administration had a very big agenda. Germany,s help is vitally important. ¶3. (C) Erler said that Germany is very engaged and would try its best to assist these efforts. Some positive results are needed prior to the RevCon. He is pleased that a clear agenda had been developed this time. As a non-nuclear weapon state in central Europe, Germany depends on nuclear disarmament for its security. He hopes for a dialogue with the United States on the CTBT, the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT),and missile defense, all taken together. -------------- IAEA Budget -------------- ¶4. (C) Tauscher described the importance of sustaining the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) work on international monitoring, and urged German support for an increase of 8.5 percent in the IAEA budget. She noted the chronic underfunding of the agency and the difficulty in achieving consensus to provide the support it needed. In addition, with a new head taking office in December, we want the IAEA to become more "muscular" so it can provide assurance that states' nuclear activities remained peaceful. Erler indicated he is aware that the IAEA has had long-standing budget problems, and promised to look into it. He said Germany has very good cooperation with the IAEA, and supporting its work would send an important message to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) states of the Western commitment to the NPT Article IV right of peaceful nuclear cooperation. Tauscher commented on the need to ensure that nuclear power development does not undercut international security by giving states chances to develop nuclear weapons. The international community needs to offer alternatives such as fuel banks and centralized reprocessing. Erler strongly agreed, and noted the IAEA has a key role and great credibility as a multilateral body. -------------- Missile Defense -------------- ¶5. (C) Erler congratulated the United States on overcoming Russia's linkage of missile defense and START Follow-on at the Moscow Summit. Tauscher emphasized that Russia has no veto on U.S. security, and the United States made sure the Russian government understood that. Missile defense in Europe is meant for Iranian threats, which are destabilizing and a concern for the entire world. The United States appreciates Germany's support in this area. Protecting allies from missile threats is part of the U.S. extended deterrence obligations. The United States will complete its national review of missile defense in the early fall, and Tauscher hopes to discuss it with Germany then. She noted she would be engaging in missile defense talks with her Russian counterpart. -------------- Conventional Arms Control -------------- ¶6. (C) Erler noted that Germany is very engaged on the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty and conventional arms reduction, having organized a conference on it in June. He had heard that Assistant Secretary of State Gottemoeller and Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs official Antonov would meet regarding the CFE in late August. He emphasized Germany has an important role, much experience, and a good relationship with Russia and asked whether there would be dialogue on disarmament and CFE. Germany sees a link between nuclear disarmament and conventional arms control. Tauscher acknowledged the upcoming meeting and, while agreeing there is a link, stressed that, like missile defense, Russia needed to focus on the START Follow-on treaty and not "muddy the waters" by linking other issues to the START Follow-on negotiations. Tauscher said she expects to travel to Europe in the early fall, and definitely wants to meet with the German government to discuss CFE. ¶7. (C) Erler also noted Germany's recent ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and its work in the Oslo Process. Germany has a great interest in reducing such threats, and organized a recent conference on implementing the agreement on cluster munitions. Germany appreciates the humanitarian work that the United States conducts in this area. Tauscher replied that the German ratification is good and the U.S. would like more exposure to the Oslo Process, noting this is a complicated issue for us. ¶8. (SBU) Participants: U.S. U/S Tauscher EUR/PRA: K. Morenski EUR/CE: J.L. Wright T staff: S. Limage T staff: E. Desautels VCI/SI: J. Purcell (notetaker) Germany Minister Gernot Erler Amb. Klaus Scharioth Dr. Steffen Koch, Mr. Erler's staff Weert Boerner, Mr. Erler's staff Dr. Hans-Peter Hinrichsen, German Embassy CLINTON