SFO-DIP-09-003: U.S. DRAFT NEW START TREATY

S E C R E T STATE 088260 SIPDIS GENEVA FOR JCIC E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2029 TAGS: KACT PARM START US RS SUBJECT: SFO-DIP-09-003: U.S. DRAFT NEW START TREATY DEFINITIONS ANNEX, CABLE 2 OF 2 REF: STATE 078776 (SFO-GVA-III-003) Classified By: Jerry A. Taylor, Director, VCI/SI. Reason: 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (U) This is an action request. See paragraph 4 below. ¶2. (S) BACKGROUND: At their July 23, 2009, meeting in Geneva, Assistant Secretary Gottemoeller and Russian Ambassador Anatoliy Antonov agreed to meet in Geneva on August 31, 2009 to begin discussing the text of the New START Treaty. To this end, A/S Gottemoeller told Amb Antonov that the United States would provide its draft text prior to the August meeting to allow time for the Russian Delegation to review the U.S. draft text (Reftel). ¶3. (S) This is the second of two cables that contains the U.S. draft of the New START Treaty Definitions Annex (definitions 121-124). Embassy should note that, due to the length of the draft, the text will be sent using two cables. The first Definitions Annex cable will contain definitions 1-119. A series of related cables will contain the U.S. draft of the New START Treaty Articles. Embassy should also note that the numbering of the definitions retains the numbering used for the START Treaty definitions. Gaps in the number sequence indicate where specific START definitions were deleted as unnecessary in the U.S.-proposed text. ¶4. (U) ACTION REQUEST: Embassy Moscow is requested to combine the texts of the U.S. draft New START Definitions Annex contained in the associated cables into one document and provide that text to appropriate host government officials by August 25. Washington will provide a courtesy Russian-language translation of the U.S. draft New START Treaty Definitions Annex to be delivered along with the English language text. Embassy is requested to confirm delivery of the text, the name and office of the official to whom it was delivered, the date of delivery, and any comment or reaction provided at that time. ¶5. (S/Releasable to the Russian Federation) Begin text: ¶121. (14) The term variant means: (a) for heavy bombers, a classification, declared by the inspected Party, of airplanes of one type and one category that are distinguishable from other airplanes of the same type and the same category; (b) for long-range nuclear ALCMs, a classification, declared by the inspected Party, of items of the same type that are distinguishable from other items of the same type; and (c) for ICBMs and SLBMs, a classification, declared by the inspected Party, of ICBMs or SLBMs of the same type that are distinguishable from other ICBMs or SLBMs of the same type. An ICBM or SLBM of a type, a dimension of which differs from that of another ICBM or SLBM of the same type by more than three percent, but by less than the appropriate new type criteria, shall be considered to be a variant. In addition, a Party may declare an ICBM or SLBM to be a variant if its dimensions differ by less than three percent from those of another ICBM or SLBM of the same type. ¶122. (92) The term version means, for mobile launchers of ICBMs, fixed structures for mobile launchers of ICBMs, and support equipment, a classification, declared by the inspected Party, based on external differences from other such items for a particular type of ICBM or SLBM. ¶123. (9) The term nuclear warhead means a unit of account used for counting toward the (1500-1675) limit as applied to the number of nuclear-armed reentry vehicles emplaced on deployed ICBMs and deployed SLBMs, and the number of nuclear armaments loaded on deployed heavy bombers and nuclear armaments in nuclear armaments weapons storage areas associated with air bases where deployed heavy bombers are based. ¶124. (101) The term weapon-delivery vehicle means, for ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, a missile of a type, any one of which has been flight-tested or deployed to carry or be used as a weapon, that is, as any mechanism or device that, when directed against any target, is designed to damage or destroy it. End text. CLINTON