GUIDANCE FOR U.S. DELEGATION TO U.S./RUSSIA

S E C R E T STATE 090239 SIPDIS GENEVA FOR JCIC E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/31/2019 TAGS: PARM PREL KACT KTIA START JCIC US RS SUBJECT: GUIDANCE FOR U.S. DELEGATION TO U.S./RUSSIA NEGOTIATIONS ON START FOLLOW-ON TREATY, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, AUGUST 31-SEPTEMBER 3, 2009 REFS: A. STATE 078776 (SFO-GVA-III-003) ¶B. STATE 088262 (U.S.-PROPOSED TREATY TEXT PART 1) ¶C. STATE 088263 (U.S.-PROPOSED TREATY TEXT PART 2) ¶D. STATE 088259 (U.S.-PROPOSED DEFINITIONS ANNEX PART 1) ¶E. STATE 088260 (U.S.-PROPOSED DEFINITIONS ANNEX PART 2) ¶F. STATE 041125 (GUIDANCE FOR APRIL 2009 ROME MEETING) ¶G. STATE 050911 (GUIDANCE FOR MAY 2009 MOSCOW MEETING) ¶H. STATE 050910 (U.S. NON-PAPER ON ELEMENTS OF SFO TREATY) ¶I. STATE 060343 (U.S. NON-PAPER ON SNDVS AND ODSNWS) ¶J. STATE 060487 (U.S.-PROPOSED JOINT UNDERSTANDING) ¶K. STATE 061832 (GUIDANCE FOR JUNE 2009 MOSCOW MEETING) ¶L. STATE 064643 (GUIDANCE FOR JUNE 2009 SFO-GVA-II) ¶M. STATE 075614 (GUIDANCE FOR JULY 2009 SFO-GVA-III) ¶N. MOSCOW 01347 (20 MAY 2009 SECOND SESSION) ¶O. GENEVA 00616 (SFO-GVA-III-001) ¶P. GENEVA 00617 (SFO-GVA-III-002) ¶Q. GENEVA 00662 (2009 CD) Classified By: Rose Gottemoeller, VCI. Reason: 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (U) Assistant Secretary for Verification, Compliance, and Implementation, Rose Gottemoeller, will head the U.S. delegation in continuing negotiations regarding a START Follow-on treaty with Russian MFA Director of Security and Disarmament Affairs Anatoliy Antonov, in Geneva, Switzerland, August 31-September 3, 2009. -------------- SCHEDULE AND ORGANIZATION -------------- ¶2. (S) BACKGROUND: The U.S. and Russian delegations have agreed to meet in Geneva from August 31-September 3 and from September 21-November 20 to complete work on a START Follow-on treaty. The U.S. delegation has proposed to establish working groups modeled on those used during the START negotiations (Ref A). The Russian delegation indicated agreement in principle, but also indicated concern about how soon such groups would be able to begin meeting. ¶3. (S) The U.S. also proposed a stocktaking at the mid-way point on October 20 with a view, in particular, to determining which issues may need to be referred for higher-level review and decision (Ref A). (FYI: Delegation should be aware that it is possible Presidents �00A;Obama and Medvedev will meet on the margins on the UNGA in late September; in addition, Secretary of State Clinton and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lavrov will be meeting in Moscow on October 13-14. Thus, even in advance of October 20, appropriate issues may need to be prepared for discussion during these meetings.) The goal is to have the treaty ready for signature on or about December 1, ¶2009. -------------- U.S. DRAFT TREATY AND DEFINITIONS ANNEX -------------- ¶4. (S) GUIDANCE: The U.S.-proposed draft text of the treaty and accompanying definitions annex were provided to the Russian MFA on August 25, 2009 (Refs B-E). Delegation should use the U.S.-proposed texts to review and explain the U.S. positions on the treaty. Delegation should encourage Russian questions and reactions to the U.S. texts and seek to identify areas of agreement and disagreement. Delegation also should seek the date by which an official Russian response to the U.S. draft texts will be provided. Delegation should determine if Russia is willing to work from the U.S.-proposed text to begin developing a joint draft text (JDT) identifying issues that will need to be discussed and resolved. Delegation may continue to draw from previous guidance and U.S. nonpapers (Refs F-N),and July Moscow Summit Documents, including the July 6, 2009, Joint Understanding (Ref M, para 8) to discuss and explain U.S. views relating to a START follow-on treaty. ¶5. (S) Following discussion of the treaty text and related issues by the Heads of Delegation, Delegation should seek to convene an introductory meeting of each working group so that they may begin discussion of the organization of their work as well as discussion of treaty and protocol text, consistent with the U.S. proposal provided on July 23 (Ref A paras 28-30). Washington believes it will be important to convene at least one meeting of each working group so the chairs on both sides can be introduced and initial planning for the next session may begin. Delegation should report on all meetings as expeditiously as possible. -------------- --- SEVEN RUSSIAN PAPERS PROVIDED ON JULY 22-23, 2009 -------------- -------------- ¶6. (S) BACKGROUND AND GUIDANCE: During meetings on July 22-23 (Refs O and P),Russia provided seven papers with its positions on key issues. Delegation is authorized to discuss and seek agreement on the issues raised in these papers as provided in Ref M and below. -------------- -------------- RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE ARMS -------------- -------------- ¶7. (S) GUIDANCE: In responding to the Russian paper On the Interrelationship between Strategic Offensive Arms and Strategic Defensive Arms, dated July 22, 2009 (Ref O para 15),Delegation should seek to clarify Russias concerns about the relationship between strategic offensive and defensive arms. -------------- CONVENTIONALLY-ARMED ICBMS AND SLBMS -------------- ¶8. (S) GUIDANCE: In responding to the Russian paper On Strategic Missile Systems in a Non-nuclear Configuration, dated July 22, 2009 (Ref O para 20),Delegation should draw on the U.S.-proposed draft treaty text to explain which U.S. strategic delivery vehicles currently counted in START should be excluded from the new treaty. ¶9. (S) If Russia raises the proposal made by the United States prior to the July 6 Moscow Summit to count non-nuclear armed ICBMs and SLBMs toward the treaty limit in exchange for Russian concessions on delivery vehicle issues, Delegation should probe the Russian delegation for its views and report back to Washington any Russian proposal for alternate numbers for warhead or delivery vehicle limits and for additional limitations on non-nuclear ICBMs and SLBMs, or Russian questions about which non-nuclear warheads are to be counted. -------------- BASING SOA OUTSIDE NATIONAL TERRITORY -------------- ¶10. (S) GUIDANCE: In responding to the Russian paper On Basing and Temporary Stationing of Strategic Offensive Arms Outside the National Territory of Each Party, dated July 23, 2009 (Ref P para 6),Delegation should make clear that the United States believes the START Treaty provisions regarding the basing and stationing of heavy bombers outside national territory, including related notification provisions, should be retained. Regarding the use of Meck Island as a space launch facility, Delegation should draw upon the response provided by the U.S. delegation in Ref P para 10 and make clear that the United States expects the provisions for space launch facilities outside national territory that were developed in the JCIC to continue to be observed under the new treaty. -------------- PREAMBLE AND CONCLUDING PROVISIONS OF TREATY -------------- ¶11. (S) GUIDANCE: Regarding the Russian-proposed Draft Preamble to the New Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms (Proposals of the Russian Side, and Draft Concluding Provisions of the New Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms, both dated July 23, 2009 (Ref P paras 12 and 16),the U.S. response is contained in the U.S.-proposed draft treaty text. As provided in paragraph 4 above, Delegation should review and explain the U.S.-proposed text, noting that we have taken Russias proposals into account. -------------- PROPOSED UNGA RESOLUTION -------------- ¶12. (S) GUIDANCE: Regarding the Russian-proposed paper On a Draft Resolution Bilateral Reductions in Strategic Nuclear Arms and the New Framework for Strategic Relations, dated July 23, 2009 (Ref P para 18), Delegation should indicate that the U.S. concurs with what we understand to be Russias reassessment (Ref Q para 10) that it would not be wise to table such a resolution while the negotiations on a replacement for START are still under way. Delegation should state that the U.S. preference is to table our traditional joint resolution in the UNGA Plenary once our negotiations conclude successfully. -------------- -------------- PROPOSED JOINT UNDERSTANDING REGARDING BELARUS, KAZAKHSTAN, AND UKRAINE -------------- -------------- ¶13. (S) GUIDANCE: Washington is continuing to study the Russian paper On a Draft Joint Statement in Connection with the Expiration of the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, dated July 23, 2009 (Ref A para 21). Delegation is authorized to indicate that the United States believes a joint statement might be issued either bilaterally or by the five START Parties in connection with the START Treatys expiration. End guidance. CLINTON