UZBEK WORKSHOP FOR IMPLEMENTING UNSCR 1540 -- A REGIONAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TASHKENT 000208 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SENSITIVE DEPT FOR ISN/CPI TOM WUCHTE EXBS FOR JEFF HARTSHORN AND INL/AAE FOR ANDREW BUHLER USOSCE FOR ELIZABETH KAUFMAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KNNP AORC OSCE UNSC UZ SUBJECT: UZBEK WORKSHOP FOR IMPLEMENTING UNSCR 1540 -- A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE TASHKENT 00000208 001.2 OF 003 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY ¶1. (U) Summary: On February 10-11 a workshop on implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540 was jointly sponsored in Tashkent by the Export and Related Border Security (EXBS) program and the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This cable addresses broader regional 1540 implementation based on the ongoing work of the 1540 Committee, our USG approach to multilateral implementation of UNSCR 1540 through effective use of regional and intergovernmental organizations, as well as bilateral discussions at the workshop with EU, UNODC, OSCE, and 1540 Committee Experts attending the Uzbekistan Workshop. A more detailed workshop report will be provided SEPTEL. End summary. Background -------------- ¶2. (U) On February 10-11 a UNSCR 1540 workshop was held in Tashkent with joint sponsorship from EXBS and the Uzbek Government. We previously supported two 1540 events in this region (they were organized by the Monterey Center for Nonproliferation Studies but using funding from the Norwegian government). Those events stressed awareness raising and we were not able to elicit follow through on next steps beyond each state announcing that it conducted a workshop, which at the time was a realistic outcome. This was our first event for bilateral training after UNSCR 1810 (through our EXBS program) which is funding Monterey and there were several discussions that validated the significance of our other funding with respect to UN outreach, regional organizations, and through funding in cooperation with Sandia National Laboratories. Implementation a Long-Term Process -------------- ¶3. (U) As a general view after three workshops in a region with numerous important borders, we have created good conditions to complement our approach to regional cooperation and making better use of the synergies existent in Vienna through the OSCE, IAEA, and UNODC. Uzbek officials were receptive to all three organizations both in the open forum and in private discussions. Moreover, they demonstrated a good working understanding in the more programmatic areas (Commerce, Health, Agriculture, Energy). On the other hand, the MFA officials largely deferred to the Uzbek delegation in New York when discussing obligations and saw their role as monitoring the adherence to reporting requirements. As with other Central Asian countries, the Uzbeks are interested in assistance but different ministries want to see a broader focus than just meeting UN reporting requirements. ¶4. (U) There was no disagreement that implementation of Resolution 1540 (2004) is a long-term and continual process; there was a continuing need to exchange experiences on the priority assigned to the issue of weapons of mass destruction; that concrete challenges exist with respect to the implementation of the resolution; and that this issue was accepted as legitimate work on furthering non-proliferation as long as it supported overall developmental needs. A Central Role for OSCE -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The OSCE Project Coordination Office in Tashkent appeared receptive to supporting a regional nonproliferation event in Central Asia dedicated to UNSCR TASHKENT 00000208 002.2 OF 003 ¶1540. On February 10, 1540 Coordinator Tom Wuchte and poloff met with OSCE Ambassador in Tashkent Istvan Venczel and his staff to discuss prospects for this type of activity. Wuchte, citing remarks from the 1540 Committee Chairman at the OSCE in December, noted that OSCE field missions could play a useful role in raising awareness of nonproliferation issues by including 1540 as a mechanism to promote regional follow up. Venczel proposed preparing a project for next year, but warned that it is unclear whether the Government of Uzbekistan will accept this given its limited mandate. However, the themes being discussed in Vienna on using both the Forum for Security Cooperation and Permanent Council received no objection from Venczel or his staff -- albeit they largely deferred to the OSCE Action Against Terrorism Unit (ATU) to define policy. ¶6. (SBU) We noted that the OSCE approach included efforts to integrate this issue with the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC),and OSCE field mission officials advised coordinating with UNODC and Uzbekistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs on any such regional plans and submitting a proposal by September given Uzbekistans upcoming parliamentary elections in December. OSCE Senior Project Coordinator Caroline Milow said that OSCE would welcome funding from participating states, including the United States and Germany, that could complement this type of approach -- she was particularly interested in the work of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). ¶7. (U) In a separate meeting on February 10, a UNODC representative also told us that UNODC is likely to host a regional event in December in Turkmenistan that focuses on both counterterrorism and nonproliferation, with UNSCR 1540 one of the central parts. A separate OSCE project could bring together Central Asian States (for example) in Tashkent for a more detailed nonproliferation-focused topic -- such as a legislative drafting exercise. ¶8. (SBU) Comment: As an outcome from the Monterey (EXBS- funded) workshop, it was clear that the OSCE Project Coordinators Office could play an important role in encouraging Uzbekistan to take additional measures in implementing UNSCR 1540 in the country (as could other regional OSCE field offices). These would complement other United Nations activities in this field. For example, Uzbekistans legislation relevant to 1540 can be strengthened through additional engagement including workshops and roundtables. According to the 1540 Committee report, Uzbekistan is party to none of the international export control regimes and probably lacks lists of dual-use items whose exports need to be licensed, while Article 255 of the Criminal Code makes no reference to nuclear weapons. Moreover, Uzbekistan could be encouraged by the OSCE (based on its commitments agreed with Ministers) to use the 1540 Committees technical assistance template in order to refine an implementation plan. End comment. Recommendations from the Margins -------------- ¶9. (SBU) The following recommendations were proposed at the end of the seminar on the margins which could be implemented in coordination with the 1540 Committee, OSCE, UNODC, and post: -- Uzbekistan should now be familiar with the technical assistance template from the Committee and submit more detailed information since it had requested training among other follow on areas. TASHKENT 00000208 003.2 OF 003 -- Many states, for example, have already provided the 1540 Committee with a thorough overview of its existing assistance programs. In working with states that are seeking assistance, Uzbekistan could use the 1540 Committee's technical assistance template to help its state refine its implementation plan. -- Uzbekistan can set an example by submitting, as appropriate, a national implementation plan and follow up as an OSCE participating State on its agreement by supporting the OSCE 2006 Ministerial decision on UNSCR ¶1540. -- Just as we have identified good points of contact on Small Arms/Light Weapons (SA/LW) issues, we should encourage states in the OSCE region to do the same with UNSCR 1540 and to share points of contact with the 1540 Committee, as UNSCR 1810 requests. (Note: When discussed at the workshop, Uzbekistan did not see the value of an official coordinating the interagency effort and simply said its point of contact is in New York within its Permanent Mission. This is a validation that the USOSCE suggestion in December for the OSCE to maintain a list of contacts would be an effective contribution, and one that would be simple to help reinforce the work of the Committee and the need for interagency cooperation on UNSCR 1540. End Note.) -- Work is underway on preparations for UNSCR 1540 workshops and other events in several regions later in ¶2009. We should continue to view the OSCE as the leading regional organization through ongoing cooperation and seek Uzbekistan's continued cooperation as a member of the OSCE. Support for the 1540 Committee Crucial -------------- ¶10. (SBU) On the margins, Isabella Interlandi, the Committee Expert in attendance, inquired about whether the Program of Work could effectively empower her and the other seven experts to effectively implement the broad tasks outlined in UNSCR 1810 that extended the Committee for an additional three years. She expressed her disappointment that such items as working groups were meeting resistance, as the Committee structure and lack of capital involvement impeded their ability to effectively handle such areas as assistance offers and requests. (Note: Lack of capital involvement refers to nonproliferation experts in capitals since the UN Committee, like many similar multilateral organizations, is not staffed with functional experts but rather with general diplomatic representatives who cover a wide variety of issues. End note.) When informed that we had not abandoned these ideas as originally proposed by many of the experts and UN Office of Disarmament Affairs (ODA),she said the continued support was seen as crucial to making the comprehensive review meeting for UN Member States and IGOs planned for the end of 2009 successful. ¶11. (U) This message was drafted by the visiting USG 1540 Coordinator. NORLAND To view the entire SMART message, go to URL http://repository.state.sgov.gov/_layouts/OSS SearchResults.aspx?k=messageid:f09ebcc2-7363- 4ae0-a744-a74fac66bd30