Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09THEHAGUE167
2009-03-10 15:33:00
SECRET
Embassy The Hague
Cable title:  

CWC: WRAP-UP FOR FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 6

Tags:  PARM PREL CWC 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTC #0167/01 0691533
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 101533Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2637
INFO RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/DTRA ALEX WASHINGTON DC//OSAC PRIORITY
S E C R E T THE HAGUE 000167 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR ISN/CB, VCI/CCA, L/NPV, IO/MPR,
SECDEF FOR OSD/GSA/CN,CP>
JOINT STAFF FOR DD PMA-A FOR WTC
COMMERCE FOR BIS (ROBERTS AND DENYER)
NSC FOR FLY
WINPAC FOR WALTER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2019
TAGS: PARM PREL CWC
SUBJECT: CWC: WRAP-UP FOR FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 6

REF: A. 08 THE HAGUE 01015

B. STATE 15526

Classified By: Janet E. Beik for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)

This is CWC-14-09.

-------
SUMMARY
-------

S E C R E T THE HAGUE 000167

SIPDIS

STATE FOR ISN/CB, VCI/CCA, L/NPV, IO/MPR,
SECDEF FOR OSD/GSA/CN,CP>
JOINT STAFF FOR DD PMA-A FOR WTC
COMMERCE FOR BIS (ROBERTS AND DENYER)
NSC FOR FLY
WINPAC FOR WALTER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2019
TAGS: PARM PREL CWC
SUBJECT: CWC: WRAP-UP FOR FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 6

REF: A. 08 THE HAGUE 01015

B. STATE 15526

Classified By: Janet E. Beik for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)

This is CWC-14-09.

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (SBU) The two weeks following EC-55 were
relatively quiet, marked by a nearly complete
absence of OPCW meetings and/or consultations. The
general WEOG assessment of EC-55 was positive, with
many delegations noting Iran's unusually
cooperative attitude. ABAF reform remains on the
agenda, as well as industry issues, with agreement
from WEOG members that the DG's recent report on
implementation of the current OCPF site selection
methodology should be discussed at the next
industry cluster. Plans continue for the
Universality Workshop in Istanbul. Delrep also
delivered a new version of Iraq's draft declaration
to the Technical Secretariat. (Del note: On March
10, Iraqi Embassy official told Delreps that
Baghdad was sending the declaration by DHL,
although it had not yet arrived in The Hague.)

--------------
WEOG
--------------


2. (SBU) The February 24 meeting of the Western
Europe and Others Group (WEOG) focused on the
outcome of EC-55. WEOG coordinator Ruth Surkau
(Germany) described the kick-off of the selection
process for a new Director-General (DG) as the "big
show," with appointments to the Advisory Body on
Administrative and Financial Matters (ABAF) and the
EC Bureau as the two main "side shows." French
delegate Annie Mari said EC-55 was a success,
despite a number of items being deferred to the
next EC. Mari noted that WEOG got what it wanted
with the DG selection process and highlighted
Iran's "mild approach" -- particularly on the 90-
day destruction reports. Italian delegate Giuseppe
Cornacchia agreed that the EC went smoothly and
that Iran had been cooperative, but he questioned
Iran's motivation. However, Cornacchia was less
sanguine on the DG selection process, noting Iran's
fixation on clarifying the "modalities" of the
process and the possibility of everything being
hijacked by an open-ended working group. Dutch

Ambassador Pieter de Savornin Lohman stated that
Iran's approach at the EC was partly due to the
outcome of the last Conference of the States
Parties in December (ref A). He also noted Cuba
was torn between GRULAC (Group of Latin America and
Caribbean) and NAM (Non-Aligned Movement),with
GRULAC activism rendering NAM virtually silent and
unable to provide cover for Iran.


3. (SBU) Delrep noted U.S. surprise that Iran had
agreed to note the entire set of 90-day destruction
reports with repetition of the "chapeau" report
language from EC-54. Delrep also noted that the
term "modalities" had been removed from the report
language on the DG selection process and that the
entire process had been left open-ended without any
requirement for the EC Chair to report back to the
Council. Delrep pointed to the positive activism
of GRULAC delegations during the EC as an
encouraging new development, including the group's
joint statement on the DG selection process and the
presence and involvement of GRULAC ambassadors in
negotiations.


4. (SBU) German Ambassador Werner Burkart echoed
other comments about Iran's approach during the EC
but questioned how long Iran would remain
reasonable. Burkart also thanked the U.S. for
mentioning in its national statement the
"gentlemen's agreement" on the DG position rotating
between developed and developing countries. He
noted a build-up in Chinese rhetoric on Japanese
abandoned chemical weapons, suggesting it is likely
to increase. On Russian destruction, Burkart said
that it is impossible for Khizner to complete its
activities in 16 months and that Russia seems
increasingly likely to miss the 2012 deadline,
despite Russian insistence to the contrary.


5. (SBU) Discussion turned to ABAF, with Dutch
delegate Diana Gosens suggesting the likelihood of
consultations on ABAF reform. Gosens spoke in
favor of increased transparency and expertise on
ABAF, stating that funding for travel and per diem
of members would attract experts. Gosens
reiterated that with a majority of local delegates
serving on ABAF, the body was in danger of becoming
a parallel forum for political discussions on the
budget, as well as internal oversight and external
auditor reports. Burkart questioned the utility of
providing funding for ABAF experts but agreed that
the body was only worthwhile if it could provide
real expertise. Cornacchia and UK delegate Karen
Wolstenholme both echoed Burkart's cautionary views
on funding. Swedish delegate Christer Ahlstrom
suggested it would be good to solicit the DG's
ideas on ABAF.


6. (SBU) Taking up industry issues, Surkau recapped
the last Industry Cluster meetings before EC-55.
She noted that there was little progress on
discussions about enhancements to declarations of
Other Chemical Production Facilities (OCPFs).
Speaking as the facilitator for 2A/2A* low
concentrations, Cornacchia was more upbeat on the
progress made in his consultations and claimed that
a shift to the lower end of the spectrum has
"gained momentum." Cornacchia also indicated his
desire to reach agreement on an initial -- even if
only interim -- level.


7. (SBU) WEOG's weekly meeting on March 2 was
unusually brief with OCPF site selection and the
June visit to two U.S. chemical weapons destruction
facilities (CWDFs) the only items on the agenda.
On OCPF site selection, Surkau asked for views on
how to address the DG's assessment of his revised
site selection methodology for OCPFs. There was
general agreement on discussing the issue during
the Industry Cluster in April, with support for
extending the currently-scheduled cluster to one
and a half days.


8. (SBU) Delrep gave a brief overview of planning
for the June trip to U.S. CWDFs by EC
representatives. Savornin Lohman expressed his
interest in going as the WEOG representative.
Citing past practice, the UK spoke in favor of
compiling questions for the WEOG representative to
ask on behalf of the group.


9. (SBU) Under Any Other Business, Universality
facilitator Lee Litman (UK) announced he would hold
a consultation on March 5 to discuss the upcoming
Universality workshop in Istanbul. Confirming that
Egypt will not officially attend the April
workshop, Litman said he wanted to focus on
Qworkshop, Litman said he wanted to focus on
realistic objectives for the workshop. Ahlstrom,
speaking on behalf of the current EU Troika
(France, Czech Republic and Sweden),said that the
Troika feels the workshop should continue as
planned, even if Israel and Syria still have not
confirmed participation. He noted that the Czech
Republic will demarche Egypt, Israel and Syria on
behalf of the EU to encourage their participation.

--------------
IRAQ'S DRAFT DECLARATION
--------------


10. (SBU) On February 24, Delrep delivered the most
recent copy of Iraq's draft initial declaration to
the Technical Secretariat (TS). Delrep met with
Chemical Demilitarization Branch officer Oleg
Ukharov (Russia),who was noticeably reluctant to
handle the document according to OPCW approved
procedures for classified information. At Delrep's
insistence, Ukharov finally agreed to count and
sign for the OPCW Highly Protected contents of the
declaration. Ukharov noted that the format of the
document seemed much improved from previous
version, and said the TS would review the latest
draft.


--------------
JAPANESE QUESTIONS ON IRANIAN INSPECTOR
--------------


11. (S) On March 4, Delrep met with Japanese
delegate Takayuki Kitagawa to respond to questions
from Tokyo, following deployment of talking points
from ref B on February 20. According to Kitagawa,
an internal conflict had arisen in Tokyo between
the ministry with oversight of non-proliferation,
which favored barring the Iranian inspector from
future inspections in Japan and the regional
ministry, which was reluctant to jeopardize
bilateral relations with Iran. Tokyo officials
were apparently under the impression that the
discussion of the inspector, a former employee of
Melli Agrochemical, was a U.S. initiative; Delrep
explained that the U.S. shared the information in
response to France having raised an initial
concern. Kitagawa replied that Tokyo suspects the
French concern could actually be in response to a
French inspector having been kicked out of Tehran.


12. (C) Delrep raised the upcoming Executive
Council (EC) visit to two U.S. destruction
facilities, and asked Kitagawa whether he had heard
any delegations in the Asia Group express interest
in participating. Delrep pointed out that Iran,
despite its role as EC Vice Chair, would not be
permitted to participate in such a visit, and
recommended Japan and other Asia Group colleagues
keep this in mind. Kitagawa noted that South Korea
had recently expressed an interest in becoming more
active, and had apparently made a deal with Iran to
back down from pursuing the EC Vice Chair slot this
year in return for guaranteed Iranian support of
Korea as one of the Vice Chairs at the next
Conference of States Parties. Kitagawa said he
would raise the subject of the EC visit with the
Korean delegation.

--------------
UNIVERSALITY CONSULTATIONS
--------------


13. (U) On March 5, Universality facilitator Lee
Litman (UK) held a consultation primarily focused
on discussing the upcoming April 16-17 Universality
Workshop in Istanbul, Turkey. Zhixian Liu, OPCW
Director of External Relations, stated that at
present none of the three Middle Eastern States not
Party to the Convention (Egypt, Israel, Syria),the
targeted audience of the Workshop, have confirmed
their participation. The Egyptian Embassy to the
Netherlands formally declined the invitation. The
Director-General (DG) held a follow-up meeting with
QDirector-General (DG) held a follow-up meeting with
the Egyptian Ambassador, but Egypt still declined.
The DG has also sent a letter to the Egyptian
Council of Foreign Affairs on the Workshop, but to
date there has not been a response. Israel is
considering the invitation, with the DG holding a
meeting with the Israeli Ambassador on March 5 to
discuss this and setting a date for an OPCW
technical assistance visit to Israel. Liu believes
that Israel, in the end, will agree to attend and
does not see any reason why they would not. Syria,
on the other hand, has not responded to the
invitation, and the Syrian Embassy in Belgium has
not responded to the DG's request for a meeting
with the Syrian Ambassador.


14. (U) The Technical Secretariat and the DG are
actively working to encourage participation at the
Workshop. At present, only 17 participants are
registered from 12 countries, including four
Permanent Representatives to the OPCW from The
Hague and a member of Iran's National Authority
from Tehran. The DG had also written letters to
each of the three Middle Eastern States not Party
encouraging them to attend, and planned to write a
letter to each regional Vice-Chair at the OPCW
encouraging each regional group to do all it can to
persuade non-State Parties to participate in the
Workshop. Turkey, in conjunction with the TS, has
sent a demarche to the three Middle Eastern
countries as well, and the Czech delegate, on
behalf of the EU Presidency, indicated that the EU
is considering its options on how to encourage
participation from Egypt, Israel, and Syria.


15. (U) The South African delegate asked what the
purpose would be of holding the Workshop if none of
the three Middle Eastern non-member attend. The TS
conceded that this is the "billion dollar" question
and would be addressed closer to the date of the
Workshop based on a cost-benefit analysis. The TS
argued, however, that there is still merit in the
Workshop if only because the very purpose of it is
to encourage universality; to that end, the TS once
again encouraged all delegations present at the
consultation to redouble their efforts to encourage
participation, including from their own countries.
The Dutch delegate noted that the Workshop should
not just focus on the Middle East region and
recommended that the TS broaden invitations to
other countries outside the Convention, especially
Angola.


16. (U) Litman also briefed delegations on the
current TS efforts with regard to promoting
universality. Litman provided a few details
surrounding the late February TS visit to the
Bahamas and indicated that ratification is expected
quite soon. U.S. Delrep provided additional
details on this visit, drawing on information from
Washington. Regarding the Dominican Republic,
Litman reported that the instrument of accession
had been approved by the Parliament and all that
was left was the signature by the President. As
for Angola, two Angolan representatives, sponsored
by the TS, are attending a customs workshop in
Tanzania on March 5. Litman noted that Angolan
progress in acceding to the Convention is
inadequate. Regarding North Korea and Burma,
Litman had no real developments to report. Litman
admitted that he is even trying to use his personal
connections, from his time on the North Korea Desk
Qconnections, from his time on the North Korea Desk
at the British Foreign Office, to make inroads with
Pyongyang but has been unsuccessful so far. The
South Korean delegate added that the TS Special
Representative for Universality, Dutch Ambassador
Mark Vogelaar, planned to visit China, Japan, and
South Korea in the near future specifically to
discuss North Korea. The TS added that Ambassador
Vogelaar would try to explore how chemical weapons
might be included in the framework of the Six Party
Talks when the time is appropriate.

-------------- --
START-UP OF RUSSIA'S CW DESTRUCTION FACILITY AT
SHCHUCHYE
-------------- --


17. (U) On March 6, Delrep confirmed with the OPCW
Chemical Demilitarization Branch that Russia's
Shchuchye Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility had
started on March 5, as briefed by Russian officials
at the last Executive Council session. As of March
6, Russia had processed approximately fifty items.
TS officer Gabriela Coman-Enescu clarified that she
believed processing was limited to drilling and
draining items and running munitions through the
Metal Parts Furnace. She also noted that Russia
does not technically view the destruction process
as having fully started, but that the Technical
Secretariat considers it destruction, as Russia is
processing OPCW declared items.


18. (U) BEIK SENDS.
GALLAGHER