CWC: SUMMARY WRAP-UP FOR OPCW EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000437 SENSITIVE 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 (BROWN, DENYER AND CRISTOFARO) NSC FOR LUTES WINPAC FOR WALTER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM PREL CWC OPCW SUBJECT: CWC: SUMMARY WRAP-UP FOR OPCW EXECUTIVE COUNCIL SESSION, JULY 14-17, 2009 (EC-57) REF: A. THE HAGUE 402 ¶B. STATE 72671 (U) This is CWC-41-09 ¶1. (SBU) Led by its new Chairman, Ambassador Jorge Lomonaco Tonda (Mexico),the 57th Executive Council (EC-57) ran smoothly, ended early, and moved forward its most important issue -- the selection process for a new Director-General (DG) for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). After the Burundian candidate dropped out, the seven remaining DG candidates made formal presentations to the Council on July 15, followed by questions and answers. The full day's event proceeded efficiently and gave all delegations a good opportunity to compare the candidates in person. Chairman Lomonaco presented a paper on July 16 outlining his "road map" for the next steps in the process, including rounds of consultations, straw polls as needed, and -- if consensus does not emerge during EC-58 in October - - a formal vote in the Council. He emphasized the collective agreement that the process should be open, transparent, and fair, and should lead to the recommendation by the Council of a single candidate to the Conference of States Parties in December. After broad approval of his plan, the Council agreed to note his paper on July 17. ¶2. (SBU) The Iranian delegation was caught off- guard during the Council's discussion of the EC delegation's report on their visit to the U.S. destruction facilities in Pueblo, Colorado, and Umatilla, Oregon, and the Chairman closed the agenda item before Iran intervened. After a procedural discussion in which Iran obtained no support, the Iranian delegate again raised the issue in the last plenary meeting of the Council and deferred the discussion of the visit report to EC-58, with no objections. The Iranian delegation initially also held up the U.S. 90-day report of destruction activities, but agreed to note it with all of the other 90-day reports repeating "chapeau" language from previous EC reports emphasizing "the timely commencement of destruction activities at all chemical weapons destruction facilities." For the fourteen U.S. facility agreements with technical changes, the Iranian delegation attempted to defer them all to the next session. However, U.S. Representative Mikulak requested that the items be withdrawn from the agenda rather than be deferred, as they required no Council action -- an unprecedented move that should help streamline Council meetings in the future. ¶3. (SBU) Questions by South Africa, Russia, and Iran on the U.S. and UK recovery of chemical weapons in Iraq again surfaced in the General Debate, as well as during the July 13 informal meeting on destruction issues. The Iraqi Ambassador informed the Council that all such questions should be directed through his government. The South African Ambassador held bilateral meetings with both the U.S. and UK to pursue his initiative to "fill the gap" in the Convention for similar situations in the future. While he drafted report language for an open-ended working group, the UK delegation offered a milder alternative showing UK and U.S. willingness to Qalternative showing UK and U.S. willingness to consult, as appropriate, which was adopted under Any Other Business. ¶4. (SBU) Nearly all of the routine reports were noted by the Council. A lively and lengthy debate occurred over the DG's report on the implementation of the tenure policy, with the South African and Iranian delegations insisting that the report should include additional information (specific listings of staff with their nationalities). The DG countered that his regulatory framework does not allow for such publication of private information, and that the Conference would need to take a formal decision if States Parties wished to have that information published. The two delegations deferred the report, despite the Technical Secretariat's advice that the report would not be changed. ¶5. (SBU) A more detailed wrap-up report on EC-57 will follow as well as separate cables on A) the DG candidates' presentations, B) discussions relating to Iraq, and C) side-bar meetings with the TS and other delegations during the EC. ¶6. (U) BEIK SENDS. FOSTER