Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09THEHAGUE584
2009-09-28 07:38:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy The Hague
Cable title:  

CWC: UPDATE ON DIRECTOR-GENERAL (DG) SELECTION

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

DE RUEHTC #0584/01 2710738
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 280738Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3301
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
C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 000584 

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: DECL: 09/25/2019
TAGS: PARM PREL OPCW CWC
SUBJECT: CWC: UPDATE ON DIRECTOR-GENERAL (DG) SELECTION

REF: A. THE HAGUE 566

B. THE HAGUE 518

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

This is CWC-56-09

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 000584

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: DECL: 09/25/2019
TAGS: PARM PREL OPCW CWC
SUBJECT: CWC: UPDATE ON DIRECTOR-GENERAL (DG) SELECTION

REF: A. THE HAGUE 566

B. THE HAGUE 518

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

This is CWC-56-09

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


1. (SBU) Dr. Robert Mikulak, ISN/CB Director and
U.S. Representative to the Executive Council (EC),
visited The Hague September 24 to consult with key
delegations on the selection of a new Director-
General (DG) for the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Accompanied by Delreps, Mikulak met with Ambassador
Jorge Lomonaco (Mexico),the EC Chairperson;
Ambassador Manbir Singh of India; Delegate Chen Kai
of China; Ambassador Kirill Gevorgian of Russia;
Ambassador Chaudhry of Pakistan; and Ambassador
Martabit of Chile. Prior to Mikulak's visit,
Delrep Beik called on the Korean and Sri Lankan
Ambassadors to discuss the same issue. The DG race
appears to be narrowing to three major candidates,
with the first straw poll likely the week of
September 29.


2. (U) Other consultations were held during the
week on Articles VII, X and the Budget and will be
reported septel.

--------------
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CHAIRPERSON
--------------


3. (C) During Mikulak's short visit to The Hague
September 24, he and Delrep met with EC Chairperson
Jorge Lomonaco (Mexico) to discuss progress on his
consultations and "confessional meetings" on the
choice of the Director-General. As he has told
everyone who asks, Lomonaco described his first
round of consultations as completed, with "clear
and consistent trends" across all of the regional
groups. Only two countries did not respond to his
calls, and "very few" expressed no preferences.
Most appear to have some flexibility in their
choices, and there was no "north/south" divide.
Lomonaco takes all of those as good signs that
consensus in the Council may well be possible. He
has already spoken to the candidates with less
support. However, he is not confident that any of

them will withdraw voluntarily.


4. (C) Lomonaco has called for an informal meeting
September 29 to report to everyone what he has done
and to answer questions. If there are still no
withdrawals from the race, he will hold a straw
poll on October 2 following the EC consultation on
the agenda. He will ask delegations to rank order
all seven candidates and weigh each selection so
that the results will show a broad range of
support. Only EC members will vote, but non-EC
member states will be permitted to observe.
Lomonaco expects from what delegations have told
him -- which, he acknowledged might not be how they
would vote in a secret ballot -- that three
candidates would emerge in close competition at the
top with a large gap between those three and the
other four. (Del comment: We believe the top
three are the same as the U.S. top choices. End
comment.)


5. (C) There are lots of rumors flying about what
happens if the EC fails to agree on a candidate by
the end of the session (October 16),Lomonaco said;
however, he refuses to discuss his Plan B. He told
Mikulak that it would be irresponsible for him not
to be planning for contingencies, but he has no
intention of letting this choice go to the
Conference of States Parties. One message he
intends to give delegations next week is that
success in this enterprise cannot be measured by
having a DG; rather, the shape of the Council --
the EC doing its job -- is the measure of success.


6. (C) On other EC issues, Lomonaco said the U.S.
90-day report is likely to generate a lot of
discussion for publishing the projected dates
beyond 2012 for the first time. He has asked Vice
Chairman Lohman to chair a discussion of the EC
visit report; he (Lomonaco) will attend but not
chair and he hopes that the South African and
Indian delegates who were part of the group and
drafted the report will defend it from attacks by
Iran or others. Delrep inquired about the Libyan
request for an extension of their destruction
deadline. Lomonaco noted ironically that Libya has
taken a page from the U.S. presentations and asked
in return whether the U.S. will block the
extension. Mikulak said we would not block
consensus but we do have concerns over the lack of
progress and lack of transparency by Libya. On
the budget, Lomonaco does not see major obstacles;
he has put the Chinese and Indian delegations on
notice to resolve their differences over the number
of industry inspections and not to let others
(Iran) take cover behind them.

--------------
INDIAN AMBASSADOR
--------------


7. (C) Mikulak and Delrep met with Indian
Ambassador Manbir Singh on September 24. Singh
stated that he was pleased with the consultations
and the number of good candidates; however, the
"field is crowded." He claimed not to know where
the Asian candidate (Sudjanan of Indonesia) stands,
and had heard that the other NAM candidate (Dani of
Algeria) had "not been so competent" in the chair
(of the Second Review Conference). The strongest
candidates, in his estimation, are the UK and
German candidates, with his preference going with
Freeman (UK) for continuity. Some ambassadors had
remarked on Freeman's "sharp edges" but were
appreciative of his work on behalf of the
Organization. Mikulak noted the three strong
candidates under consideration by the U.S. Singh
noted wryly that "reducing the field would help
us."


8. (C) In addition to the DG selection, Mikulak and
Singh discussed budget issues, including the number
of industry inspections. Singh explained that
India supports a strong verification regime,
particularly in its "difficult neighborhood," but
that the chemical industries mount a strong lobby
against additional inspections. Mikulak described
how U.S. relations with private industry had built
up over the years, with industry increasingly
supportive of the inspection regime. He also noted
the large number of other chemical production
facilities (OCPFs) and the need to better identify
the small number of facilities that are of interest
under the Convention. Singh responded that U.S.
proposals on industry will carry more weight when
it makes progress on destruction, and that India
and others still regard the destruction of chemical
Qand others still regard the destruction of chemical
weapons as the first and foremost goal of the
Convention.


9. (C) Singh said Iran has grave concerns about the
deadlines and had been meeting with some countries
to discuss the issue. The Iranians have called for
discussion of the report of the EC visit to the
U.S. However, the group has defended the report as
a factual account of their visit. In an
interesting aside, Singh said he was puzzled by the
repeated Iranian objections to "noting" reports and
had looked up the word in the Farsi translations
(Singh previously served in Tehran); it does not
carry a meaning different from the English and does
not connote approval. However, the Iranian
culture, he said, sees someone taking notes as
submissive to the person giving the notes (like a
student to his teacher) and thus the Iranian
delegation is regarded as weak for "noting"
reports. Singh did not offer a solution to this
cultural divide that has slowed so many Council
sessions to a standstill.

--------------
MEETING WITH THE CHINESE DELEGATION
--------------


10. (C) Mikulak and Delreps met with Chinese
Delegates Chen Kai, Li Dong and Xiong Shuilong on
September 24. Chen Kai did not reveal China's
preferences for the DG candidates, saying most
delegations have not yet made a choice. He
emphasized the importance of personalities, skills
and experience for the job and said three
candidates are mentioned more often than others on
these factors. The Asian candidate (Ambassador
Sudjanan of Indonesia) has some support, but Chen
said there is no group candidate.


11. (SBU) On the budget, Chen noted China's
objection to the numbers of inspections at other
chemical production facilities (OCPFs),and said
China does not want a "repeat of last year." The
increase is small, he said, but still an increase,
and he cited China's interpretation of the CSP
budget decision in 2008 as agreement not to
increase the numbers of inspections while
consultations on the selection process have not
come to resolution. Mikulak responded that the
large number of OCPFs and the range among them
indicate the need to find the facilities that pose
the greatest risk, but that did not mean that we
can wait for a perfect political solution. Chen
stated that China's concern is "not a burden issue"
as China is close to the cap for inspections
already, but is based on principle.


12. (C) Chen then raised the U.S. 90-day report and
its projected dates for the completion of
destruction beyond the 2012 deadline. He said it
will raise discussion in the Council. Li Dong
asked about Libya's request for a deadline
extension. Delrep replied that the U.S. is
concerned about Libyan delays, but that we would
likely raise our questions privately with Libya
rather than in the Council. Chen expressed concern
over the "trend" to extend deadlines following U.S.
admission of dates beyond the final deadline.

--------------
OTHER ASIAN VIEWS
--------------


13. (C) Mikulak and Delrep met Pakistani Ambassador
Ahmad Chaudhry and Delegate Kehkeshan Azar on
September 24. Chaudhry attributed Lomonaco's
support amongst EC members for managing the DG
selection process to the roadmap he presented at
the July EC session. He said that before the July
EC there were big differences on procedure;
however, Chaudhry described the roadmap as a
genuine attempt to find consensus and said that
Qgenuine attempt to find consensus and said that
Lomonaco's continued integrity and sincerity are
key to the process running smoothly. Chaudhry
opined that Lomonaco should start using straw polls
quickly to augment his "soundings," ensuring the
confidentiality of and confidence in such polls.
He suggested that a candidate could "do the maths"
to see if they might have more support in the CSP
and try to take any final decision beyond the EC.
Mikulak stressed that the EC must not be
circumvented and that it must recommend one
candidate to the CSP. Chaudhry was skeptical that
the EC will be able to reach a decision by the end
of its upcoming October session.


14. (C) Turning to the candidates, Chaudhry said
the field is divided between front-runners and
others; he referred to Uzumcu, Freeman and Gottwald
as the front-runners and all enjoying a great deal
of support. Pakistan is very committed to the CWC
and the OPCW and, as such, wants the most competent
candidate to be the next DG. Chaudhry said his
sense is that more and more countries share
Pakistan's thinking on the issue. While some
countries are making overtures of reciprocal
agreements in exchange for support of their
candidate, Chaudhry stated that Pakistan will not
enter in to any such "reciprocals."


15. (C) Before Mikulak's visit, Delrep called on
South Korean Ambassador Young-won Kim on September
21 to discuss the DG selection. Kim noted that
Asia has no group candidate and that each EC state
will decide on its own. Korea has not yet made a
selection, and Kim asked how the U.S. would advise
them. Delrep responded that the U.S. does not yet
have a single preference but is considering
carefully three candidates (Freeman/UK,
Gottwald/Germany, and Uzumcu/Turkey). Kim stated
that Freeman is certainly the best candidate for
continuity, but noted that Turkey is strongly
supporting Uzumcu and that he appeared very well
prepared. Delrep noted the importance of consensus
in the Council, if at all possible, to avoid
choosing a candidate weakened by a protracted and
public battle as had happened in the IAEA.


16. (C) Delrep called on Sri Lankan Ambassador
Grace Asirwatham on September 22. Asirwatham
stated that Sri Lanka's top three DG candidates
were the same as those of the U.S. and that her
government had not yet made a first choice. She
emphasized the importance of personal leadership
qualities and the choice of the best possible
candidate. Delrep asked about the Ambassador's
statements earlier in the year supporting a
regional rotation of the DG position. Asirwatham
said it is important to have candidates from all
regions eligible, and that the position should
rotate among regions, but not in a fixed rotation.
She said the Asian group will all decide on a
national basis, as will the Non-Aligned Movement.
"We are not meeting in NAM to discuss a common
choice," she said. She noted that some of the
African ambassadors are ready to support someone
other than Ambassador Dani (Algeria) in a secret
straw poll, despite his endorsement from the
African Union. By her account, Asirwatham appears
to have a central role in her government's decision
and is basing her recommendation largely on the
candidates' presentations at the July EC.


17. (C) On other EC issues, Asirwatham described
the meeting of Ambassadors of the Asian group last
week to discuss the Asian seats on the Council.
Qweek to discuss the Asian seats on the Council.
There are five states interested but only four
seats available. Iraq, she said, gave a good
presentation and has a lot of support from the
group. She said Iran was struggling to justify its
continuing presence on the Council, as several
countries feel it uses its vice chair for national
purposes rather than representing the group. Iraq
is in discussion with Qatar, and the group hopes
they can work out a sub-regional rotation.
--------------
RUSSIAN VIEWS
--------------


18. (C) Mikulak and Delreps met with Russian
Ambassador Kirill Gevorgian and Delegates
Konstantin Gavrilov and Vladimir Ladanov on
September 24. While Gevorgian was supposed to
finish his term and return to Moscow during the
summer, he confided that his successor is awaiting
agreement from the Dutch government so Gevorgian
plans to stay through the October EC session.
Gevorgian said that there is no reason for any
candidate to drop out of the DG race until the
first straw poll, at the earliest. He asked who
the U.S. pick is; Mikulak told him the top three,
stressing that there is no preference amongst them,
despite Gavrilov reiterating his previous joke that
Freeman is obviously the U.S. preference given the
U.S.-UK "special relationship." Gevorgian said
that he had met personally with all seven
candidates and expressed his view that all of them
are strong, including the Indonesian, but he
admitted that Dani -- while being a personal friend
-- was weakened by his poor performance during the
Second Review Conference.


19. (C) Moscow has not made a clear choice yet,
according to Gevorgian, though he noted that Deputy
Foreign Minister Ryabkov -- who will be influential
in making Russia's choice -- served in Washington
with Gottwald. Gevorgian stressed that the U.S.
and Russia need to "find a common solution." He
also raised the issue of the OPCW's senior
management, noting that its composition will be
affected by the next DG. Gevorgian even asked what
WEOG would do if Gottwald were selected DG and
Freeman remained as DDG; Mikulak ruled out the
possibility of the DG and DDG both coming from
WEOG, noting that the U.S. continues to support
maintain the balance between developed and
developing countries. Mikulak also said that the
U.S. and Russia both need to keep their senior
management positions.


20. (C) Mikulak stated that the objective is to
reach consensus by the end of the EC session in
October, but Gevorgian skeptically noted that the
Organization's traditional mode of operating is to
go until the last minute, which in this case he
said is the CSP in December. Gevorgian said that
the NAM seemed intent on pushing for the CSP to
make the final decision; Mikulak responded that the
EC must make a recommendation and dismissed the NAM
position as no longer relevant, having been an
initial reaction to their fear of the process.


21. (C) Turning to other issues, Mikulak said that
the budget does not seem problematic aside from the
number of industry inspections. Gavrilov responded
that, based on a meeting with the Chinese
delegation the previous day, China might accept an
additional one or two OCPF inspections instead of
the additional three inspections proposed.
Gavrilov also noted South Africa's strong
opposition to the use of SSA (contract) inspectors
and suggested that it might pose a problem to
reaching agreement on the budget. On continued
verification of converted former CW production
facilities, Gavrilov said the Russian delegation
will defer the issue to EC-59 in February 2010.
Qwill defer the issue to EC-59 in February 2010.


22. (C) Mikulak asked about progress in meeting
Russia's 45% destruction target by the end of the
year; Gavrilov responded that destruction is on
track to meet the target, though Gevorgian admitted
that it will be tight. According to Gavrilov, the
destruction facility at Pochep is on schedule to
start operation by the end of the year and
construction at Kizner also is on schedule.

--------------
CHILE AND GRULAC
--------------


23. (C) Mikulak and Delrep met Chilean Ambassador
Juan Martabit on September 24. Martabit said that
while the rules are clear and straightforward,
there is no clear sense of when the "midnight hour"
is that the EC must act, so the selection process
will be a long one extending beyond the upcoming
October EC session, and possibly beyond the next
few EC sessions. Referring to the recent election
of the new DG at UNESCO, Martabit said he fully
expects a similar surprise at the OPCW and
suggested that things could change at the last
minute, including the possibility of a GRULAC
candidate popping up. The selection process will
be very difficult, Martabit believes, and strange
alliances could emerge due to the importance
countries place on having their candidate chosen.
Mikulak named the U.S.'s top three candidates, and
while Martabit agreed personally that they are the
front-runners and would each be a good DG, he was
clear that Chile does not have an official position
yet. He noted that no candidate has clear support
from any group and suggested that the "top actors"
need to figure out amongst themselves who to
support in order to narrow the field. As for
GRULAC, Martabit said that aside from one or two
more "militant" NAM members who are automatically
supporting NAM candidates, the group is waiting for
the outcome of Lomonaco's consultations and to see
how things go during the EC.


24. (U) BEIK SENDS.

LEVIN