Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09UNVIEVIENNA370
2009-08-04 13:28:00
CONFIDENTIAL
UNVIE
Cable title:  

IAEA FLIRTS WITH TECHNICAL COOPERATION ENGAGEMENT

Tags:  ENRG IAEA ETTC KNNP MNUC PARM TRGY CU BEXP 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0004
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUNV #0370/01 2161328
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 041328Z AUG 09
FM USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9911
INFO RUEANFA/NRC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEBAAA/DOE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA PRIORITY 0045
C O N F I D E N T I A L UNVIE VIENNA 000370 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/04/2034
TAGS: ENRG IAEA ETTC KNNP MNUC PARM TRGY CU BEXP
SUBJECT: IAEA FLIRTS WITH TECHNICAL COOPERATION ENGAGEMENT
WITH CUBA

Classified By: Charge D'Affaires Geoffrey Pyatt for reasons 1.4 b
and d

-------
Summary
-------
C O N F I D E N T I A L UNVIE VIENNA 000370

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/04/2034
TAGS: ENRG IAEA ETTC KNNP MNUC PARM TRGY CU BEXP
SUBJECT: IAEA FLIRTS WITH TECHNICAL COOPERATION ENGAGEMENT
WITH CUBA

Classified By: Charge D'Affaires Geoffrey Pyatt for reasons 1.4 b
and d

--------------
Summary
--------------

1. (C) As a result of a prior conversation with American
and Cuban colleagues, Warren Stern, the head of the IAEA
Incident and Emergency Center, believes the opportunity
exists for U.S./Cuba collaboration on research in cytogenetic
biodosimetry, a technique used to determine radiation
exposure. In a July 21 meeting with msnoff, Stern suggested
this joint work could take the form of exercises, a
comparison test, or a cooperative information sharing
network. Unless Department sees advantage in this
initiative, mission will continue to discourage IAEA programs
with a U.S./Cuba focus. (Note: Radolfo Suarez, a Cuban IAEA
staffer, was invited to July 21 by Stern to the meeting with
msnoff, but did not attend. End Note.)

--------------
A Proposed Framework
--------------

2. (C) During a recent IAEA Response Assistance Network
(RANET) meeting, IAEA Incident and Emergency Center (IEC)
chief Warren Stern (amcit) mentioned that Cuban and U.S.
representatives were discussing their individual emergency
response programs with him. The IAEA believes that U.S. and
Cuba could both benefit from collaboration on cytogenetic
biodosimetry (CBD),a method of determining exposure to
radiation. Noting the what he perceived as a recent thaw in
U.S./Cuba relations, Stern suggested that CBD could provide
an opportunity to cooperate on an anti-terrorism project
without causing proliferation risks.


3. (C) The primary U.S. practitioner of CBD is the
Department of Energy's Radiation Emergency Assistance
Center/Training Site (REAC/TS),a part of the Oak Ridge
Institute for Science and Education. In Cuba, the Radiation
Protection Center, or Centro de Proteccion e Higiene de las
Radiaciones (CPHR),works with CBD. Stern believes that
Cuba's CBD capabilities are good and suggested that the U.S.
would also benefit from cooperation. Cuba plans to register
its emergency response capabilities with RANET in the near
future. RANET will allow IAEA to marshal emergency response
equipment rapidly in the event of a radiological emergency.
Cuba is also participating in a regional biodosimetry
shipping exercise which will likely occur by the end of the
year.


4. (C) Stern argued there are at least five avenues for a
collaborative relationship between REAC/TS and CPHR:
--- Technical assistance for dose determination in case of
person and/or large groups of population exposed.
--- Technical assistance on Quality Management program for
cytogenetic dosimetry.
--- Organization of joint intercomparison exercise.
--- Creation of Pan American network on Biological
Dosimetry. This network would include U.S., Canada, and the
Latin-American Network on Biological Dosimetry (LBDNET).
--- Organization of joint emergency response exercises
involving LBDNET, U.S. and Canada. Stern offered to host
these activities under IAEA auspices, citing the agency's
goal of creating regional networks such as these. The
projects could be managed by the Technical Cooperation
department.

--------------
Room for mutual learning
--------------


5. (SBU) REAC/TS, the primary U.S. CBD laboratory,
re-opened within the past year. The only other CBD facility
in the U.S. is the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research
Institute (AFRRI),a Department of Defense Laboratory. AFRRI
strictly focuses on military applications of CBD. Stern said
the IEC sends CBD work to France and Argentina.

--------------
Comment
--------------


6. (C) While the IAEA may see opportunities for
collaboration between the U.S. and Cuba in this area, we
expect the nature of Cuban-American relations do not allow
for such as step at this time. Mission recommends continued
engagement in multilateral fora such as future RANET
meetings. Mission also believes that until Congress reverses
a long standing statutory requirement to withhold U.S.
funding for Technical Cooperation projects involving Cuba,
any overt U.S. cooperation with Cuba with the Agency as the

middleman is not prudent. We will seek opportunities to
underline this cautionary note to Stern and his team.
PYATT