Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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09UNVIEVIENNA436 | 2009-09-22 16:05:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | UNVIE |
1. (SBU) SUMMARY. An interagency delegation from Washington met with officials from the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) of the Preparatory Commission (PrepCom) for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in Vienna to discuss prospective funding issues and PTS priorities. PTS Executive Secretary Tibor Toth, estimated the PTS would need 85 million dollars in extrabudgetary support through 2013. In the event that additional U.S. funding becomes available for the PTS, the U.S. delegation requested the PTS provide a prioritized list of projects or areas in which supplementary funding is needed or would be helpful to CTBTO operations. During two days of meetings, the PTS's three technical divisions briefed the U.S. delegation on areas in which additional U.S. funding could improve the PTS's operational capabilities. A common theme among the three divisions was the need for Cost Free Experts (CFE), an area where the U.S. is uniquely suited to provide support. The OSI Division was widely recognized as needing the most support, and the OSI Division Director cautioned that we and the CTBTO need to be careful in describing the OSI Division as "ready" for entry-into-force, especially if EIF is sooner rather than later. The delegation was also able to meet with the newly installed Chief of the Legal and External Affairs Division and the Procurement Division who emphasized that the May 2010 Review Conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty will be the "litmus test" to see what progress is possible in convincing Middle East states to ratify the CTBT and gaining cooperation on nuclear issues in general. END SUMMARY 2. (SBU) UNVIE Mission Counselor opened the meeting by stating that the U.S. sees this meeting as the beginning of a conversation, not the final meeting on these topics. He made very clear that the U.S. goal was to gather information on PTS priorities and hear what the PTS believes is needed, but that the U.S. is not in a position to promise any additional monetary support or assistance at this time. Further, the delegation warned the PTS that the U.S. is unlikely to ratify the CTBT before the May 2010 Review Conference for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; and that there are a number of issues that need to be addressed before attempting ratification. PTS Executive Secretary Ambassador Tibor Toth thanked the delegation for initiating the meeting, but warned that the PTS combines technical and political issues, so messages are important. The messages coming from the new U.S. administration are "inspiring," and everyone is listening carefully, so the statements that the U.S. makes on CTBT ratification efforts will have an effect on others. Ambassador Toth reminded the delegation of the progress the PTS has made since 2000, with the number of certified monitoring stations increasing from zero to almost 250 today, and made a point of highlighting and thanking the U.S. for having 90% of its stations certified ) the highest of any nuclear weapons state and among the highest percentage overall. However, he continued by noting that the easy parts are over, and where we are going are the "challenges" of making sure ratifications are secured. 3. (SBU) Turning to funding issues, Ambassador Toth told the delegation that there is a "limit to being able to skirt the budgeting rules," but that they must be cognizant of the international economic situation and not expect too much additional support. Even with all payments, he said it is clear that the PTS needs a "force multiplier" in the form of experts, cooperation, equipment, expertise, etc., not just from the U.S. but from others. For example, the European Union has been providing some support, but the level is low. The PTS has estimated that it needs 85 million dollars in extrabudgetary support through 2013. For the purposes of this meeting, the PTS used the 2009-2013 Medium Term Plan and a priority list of "must-do" activities to determine areas that would benefit from additional U.S. resources. Ambassador Toth ended the initial session by reminding the U.S. delegation of the need for the U.S., among others, to pay its arrears, not just as a financial obligation, but as a political commitment. TECHNICAL DIVISION WISH LIST -------------------------- 4. (SBU) The delegation met separately with the three technical divisions of the PTS ) the International Monitoring System (IMS) Division, the International Data Centre (IDC) Division, and the On-Site Inspection (OSI) Division. Each Division presented the delegation with a list of projects, activities, and needs that would benefit from additional U.S. financial support. The U.S. delegation asked that each Division rank each list in priority order, and provide information on the current situation and how additional funding would help improve each area. A common theme among the three divisions was the need for Cost Free Experts (CFE), an area where the U.S. is uniquely suited to provide support. The three divisions identified a total of more than twenty-five areas that could benefit from U.S. expertise. The requests were provided to the delegation in hard copy. 5. (SBU) The IMS Division provided the delegation with eight projects that are viewed as needing either U.S. financial assistance or CFEs. These projects included: noble gas station maintenance and support for existing stations (250,000 dollars annually, plus one CFE); logistics support (one CFE); additional U.S. funding for auxiliary seismic stations that have a relationship with the United States Geological Survey, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, or the International Deployment of Accelerometers network (1,000,000 dollars initially; 250,000 dollars annually; and the equivalent of one-quarter of a CFE); major repairs and equipment replacement (five million dollars over five years); technology development (21 million dollars over 5-10 years); development of an off-site disaster recovery solutions for the PTS (5 million dollars); funding for the additional IMS stations that have yet to begin construction (various costs); and funding to install additional noble gas detection systems as Cooperative National Facilities (1 million dollars per station plus 3 CFEs). Most of these projects are long-term IMS development priorities that will support and improve the ability of the CTBTO to monitor for nuclear tests. 6. (SBU) The IDC Division had a number of areas that could benefit from CFEs, including in areas of capacity building for personnel training for National Data Centres, a radionuclide spectra analyst, a software testing expert, a software documentation expert, and 10 data analysts that could assist in data mining and support of data collection. Most of these positions were indicated to be one year positions, focused on radionuclide spectra analysis and training for permanent CTBTO experts. No cost estimate was given for the CFEs. 7. (C) The OSI Division was widely recognized as needing the most support, and the Director cautioned that we and the CTBTO need to be careful in describing the OSI Division as "ready" for entry-into-force, especially if EIF is sooner rather than later. This division identified 9 CFE positions: a radionuclide expert, a multispectral imagery export, a geophysicist, a health and radiation safety officer, a logistics expert, a contracting and services expert, two training officials and an operations analyst. The OSI Division also provided a list of items that are necessary for a full set of equipment. The OSI Division estimates that in order to meet its 2013 readiness goals, some 10 million extrabudgetary dollars worth of equipment is necessary. In addition, the OSI Division intends to host a second Integrated Field Exercise to test the On-Site Inspection team abilities; they estimate that an additional six million dollars will be necessary to fund this exercise. The OSI Director was quite frank about the needs of the Division, and the fact that the Division is lagging behind the two technical Divisions in terms of readiness. He also emphasized that what is needed are true experts, and most of these can come only from the P-5 states. 8. (C) The On-Site Inspection Division Director, a Russian, stepped out of his role as CTBTO employee and stated that he was "putting on his P-5" hat to discuss the CTBT in general. He said he had been at the negotiating table in Geneva during the initial negotiations of the CTBT, and thinks that cooperation and coordination among the P-5 is necessary in order to achieve EIF. We need similar ideas of what to do specifically in an OSI situation, and also need an agreed-upon activities-not-prohibited list that may need to be updated and discussed among Russia, China, and the U.S. CTBT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE 2010 NPT REVCON -------------------------- 9. (SBU) The delegation also met with the external relations branch and with a broader section of the secretariat after meeting with the technical divisions. These branches drove home the point that the May 2010 Review Conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty will be the "litmus test" to see what progress is possible in convincing Middle East states to ratify the CTBT and gaining cooperation on nuclear issues in general. They also warned the delegation that if North Korea was the last country to sign and ratify the CTBT, it may empower the DPRK so the issue should be dealt with as part of a nuclear package. This could also be true for Iran. In parting, all in attendance thanked the U.S. delegation for their support and attention, and emphasized again the importance of the NPT Review Conference. The U.S. delegation again stated that there is no guarantee of any additional support, but that we will study their requests carefully and follow up with the CTBTO. 10. (SBU) Participants: U.S.: - Robert Blum (DOS/ISN) - Theodore Bowyer (DOE/PNNL) - Michael Elbert (OSD/ATSD) - Whitney Raas (DOS/VCI) - Eric Sandberg (UNVIE) - Michele Smith (DOE/NNSA) PTS: - Ambassador Tibor Toth, Executive Secretary - Genxin Li, Director, Legal and External Relations Division - Boris Kvok, Director, On-Site Inspection Division - Federico Guendel, Director, International Monitoring System Division - John Coyne, Acting Director, International Data Centre Division DAVIES |