UK BACKING OFF "PRINCIPLES" AT MARCH 17-18 NUCLEAR FUEL

UNCLAS UNVIE VIENNA 000083

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR ISN/NESS (CARNANHAN),IO/T, ISN/MNSA
LONDON FOR KAREN BRONSON
DOE FOR NA-243 (GOOREVICH)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC ENRG TRGY KNNP IAEA PARM MNUC
SUBJECT: UK BACKING OFF "PRINCIPLES" AT MARCH 17-18 NUCLEAR FUEL
CYCLE CONFERENCE

REFS: (A) STATE 15931 (B) UNVIE 40
(C) STATE 11843 (PARAS 37-39)


1. (SBU) IAEACouns shared ref a points with British Deputy Head of
Mission Carol Cliff February 23. Cliff confirmed her general
agreement with U.S. reservations about the adoption of a statement
of principles at the March 17-18 London conference "Multilateral
Approaches to the Fuel Cycle." "If asked" issues of deflagging
nuclear material or transfer of enrichment technology did not come
up.


2. (SBU) The following day, Cliff shared with IAEACouns and
counterparts from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan this
informal status report on conference preparations:

-- Responsible officials are realizing that an agreed statement of
principles (and potential referral of same to the IAEA Board) may be
too ambitious.

-- The UK acknowledges the anxiety that there would be efforts to
water down the text and that the conference could lose coherence.

-- The UK does not propose to try to finalize the document before
the conference convenes. Rather, the conference should be
interactive and its outcome shaped by the working sessions.

-- Former IAEA DDG for Safeguards Bruno Pellaud will chair the
day-and-a-half long conference and would issue a Chair's statement
at its conclusion.


3. (U) The UK Mission is trying to schedule during the March 2-6
IAEA Board meeting a lunch-time information event previewing the
conference. Msnoffs will attend. We defer to Embassy London for
latest thinking and updated draft conference program from FCO
organizers.


SCHULTE