DPRK: RUSSIA/CHINA LACK FULL INSTRUCTIONS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000412


E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2019
TAGS: KN PHUM ETTC MCAP

SUBJECT: DPRK: RUSSIA/CHINA LACK FULL INSTRUCTIONS ON
DESIGNATIONS

REF: USUN 407

Classified By: Amb. Alex Wolff for Reasons 1.4 (B),(D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: On April 21, the UN Security Council's DPRK
Sanctions Committee was largely unable to discuss proposals
for new designations because some key delegations (namely,
Russia and China) lacked complete instructions from their
capitals. The Russian delegate supported one element of the
U.S. proposal (updating a technical annex) and suggested that
the Committee call for vigilance on -- as opposed to a ban of
-- the U.S. proposed technical goods as an interim measure;
he said had no guidance on the entities. The Chinese
delegate said he lacked any instructions. Libya, Vietnam,
Uganda and Austria also said they were without instructions
and could not agree to the proposals. Mexico and Costa Rica
said they "agreed in principle", but that their final
position might be contingent on further Committee
deliberations. Other Committee members (France, UK, Croatia,
Burkina Faso, Turkey and Japan) all indicated support for the
proposals. The Committee will meet again at 11:30 a.m. on
Wednesday April 22.
END SUMMARY.


2. (C) On April 21, the UN Security Council's DPRK Sanctions
Committee ("1718 Committee") met to review proposals for the
designation of new goods and entities. (NOTE: In response to
the DPRK's recent missile launch, the Security Council
adopted Presidential Statement on April 13 directing the
Committee to make such designations by April 24. Per UNSCR
1718, the DPRK Sanctions Committee has a mandate to designate
entities linked to the DPRK's proscribed WMD and missile
program, which will then be subject to an asset freeze. The
Committee also may identify specific technical goods that
States will be prohibited from transfer to or from the DPRK.
END NOTE). Turkish Perm Rep Ilkin, Committee chair, focused
the Committee's attention on a U.S. proposal (designate seven
technical items, update the Missile Technology Control Regime
annex in UNSCR 1718, designate eleven entities),a UK
proposal (designate a certain kind of tungsten),and a
Japanese proposal (designate three entities).


3. (C) The Russian delegate said he had incomplete
instructions from capital. He reaffirmed, however, that
Moscow supported updating the MTCR Annex. On the U.S./UK
proposals for designating new technical items, he suggested
that perhaps the Committee could as an interim measure issue
a "call for vigilance" (as oppose to a ban) on these items,
while the Committee continued its discussions on these items
after April 24. The Chinese delegate explained that he did
not yet have instructions from capital, but believed he would
receive such instructions soon.


4. (C) Delegates from Libya, Vietnam, Uganda and Austria
also said they did not have instructions and could not at
this stage agree to the proposals. The delegates from Mexico
and Costa Rica said their capitals "agreed in principle" with
the proposals, but that their final position might be
contingent on further Committee deliberations. The other
Committee members (France, UK, Croatia, Burkina Faso, Turkey
and Japan) indicated that they could support the proposals on
the table.


5. (C) Noting the looming April 24 deadline, the chair urged
all Committee members to press for full instructions from
their capitals as soon as possible. The Chair proposed
reconvening at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday April 22 to continue
discussions. After the meeting, the U.S., UK, French and
Japanese delegates reminded their Russian and Chinese
counterparts of the urgent need to start a substantive
discussion on the proposals at the next meeting.
Rice


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