U.S. INAUGURATES WORKING GROUP OF THE UNSC 1540

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000546

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/2019
TAGS: PREL PARM UNSC
SUBJECT: U.S. INAUGURATES WORKING GROUP OF THE UNSC 1540
COMMITTEE

Classified By: Classified By Ambassador Susan E. Rice, reason 1.4 (b) a
nd (d).


1. (C) Summary. The U.S. delegation on May 27 chaired the
first meeting of the 1540 Committee working group on
transparency and media outreach. The meeting represented the
implementation of the working-group structure promoted by the
USG as part of the Committee's eighth Program of Work to
streamline the Committee's structure and improve
accountability. During the informal meeting, the U.S.
offered practical ideas to publicize the work of the
Committee and increase transparency; most delegations
expressed preliminary support or quietly acquiesced to U.S.
recommendations without formally adopting them. The
initiative likely encouraged other working-group chairs
(Austria, France and Mexico) to move forward the agendas for
their working groups. Given the newness of the working-group
structure and questions arising from the first meeting, the
U.S. will seek clarification from the UN Secretariat and the
Chair of the 1540 Committee on decision-making procedures and
organizational hierarchy. End summary.


2. (C) The U.S. delegation on May 27 chaired the first
meeting of the 1540 Committee working group on transparency
and outreach. (Note: The 1540 Committee, as part of its
eighth Program of Work covering the period from February 1,
2009 to January 31, 2010, put in place the following four
working groups to enhance the work of the Committee and
facilitate implementation: monitoring and national
implementation; assistance; cooperation with international
organizations; and transparency and media outreach.
Subsequently, the Chair of the 1540 Committee selected
Mexico, France, Austria and the U.S. as the chairs of the
respective four working groups. End note.) The U.S. chaired
the meeting and offered practical ideas to publicize the work
of the 1540 Committee, such as publicly posting on the
Committee's website a calendar of outreach events and
workshops (the distribution of which is currently limited),
placing the reports and presentations of the Committee's
experts on the website, organizing a press event (in
particular during the lead-up to the comprehensive review),
and expanding outreach to industry and advocacy groups.
Regarding the final point, the U.S. appealed to the experts
of the 1540 Committee to consolidate a list of relevant
industry and advocacy groups with which the Committee could
coordinate.


3. (C) Most delegations expressed preliminary support for the
U.S. recommendations or quietly acquiesced without formally
adopting them. The Libyan delegate said Libya "fully
supports" transparency in the Committee and the publication
of all reports. The Russian delegate offered surprisingly
supportive words for the U.S. initiative and most of the
proposals. Regarding the publication of the Committee
experts' reports and presentations, however, he advised that
publication be on a case-by-case basis since, according to
him, many of the experts' presentations at conferences do not
directly relate to 1540 issues and therefore should not be
endorsed by the Committee. Mexico, as chair of the
monitoring and national implementation workshop, said his
delegation was already preparing the calendar and related
media for the 1540 comprehensive review, the convening of
which is scheduled for the UN General Assembly in autumn

2009. Austria, as chair of the cooperation working group,
said his delegation would soon convene a meeting of its
working group without committing to a timeframe.


4. (C) Following the meeting of the working group, UN
Secretariat officials on the margins recommended that the
Chair of the 1540 Committee, the coordinators of the four
working groups, and UN Department of Disarmament Affairs meet
to discuss how best to structure the working groups and
manage decision-making roles. Although one Secretariat
official praised the U.S. delegation for "doing more in one
day than has been done in two years," he said the inaugural
meeting revealed some procedural questions that need
resolving. One such issue, among other procedural questions,
is the level of authority a working group has compared with
the authority of an official Committee meeting to make final
decisions.
RICE