AMB RICE'S JUNE 29 MEETING WITH CHAIR OF NPT

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000640

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2019
TAGS: AORC KNNP MNUC PARM PREL UNGA NPT IAEA
SUBJECT: AMB RICE'S JUNE 29 MEETING WITH CHAIR OF NPT
PREPCOM

REF: A. STATE 44744

B. STATE 52964

C. STATE 54790

Classified By: Ambassador Susan E. Rice for reasons 1.4(b)
and (d)


1. (C) Ambassador Rice met with Zimbabwean PermRep
Chidyausiku on June 29 to discuss his work as chair of the
NPT Preparatory Committee (PrepCom). Chidyausiku said the
U.S. had been very helpful during last month's PrepCom
meeting. In response to the Ambassador's question as to what
more the U.S. could do to help ensure a successful 2010
Review Conference, Chidyausiku said that U.S. progress on the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty would send a positive message,
maintaining a balance between non-proliferation and
disarmament was important, and progress in the U.S.-Russian
bilateral discussions would go a long way towards showing
that disarmament as well as non-proliferation is a priority
for the U.S.


2. (C) Chidyausiku said that the Chinese had been very
"uptight" during the PrepCom discussions of the Fissile
Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT). He said China argued that the
U.S. and Russia both currently have more fissile material
than China does, and so China doesn't want to agree to a
cutoff now as that would constrain them and put them at a
disadvantage. Chidyausiku was uncertain as to whether or not
the Chinese would try to block any proposals about the FMCT,
and noted that as an area to work on together. He said that
the non-nuclear weapon states were reluctant to agree to
additional protocols to the NPT until they saw some progress
on disarmament, since they feel the nuclear weapon states are
more interested in nonproliferation than disarmament. The
Ambassador pressed him on why it needs to be set up as an
"either/or" situation, to which Chidyausiku replied that the
developing countries are unhappy with a variety of actions
related to nonproliferation. He cited the U.S.-India
peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement, arguing that the IAEA
has no access to India and that commercial interests drove
that deal, and said that agreement and subsequent French
interest in working with the Pakistanis send a bad message.
He characterized it as an issue of trust, saying that the
non-nuclear weapon states need to see a genuine desire for
disarmament on the part of the nuclear states, and urged the
U.S. to engage in a dialogue with the Non-Aligned Movement on
this. The Ambassador emphasized that the U.S. is working on
these two issues in parallel.


3. (C) Progress on implementing the 1995 resolution on the
Middle East would also be helpful, Chidyausiku commented.
Movement on that would help bring along Egypt and Algeria,
which are the most outspoken during these discussions, and
might even help with Syria. Mention of a nuclear-free zone
in the Middle East would be positive, he said, but then added
that the French were not eager to acknowledge a nuclear-free
zone in Central Asia, implying that he was not optimistic
about movement on nuclear-weapons-free zones.


4. (C) Chidyausiku noted that the incoming RevCon president,
Ambassador Libran Nuevas Cabactulan of the Philippines, had
mentioned a desire to hold an event in Manila before the
RevCon. Chidyausiku said he would work closely with
Cabactulan, and that he himself had found the UN Secretariat
to be very helpful and a good source of information and
expertise, and he hoped Cabactulan would continue to take
advantage of the Secretariat.

RICE