DPRK: 1718 COMMITTEE APPROVES AMBITIOUS PROGRAM OF

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000694 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM ETTC MCAP KN UNSC SUBJECT: DPRK: 1718 COMMITTEE APPROVES AMBITIOUS PROGRAM OF WORK ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The DPRK Sanctions Committee has approved and submitted to the Security Council a Program of Work, as was requested from the Committee in resolution 1874. Modeled on similar documents in other sanctions regimes, the Program of Work provides for increased Committee activities with regard to sanctions compliance, investigations, outreach, dialogue, assistance and cooperation. It sets an ambitious agenda for the Committee over the next year. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) On July 15, the Security Council's DPRK Sanctions Committee ("1718 Committee") approved and submitted to the Security Council an ambitious Program of Work (POW) for its activities in the coming year. In resolution 1874, the Security Council requested the Committee develop this document by July 15. (NOTE: Resolution 1874 tasked the Committee to "intensify its efforts to promote the full implementation" of relevant resolutions through a "work program covering compliance, investigations, outreach, dialogue, assistance and cooperation." END NOTE.) The 1718 Committee negotiated this document in parallel with its work on other taskings contained in resolution 1874, namely new sanctions designations and establishing a UN Panel of Experts (POE) to help monitor sanctions implementation. ¶3. (SBU) The 1718 Committee's POW (emailed to Department) proposes new activities for the Committee in two categories: "Compliance and investigations" and "Outreach, dialogue, assistance and cooperation." The Secretariat, which prepared the first draft in consultation with key members including the United States, modeled the POW on similar documents for other sanctions committee and the 1540 Committee. ¶4. (SBU) Under "Compliance and investigations," the final POW envisions that the Committee will: -- Review regularly the reports received from Member States on their implementation of the sanctions; -- Request from Member State additional reporting and clarifications, as needed, on States' sanctions implementation; -- Respond to alleged sanctions violations (e.g., soliciting more information, reminding Member States of their obligations, referring the matter to the Security Council, alerting other Member States of the circumstances of the violation); -- Continue to consider new sanctions designations of goods, entities and individuals; -- Identify and request information from Member State about subsidiaries of listed entities; -- Review reports from Member States to the Committee about intercepted and seized cargo; -- Consider and take action on reports from the newly-established Panel of Experts (POE); -- Prepare guidance on the definition of "small arms and light weapons" (which are exempted from the ban on arms transfers to the DPRK). ¶5. (SBU) Under "Outreach, dialogue, assistance and cooperation," the POW Qisions that the Committee will: -- Prepare handouts for Member States detailing the obligations contained in resolutions 1718 and 1874; -- Make available information regarding the training of DPRK nationals in proliferation-sensitive disciplines; -- Continue to report every ninety days to the Security Council, including with observations and recommendations on the effectiveness of the sanctions; -- Consider country visits by the chair and/or Committee members, in particular to States requesting technical assistance in implementing the sanctions; -- Arrange briefings by the chair for interested Member State and press on any aspects of the Committee's work; -- Invite other Member State, Secretariat staff and international organizations or agencies to meet with the Committee to share information; -- Explore with States and international organizations "lessons learned" in the implementation of resolutions 1718 and 1874; -- Develop, with the assistance of the POE, informal guidance on how to implement the ban on the import of luxury items and provisions of resolution 1874 that apply to the functioning of diplomatic missions in the DPRK; -- Supply upon request information to Member States any available information about the implementation of the sanctions. ¶6. (SBU) During the negotiation of the POW, a few delegations -- often Libya, Russia and Vietnam -- objected to language that they claimed would "exceed the mandate" of the 1718 Committee. For example, these delegations sought to limit the scope of possible country visits by the Committee's chair. Most Committee members, however, particularly the P-3 and Japan, said they believed the final document set an ambitious agenda, which will keep the Committee occupied for months to come and provide new tools and procedures for dealing with the DPRK proliferation threat. RICE