AUSTRIAN VIEWS ON NPT REVIEW CYCLE

UNCLAS VIENNA 000153 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR ISN/MNSA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC CDG ENRG KNNP MNUC PARM PGOV PREL UNGA IAEA, NPT, AU SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN VIEWS ON NPT REVIEW CYCLE REF: A. STATE 6970 ¶B. VIENNA 118 ¶1. Polchief discussed reftel A points February 9 with Andreas Launer, MFA Unit Chief for IAEA, CTBTO Prep Com, and NPT. Launer said the GOA is encouraged by the emphasis of the new USG on multilateralism and disarmament. Though disarmament and non-proliferation are separate, they are mutually reinforcing. A serious USG effort to promote disarmament will also strengthen the NPT, he said. In a similar vein, Launer said the GOA hopes that under the Obama administration the U.S. will ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT),because any actions strengthening the CTBT would also promote non-proliferation and transparency. The GOA also favors ratification of the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty. ¶2. Launer averred that the 2000 NPT Review Conference was a success because participants agreed on the necessary non-proliferation measures. Since then, however, there has been little progress in carrying out these measures. Any outcomes from the current NPT review cycle that encourage the implementation of the 13 steps agreed to at the 2000 conference would constitute progress, he said. ¶3. Launer maintained that the case of Iran underscores the importance of the Additional Protocol; the IAEA needs to have access to all nuclear-related sites, not just "declared" sites. In the GOA view, the nuclear fuel cycle should ultimately be "multilateralized," by establishing a system in which all enriched uranium worldwide is provided by a number of regional facilities under IAEA supervision. The GOA also believes that all states should be urged to sign the NPT. Though Austria reluctantly accepted the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Initiative, the GOA remains concerned that India is not an NPT signatory, he said. KILNER