GERMANY WELCOMES POINTS ON NPT REVCON AND NSS, BUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 000113

SIPDIS

ISN FOR AMB. BONNIE JENKINS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2020
TAGS: PARM EAID TRIO IAEA NPT AORC CDG ENRG MUNC
PGOV, PREL, UNGA, GM
SUBJECT: GERMANY WELCOMES POINTS ON NPT REVCON AND NSS, BUT
CAUTIONS ON BURDEN OF NON-PROLIFERATION INITIATIVES

REF: STATE 5891

Classified By: Global Affairs Unit Chief Don Brown, for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d)


1. (SBU) German MFA desk officer for nuclear energy Joerg
Polster welcomed Reftel points distinguishing the April
Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) and the May Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference (NPT RevCon).
These points, he said, will be helpful, for example, in
responding to press inquiries about the two meetings.
Polster said he also expects inquiries about the selection
criteria used for the 44 invitees to the NSS.


2. (C) Polster said he was concerned about the burden the
various non-proliferation initiatives are placing on the MFA.
Polster cautioned that the U.S. should be prepared for a
discussion at the G8 ministerial in March regarding how the
various initiatives work together. He said the MFA is
concerned about a proposal to institutionalize the heretofore
loosely-arranged Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism (GICNT),citing the increased administrative burden
of such a move. While the GOG supports the goals of the
various non-proliferation regimes and initiatives (citing a
lengthy list: Megaports, Proliferation Security Initiative
(PSI),GICNT, Global Partnership Working Group (GPWG),
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG),IAEA, etc.),there is a
practical limit, he continued, of how much the GOG can and
will do. The 2011 GOG budget may be even tighter than this
year's, he lamented. Putting a fine point on this, he asked,
rhetorically, if the USG had a dictionary with the word
"cohesive" in it.
DELAWIE