CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT (CD)/FMCT: SWISS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERN 000082 SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN/MNSA (W.MENOLD),IO/T, AND EUR/CE; USMISSION GENEVA FOR CD DEL E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2020 TAGS: PARM MNUC KNNP PREL SZ SUBJECT: CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT (CD)/FMCT: SWISS FRUSTRATED BY DELAY AND ARE FAVORABLE TO INFORMAL CONSULTATIONS REF: A. STATE 13698 ¶B. CD GENEVA 4 Classified By: Acting POLE Counselor Chris Buck; reasons 1.4(b) and (d) . ¶1. (U) Poloff delivered reftel A message on February 24 to Andreas Friedrich, Head of the Arms Control and Disarmament Section of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). Friedrich's deputy, Jean-Daniel Praz, joined the meeting. ¶2. (C) Friedrich said that Switzerland is very frustrated by the delay in negotiations on a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT),due to Pakistan's refusal to join consensus on a program of work (POW). Referring to the Pakistani PermRep's February 18 statement to the CD Plenary (reftel B),Friedrich expressed some pessimism that an agreement on a POW can be reached soon. He said that, in the meantime, the Swiss government is favorably disposed to pursuing informal consultations and side activities among CD representatives in Geneva in order to prepare the ground for what they hope will be eventual FMCT negotiations. Friedrich also noted that Switzerland continues to make available Swiss PermRep Juerg Streuli to chair such future negotiations. BEYER