AUSTRALIAN SHERPA LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING

C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000078 SIPDIS NOFORN STATE FOR AMBASSADOR BONNIE JENKINS NSC FOR LAURA HOLGATE AND JOYCE CONNERY E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/28/2020 TAGS: PARM EAID TBIO IAEA NPT AORC CDG ENRG MNUC PGOV, PREL, UNGA SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN SHERPA LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING REF: SECSTATE 7493 Classified By: Pol/Econ Counselor Edgard D. Kagan for reasons 1.4(b)(d) ¶1. (C/NF) SUMMARY: Australia will take part in the Nuclear Security Summit's third Sherpa meeting in The Hague. The Australian Sherpa expressed concerns over French objections to the discussion of MOX fuel and Non-Aligned Movement criticism of the Nuclear Security Summit. Australia hopes that a draft communique and work plan will be circulated before the conference. END SUMMARY. Three to Attend -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Australia plans to attend the upcoming Sherpa meeting in The Hague. Sherpa John Carlson and sous-Sherpa Stephan Bayer, both of the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office, will represent Australia at the meeting. Carlson also plans to arrange for a representative from the Australian Embassy in The Hague to attend, but has yet to decide on who this person will be. The reftel demarche was delivered jointly with Eric Strating, Deputy Chief of Mission from the Embassy of the Netherlands. Concerns about French, NAM -------------- ¶3. (C/NF) Carlson is looking forward to the meeting after what he considered a successful meeting in Tokyo. Carlson joked about his presentation at the Tokyo meeting, during which he became a target of harsh criticism from the Chinese, Egyptian, French and other delegations. As Carlson sees it, one of the keys to the upcoming conference will be finding a way around French objections to the discussion of plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuels (MOX fuel). ¶4. (C/NF) Bayer and Carlson are both concerned about a recent meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in New York. They has heard that the meeting was critical of the Nuclear Security Summit, but did not have any information about the nature of these complaints. Hoping for a Draft -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Carlson is eager to see a draft communique or work plan in advance of the conference and inquired as to whether or not one would be circulated. BLEICH