MALAYSIA: JOINT DEMARCHE WITH DUTCH ON NUCLEAR

UNCLAS KUALA LUMPUR 000066 SIPDIS SENSITIVE FOR EAP/MTS, PM, AND ISN FOR BONNIE JENKINS AND SUSAN BURK E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM EAID IAEA NPT AORC MNUC PREL UNGA MY SUBJECT: MALAYSIA: JOINT DEMARCHE WITH DUTCH ON NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT REF: A. STATE 7493 -- NSS: THIRD SHERPA MEETING IN HAGUE ¶B. STATE 5891 -- DIFFERENCES IN NSS AND NPT REVCON ¶1. (SBU) Poloff and Netherlands embassy DCM Soer met with MFA Under Secretary for Non-Proliferation Bala Chandran Tharman on January 27 to discuss the upcoming Sherpa meeting in the Hague for the Nuclear Security Summit(ref A). U/S Bala, who is the Sous Sherpa for the GOM's delegation, acknowledged the GOM's intention to send a delegation of three people and noted that they had already registered the first two for the Hague meeting. In addition to the Sherpa and Sous Sherpa, the GOM intended to send a technical expert to the meetings, but he/she has not yet been identified. Bala expressed optimism about the progress made in drafting the communique, noting that the GOM agreed in principle with the draft and had only minor suggestions for changing the wording. Bala also expressed his government's positive position on the goals of the Nuclear Security Summit, and reiterated his government's full support in ensuring a successful outcome. ¶2. (SBU) U/S Bala said that he heard rumors -- he did not specify from where -- that there was going to be another interim meeting in between February's gathering in the Hague and the Nuclear Security Summit in April. Poloff replied that he was unaware of another meeting, save for the working session in Washington that will take place right before the summit itself. Bala confided that the GOM would view negatively any prospect of holding another preparatory meeting between February and April, stating that the delegation needed time to prepare ahead of April's summit. (Note: In a January 28 meeting with MFA Deputy Secretary General II Zainol, Assistant Secretary for Nonproliferation and Arms Control Van Diepen explained that additional meetings would be held before the NSS only if necessary to reach agreement on a statement. End Note.) ¶3. (SBU) Poloff also conveyed ref B talking points to U/S Bala regarding the need to differentiate between the Nuclear Security Summit and the NPT RevCon. He confirmed that his government "had no intention of discussing controversial issues" at the Nuclear Security Summit, saying that these issues -- implying the nuclear programs in Iran and Israel -- would be saved for the NPT RevCon. Bala opined that most of the other countries attending the Nuclear Security Summit would also be focused on the issue of security and "hold back their other concerns" until the NPT RevCon. KEITH