CWC: UK STILL IN INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS ON CHALLENGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 000341 NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR ISN/BD (E. KLIMSON); THE HAGUE FOR CWC DEL; SECDEF FOR D. OZGA E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2020 TAGS: PARM PREL CWC CBW OPCW KTIA UK SUBJECT: CWC: UK STILL IN INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS ON CHALLENGE INSPECTIONS REF: SECSTATE 9964 Classified By: Political Counselor Robin Quinville for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C/NF) Poloff delivered reftel demarche and associated non-papers to Tsui-Ling Yu, Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Desk Officer at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO),on February 2. In a follow-up meeting on February 12, Yu said that the FCO had discussed this matter with Clive Rowland at the Ministry of Defence (MoD),which has the HMG lead on the CWC. Yu said that HMG is still in internal discussions on the challenge inspections issue. ¶2. (C/NF) The FCO has passed non-papers to Rowland and the MoD now has ownership of the issue. Rowland will consolidate HMG comments on the U.S. non-papers and pass them back to the USG via Deborah Ozga in DoD. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Unit ed_Kingdom SUSMAN