NON-PAPER FOR RUSSIA ON PROPOSED U.S.-RUSSIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 STATE 011173 SENSITIVE SIPDIS GENEVA FOR CD DELEGATION E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CDG MCAP NASA PARM RS TSPA UNPUOS SUBJECT: NON-PAPER FOR RUSSIA ON PROPOSED U.S.-RUSSIA SPACE SECURITY DIALOGUE REF: A. 09 STATE 116396 ¶B. 09 MOSCOW 2809 ¶C. 09 STATE 54933 ¶D. 09 UNVIEVIENNA 324 ¶E. 09 STATE 58525 ¶F. 09 STATE 082572 ¶1. (U) THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST. See paragraph 4 below. ¶2. (SBU) BACKGROUND: On January 20, 2010, in an Aide Memoire, the Russian MFA Department of Security and Disarmament (DVBR) responded to a U.S. non-paper dated November 11, 2009. The U.S. non-paper had accepted Russia's proposal for a resumption of dialogues between U.S. and Russian experts on space-related issues, and proposed two half-day meetings in Paris in January (Refs A and B). The Russian aide-memoire (paragraph 8) accepted the U.S. proposed agenda with modest changes and agreed to a meeting in March. ¶3. (SBU) Washington is prepared to accept GoR's revised agenda and proposes to convene meetings in Paris, France, on March 23-24. However, the Department is concerned about the Aide-Memoire's characterization of this meeting as being "of a planning nature." Such a description of this proposed meeting was not used by the United States in its non-paper of November 11, 2009, or in previous exchanges in May and June 2009 (Refs C, D, and E). The "planning" description - which was also used by Moscow to characterize the first U.S.-Russian Joint Threat Assessment meeting in July 2009 (Ref F) - suggests that some elements of GoR might see the first meeting as an opportunity to receive detailed presentations from U.S. experts without offering reciprocal contributions by Russian experts. As a result, Washington requires an assurance from Moscow that the first meeting will have a substantive focus. Otherwise, if Moscow insists on holding a mere "planning meeting," the planned composition of the USDEL and the duration of this March meeting will need to be re-evaluated. The United States would still wish to participate in such a meeting, however. END BACKGROUND. ¶4. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: Embassy is requested to pass the U.S. non-paper (contained in paragraph 5 below) to appropriate host government officials at the MFA and the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos). Embassy is also requested to provide copies directly/directly to the Ministry of Defense, specifically highlighting U.S. interest in scheduling reciprocal visits this year to military space �00A;operations centers. Embassy may draw upon the contingency talking points in paragraph 6 and agreed agenda in paragraph ¶7. Post is requested to report its deliveries and any GoR reactions at the time of delivery. END ACTION REQUEST. ¶5. (SBU) BEGIN U.S. NON-PAPER: Non-Paper February 3, 2010 The United States is pleased to respond to the Russian Federation's Aide-Memoire of January 20, 2010, regarding a prospective meeting between U.S. and Russian space policy officials and their experts. The United States is pleased that the Russian Federation continues to express its interest in the development of a bilateral dialogue on national security space policy. The United States, therefore, accepts Russia's proposed agenda and agrees to hold two half-day meetings on March 23-24 in Paris, France. The United States proposes to host the first half-day of discussions, beginning at 1:00 p.m., at the U.S. Embassy and also proposes that Russia host the second half-day on March 24 at the Russian Embassy. STATE 00011173 002 OF 005 With regard to the purpose and objectives of this meeting, the United States reiterates its long-stated view that bilateral discussions between our two governments can focus without delay on pragmatic and constructive discussions between experts from each country's military space establishments, civilian space agencies, and policy experts. To ensure these discussions are complete and comprehensive, the United States intends to include representatives from the following organizations: - U.S. Department of State -- Bureau of Verification, Compliance and Implementation -- Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation -- Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Scientific Affairs - U.S. Department of Defense -- Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy -- Joint Chiefs of Staff, Directorate of Strategic Plans and Policy (J5) -- United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) --- Directorate of Global Operations (J3) --- Directorate of Plans and Policy (J5) --- Joint Functional Component Command for Space (JFCC SPACE) - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) -- Johnson Space Center, Orbital Debris Program Office The United States will be prepared on March 23-24 to discuss all agenda items substantively and in depth. The United States expects any Russian interagency delegation will also be similarly prepared to engage in a focused and reciprocal exchange of information and perspectives on all agreed items, taking into full account the reaffirmation (as stated in Russia's Aide-Memoire of September 29, 2009) of the Russian Federation's willingness to resume the dialogue between Russian and U.S. experts on space-related issues. The United States does not believe a separate planning meeting is required to lay the foundation for this substantive dialogue and looks for Russia's explicit assurance that it is in agreement on this point. The United States looks forward to receiving Moscow's response to Washington's request for a clarification of Russia's purpose for holding the March meeting and its proposal for a meeting on March 23-24 in Paris. Also, the United States requests a list of interagency participants that will compose the Russian delegation. END TEXT OF U.S. NON-PAPER. ¶6. (SBU) BEGIN CONTINGENCY TALKING POINTS: -- It has been nearly a year since the on-orbit collision of U.S. and Russian satellites, an event that both our countries agree is a serious warning of the possibility of hazards resulting from an increasingly congested and complex space environment. -- Since our meeting in Vienna, Austria, in June 2009, the United States and Russia have been in agreement in principle on the importance of resuming exchanges between our experts on space security and related issues. We have also been in agreement on the main topics for this agenda since September ¶2009. -- The United States believes a meeting in March 2010 gives both the U.S. and Russia ample time to prepare for substantive discussions and to ensure the participation of appropriate U.S. and Russian space policy officials and their experts. -- A meeting in March would allow adequate time for our two governments to prepare for expanded collaboration at both the fifty-third session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the sixty-fifth session of the United Nations STATE 00011173 003 OF 005 General Assembly. -- The U.S. delegation would be headed by Mr. Frank Rose, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Defense Policy and Verification Operations. Detailed information on the composition of the U.S. delegation will be provided upon receipt of Russia's acceptance of the dates proposed by the United States and Moscow's confirmation of a substantive focus for this meeting. -- Members of the U.S. delegation from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the United States Strategic Command would be prepared to discuss specific arrangements with their counterparts from Russia's military space establishment regarding reciprocal government-to-government visits in 2010 by experts to U.S. and Russian government space operations centers, including satellite movement control facilities. END CONTINGENCY TALKING POINTS. ¶7. (SBU) BEGIN AGREED AGENDA: Agenda for the Russian-U.S. Meeting of Experts on Issues Related to the Safety of Outer Space Activities First Day (the U.S. side to be the hosting party) ¶1. Introductory words. ¶2. The Russian and U.S. views of the problem of ensuring the safety of outer space activities (the Russian side is to begin). ¶3. The U.S. and Russian views on the use of outer space for military purposes; possibilities of providing for common national security interests; the effect of outer space activities on strategic stability (the U.S. side is to begin). ¶4. Russian and U.S. approaches to predicting, preventing, or minimizing the consequences of hazardous situations in outer space. a) The international regime for exchanging information on predicted hazardous situations in outer space; the necessary conditions and means for implementing it (including the Russian side's replies to the U.S. questions of June 8, 2009). (The Russian side is to begin.) b). Possible ways of preventing or minimizing the consequences of hazardous situations in outer space and directing cooperative efforts to implement them (the U.S. side is to begin). ¶5. Possible approaches to fleshing out initiatives for ensuring long-term sustainability of outer space activities (a topic on the agenda of the Scientific and Technology Subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes) (the U.S. side is to begin). ¶6. Possible additional measures for enhancing the safety of outer space activities (exchange of opinions). Second day (the Russian side is to be the hosting party) ¶7. Transparency and confidence-building measures (TCBMs) in outer space: a) Russian proposals for TCBMs (document: UN General Assembly A/64/138/Add. 1 of September 19, 2009) (the Russian side is to begin). b) The U.S. side's views. c) The possibility of implementing agreed TCBMs on a bilateral basis (exchange of opinions). STATE 00011173 004 OF 005 ¶8. Russian-U.S. interaction on TCBM related issues in the First Committee of the UN General Assembly: a) Review of attempts to co-sponsor a resolution on TCBMs during the sixty-second and sixty-third sessions of the UN General Assembly (the U.S. side is to begin). b) Possibilities of Russian-U.S. cooperation during the sixty-fifth session of the UN General Assembly (the Russian side is to begin). c) Possibilities of preparing, on a bilateral basis, a draft document on TCBMs based on existing and new proposals by the states for its subsequent presentation to the international community (the Russian side is to begin). ¶9. U.S. and Russian views on a draft code of conduct for outer space activities that was proposed by the European Union (the U.S. side is to begin). ¶10. Exchange of visits of specialists on space-related issues (the U.S. side is to begin). ¶11. Summary of results; recording of areas of agreement and contentious issues; coordination of further steps. END AGREED AGENDA. ¶8. (SBU) BEGIN RUSSIA'S AIDE-MEMOIRE: Aide-Memoire January 20, 2010 After a careful study of the U.S. response to our Aide-Memoire of September 29, 2009, we would like to make the following comments. The ideas and proposals contained in the U.S. paper of November 12, 2009, show that the positions of the Parties regarding resumption of the dialogue on space-related issues and its importance for constructive development of bilateral interaction in this area largely coincide. Nor are there fundamental differences with respect to setting a possible agenda for the meeting between the Russian and U.S. experts. It seems acceptable to spread out the topics over the two days of work scheduled for the upcoming meeting. We have no fundamental objections to the three additional issues proposed for consideration by the U.S. side, but we think they should framed in more concrete terms. Moreover, we suggest that certain clarifications be made in the agenda, and therefore we are sending you a revised draft, which takes into account the U.S. proposals as much as possible (Paragraph 7). We agree that this meeting will be of a planning nature (Translation Note: The word "planning" is used in the original Russian text),with the aim of setting forth the Parties' approaches to the issues under consideration. We anticipate that additional meetings of experts will be required to further work out a number of issues. If the interaction between Russia and the U.S. on space-related issues proceeds in a constructive manner, we do not rule out the possibility that establishing a Russian-U.S. working group of experts that operates on a periodic basis will prove to be helpful and justified. We also agree that Russia and the U.S. will need time to prepare a meeting of experts and to ensure that the necessary specialists take part in it. Since the Parties are currently focusing their efforts on working out a new treaty on strategic offensive arms, we would like to propose that the first meeting of experts be held in March 2010 at a time convenient for both Parties. Information on the makeup of the Russian delegation will be provided later. STATE 00011173 005 OF 005 END RUSSIA'S AIDE-MEMOIRE. ¶9. The Department thanks the Embassy for their continued assistance. Please slug responses for ISN/MDSP-RBuenneke, OES/SAT-DTurner and EUR/PRA-CCampbell. CLINTON