EU RAISES INITIAL QUESTIONS ABOUT UNSCR 1540

C O N F I D E N T I A L USEU BRUSSELS 000013 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2020 TAGS: PARM PREL EUN SUBJECT: EU RAISES INITIAL QUESTIONS ABOUT UNSCR 1540 VOLUNTARY FUND REF: A. STATE 122725 ¶B. STATE 127434 Classified By: USEU POL Minister-Counselor Chris Davis for reasons 1.4( b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In a December 17 meeting with U.S. UNSCR 1540 Coordinator Tom Wuchte, EU non-proliferation envoy Annalisa Giannella agreed to consult the 1540 Committee before the EU decides on its 2010 program of 1540 outreach activities. She and European Commission non-proliferation desk officer Bruno Dupre also raised initial concerns about the proposed 1540 Voluntary Fund, questioning the voting parameters for the Voluntary Fund committee and warning against politicizing the 1540 process. Giannella highlighted the need to avoid the appearance of the west dictating to the NAM and the rest of the world. Giannella and Dupre agreed to review the Voluntary Fund non-papers and provide additional comments. Wuchte said the non-papers would answer many of their questions. End Summary ¶2. (SBU) On December 17, U.S. UNSCR 1540 Coordinator Tom Wuchte conveyed REF A-B points and non-papers to Annalisa Giannella, the EU High Representative's Personal Representative on Non-proliferation, Pierre-Louis Lempereur, responsible for UNSCR 1540 on Giannella's staff, and Bruno Dupre, non-proliferation desk officer in the European Commission's External Relations Directorate-General. Wuchte focused on gaining EU support for the 1540 Voluntary Trust Fund (REF A), and on encouraging the EU to share its draft Council Decision (formerly Joint Action) on future 1540 outreach with the 1540 Committee in New York before adopting the Decision in Brussels. ¶3. (SBU) Giannella quickly agreed to consult the 1540 Committee in New York on the Committee's priorities for 2010, and about what the Committee expects of the EU. She said she would look to do this in January, before the EU non-proliferation working group meeting at the end of the month. Rather than sharing a copy of the draft Council Decision, Giannella said she would ask for the Committee's recommendations on EU outreach, which she would incorporate into the Council Decision before member states meet. She said this would preserve the EU's decision-making autonomy while still allowing for 1540 Committee input into the EU's process. ¶4. (SBU) Introducing the Voluntary Fund, Wuchte argued that the fund would help broaden the donor base for 1540 activities, which to date has consisted principally of the U.S. and the EU. Wuchte said the fund would likely be under UN auspices but administered outside the 1540 Committee and perhaps UNODA. He stressed that the funding mechanism had not been introduced for consideration yet. Giannella and Dupre questioned the need for the fund, expressed concerns about decision-making, and warned against politicizing the 1540 process. Specifically, Giannella said EU member states would object to the EU's vote carrying equal weight with the votes of lesser donors or non-donors. She also said the Voluntary Fund could make the 1540 bureaucracy more burdensome. She was pleased to hear that Voluntary Fund committee members would not be able to veto the contributions of other donors, but continued to question the decision-making mechanism. ¶5. (C) Giannella and Dupre also questioned the wisdom of discussing the Voluntary Fund with the G8 Non-proliferation Directors Group before rolling it out more widely. They said this approach could make the Voluntary Fund look like a western initiative, which would discourage potential NAM donors. Giannella said the west needs to do a better job incorporating NAM countries, including by rolling out initiatives in a way that does not make it look like the west is dictating to the rest of the world. In this context, she noted that at the recent Nuclear Security Summit Sherpa meeting in Japan, several NAM members expressed concern at the inclusion of NATO, a western military alliance, in the Summit. Comment: Giannella's comments, while making a valid point about approaching the NAM, demonstrated that the NATO-EU rivalry extends to non-proliferation issues. End Comment ¶6. (SBU) On Wuchte's suggestion, Giannella and Dupre agreed to review the Voluntary Fund non-papers in detail and respond via USEU with additional substantive comments. ¶7. (U) Tom Wuchte has cleared this cable. KENNARD .