AMBASSADOR DICARLO MEETS NPT PRESIDENT-ELECT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000037 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2020 TAGS: PREL PARM RP SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DICARLO MEETS NPT PRESIDENT-ELECT LIBRAN CABATULAN Classified By: Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo for reasons 1.4 (b) and (c). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Ambassador DiCarlo on January 18 met Libran Cabactulan, the Filipino President-elect of the 2010 NPT Review Conference, to convey USG priorities on strengthening the NPT and to elicit his views on managing the Review Conference (RevCon) process. Ambassador DiCarlo said the USG sees success at the RevCon as the culmination of President Obama's nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation agenda. She said the RevCon should encourage signatories to make the Additional Protocol the international standard, examine ways to address the NPT's withdrawal provisions, and carefully manage the Middle East nuclear issue. Cabactulan said President Obama has made inspiring statements regarding nuclear disarmament and the new U.S. engagement is visible, but he said he feared that the positions of the parties are still far apart. Despite the positive stance, he said, the U.S. needs to be more forthcoming on its proposals and minimize suspicions. He remarked that the Middle East will be a defining issue during the RevCon but that it must be approached in a holistic fashion. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Ambassador DiCarlo on January 18 met Libran Cabactulan, the Filipino President-elect of the 2010 NPT Review Conference, to convey USG priorities on strengthening the NPT and to elicit his views on managing the Review Conference (RevCon) process. Ambassador DiCarlo said the U.S. has high hopes for the NPT RevCon in May and views the Conference as the culmination of President Obama's nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation agenda. She said the President's Prague speech, early agreements with the Russian Federation on continuing negotiations on START, the Security Council Summit in September 2009 and the adoption of resolution 1887, and the forthcoming Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. all demonstrate the President's firm commitment to nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and specifically the NPT. The United States, she said, would like the RevCon to encourage signatories to adopt the Additional Protocol as the international standard for IAEA safeguards and examine ways to address the NPT's withdrawal provisions based on Article X of the treaty. Ambassador DiCarlo said the RevCon's handling of the implementation of the 1995 RevCon's resolution on the Middle East must be carefully managed. ¶3. (C) Cabactulan offered his opinions on a range of issues, noting that many of these reflect a growing consensus in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). He said that President Obama's statements are welcome and the new U.S. engagement is visible. However, he said that suspicion surrounds the change in U.S. policy, and he recommended that the U.S. make its proposals more visible and its actions concrete. He said that the U.S. and Russia must complete negotiations on START follow-on before the RevCon in May; not doing so is "unthinkable" and would send a bad signal to other parties about commitments to nuclear disarmament. Cabactulan said the positive engagement of the U.S. during the 2009 UN General Assembly First Committee and change in votes were welcome, but the U.S. should do more to advertise its change of positions. He said delegations are concerned that the Nuclear Security Summit to be held in Washington in April will eclipse the RevCon given the Summit's high-level attendance. Moreover, Cabactulan said states are worried that the U.S. will encourage the creation of another Proliferation Security Initiative during the Summit and focus too extensively on nuclear security at the expense of rights to nuclear power. Also worrying, he said, was that the completion of the Nuclear Posture Review had been postponed and ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is in doubt. Despite these setbacks, Cabactulan praised the attendance of Secretary Clinton at the CTBT's Article XIV Conference in September. ¶4. (C) Regarding the resolution on the Middle East adopted during the 1995 RevCon, Cabactulan said this will be "one of the defining issues" in May, but he judged that the Conference will not be held hostage to one issue or by one delegation. He said there are "pent-up emotions" on this topic. However, states believe the Middle East must be considered in holistic terms of disarmament and non-proliferation and not focused on just Israel. He remarked that Israel is surrounded by enemies so he personally understands its position, but an international conference on this issue would allow for a frank discussion of nuclear disarmament and build confidence in the region. Regarding the Additional Protocol, Cabactulan offered that this issue is traditionally handled in Vienna at the IAEA but it is a topic that merits attention at the RevCon. Egypt, he said, is critical of the minimal IAEA inspections of Israel's USUN NEW Y 00000037 002 OF 002 nuclear program. Inspections are neither intrusive nor frequent, but every other state must abide by different standards. As a result, Cabactulan opined that the Additional Protocol is linked to progress on nuclear disarmament in the Middle East. When pressed on precisely what states--particularly the Arab states--would accept as "progress" on implementing the resolution on the Middle East, Cabactulan suggested that an international conference on this issue is probably sufficient. He said during NPT Preparatory Committee in May 2009, the original draft recommendations to the RevCon contained suggestions to hold an international conference on how to implement the 1995 resolution on the Middle East. Although the early drafts were subsequently discarded, there appeared to be a consensus on this issue. RICE