CD SESSION: AUSTRIA ON FMCT

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 000194 SIPDIS GENEVA FOR CD DELEGATION E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2025 TAGS: PARM MNUC KNNP PREL AU SUBJECT: CD SESSION: AUSTRIA ON FMCT REF: STATE 13698 Classified By: Econ/Pol Counselor Dean Yap. Reason: 1.4(B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) Austrian MFA Arms Control/Disarmament Director Alexander Marschik reported Feb. 22 that Austria entirely shares the U.S. assessment of the difficulty of reaching agreement on a POW in the CD and the USG frustration with the impasse. Austria is, accordingly, fully prepared to work, as proposed in reftel, through UNIDIR and in other more informal fora on side-events which could move forward the substantive FMCT-related work of the CD. ¶2. (C) That said, Marschik cautioned that, in Vienna's analysis, the Chinese may be reluctant to endorse such work in UNIDIR, which lacks the staff and experience to carry out other CD POW elements which China sees as necessary elements of a package that would include the FMCT (e.g., PAROS). Looking at the problem tactically, Marschik suggested that the U.S. consider seeking endorsement for FMCT-related programs under the aegis of UNIDIR at the NPT Revcon. The broad volume of work at the NPT and the absence of Pakistan might, he thought, make the Chinese more amenable to the idea in that forum than at the CD itself. EACHO