US embassy cable - 03THEHAGUE2331

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002331 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AC/CB, NP/CBM, VC/CCB, L/ACV, IO/S 
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISP 
JOINT STAFF FOR DD PMA-A FOR WTC 
COMMERCE FOR BIS (GOLDMAN) 
NSC FOR CHUPA 
WINPAC FOR FOLEY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/16/2013 
TAGS: PARM, PREL, EIND, CWC 
SUBJECT: CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): TS COMMENTS ON 
IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIAL DATA DECLARATIONS 
 
Classified By: Pete Ito, U.S. Delegation to the OPCW.  Reasons: 1.5 (B, 
 D) 
 
1.  (U)  This is CWC-91-03.  Action required, see paragraph 7. 
 
2.  (U)  Del representative Betsy Sanders met with Greg 
Linden, chief of the Information Services Branch (ISB) of the 
OPCW Technical Secretariat (TS), and Subhash Paradkar, CEO of 
Sitar, Inc, Annandale, Va.  Issues discussed included 
availability of the foreign language versions of the Common 
File Transmission System (CFTS) and ISB plans to integrate 
the CFTS and the RDBMS, develop a security shell, and market 
the tools for use in the TS and for industry data 
declarations by States Parties (SP). 
 
3.  (U)  Linden welcomed the availability of the French, 
Spanish and Russian versions of the CFTS and requested that 
they be made available to the TS as soon as possible.  Del 
relayed an offer from Washington to demonstrate the foreign 
language versions, which Linden accepted.  Linden offered to 
make available a conference room so that all interested TS 
personnel could attend.  Del agreed to discuss availability 
and get back with a proposed date.  Linden requested that in 
any event, the TS be provided copies of the foreign language 
tools as soon as possible. 
 
4.  (C)  In regard to the proposed use of the U.S. Voluntary 
Contribution to integrate the CFTS and the RDBMS and develop 
the security shell, Linden advised that ISB has to overcome a 
severe perception issue before deploying the computer 
software within the TS or to interested SPs.  Apparently, it 
is widely perceived within the TS that the CFTS and the RDBMS 
are tools being imposed by the U.S., and potential users are 
suspicious of them.  In order to overcome this perception, 
ISB has hired Paradkar as a consultant who will be 
responsible for integrating the CFTS and the RDBMS and 
creating the security shell that will ensure that restricted 
data is available only to those who require access.  As part 
of this effort, Paradkar will transform the RDBMS and the 
CFTS code into TS-owned code, create the security shell, and 
then market the result to the verification division to 
demonstrate its usefulness (predicted deployment in about six 
months).  At the same time, the TS will begin marketing the 
result to interested SPs, encouraging first the countries 
with the largest industries to submit their industry data 
declarations electronically via the tool.  The TS hopes that 
between the various marketing efforts and word of mouth, the 
tool will be in wide use within about a year's time. 
 
5.  (C)  Due to the perception difficulty, the TS requests 
that any technical discussions and clarifications of the CFTS 
and RDBMS code by TS software developers with the 
Washington-based developers be held in Washington.  Linden 
suggested that perhaps in six months to a year's time, it 
might be possible to hold such discussions in The Hague if 
needed. 
 
6.  (SBU)  Linden and Paradkar told Del officer that the TS 
will finish its preliminary review of the RDBMS and the CFTS 
on 19 September.  Del officer suggested that we meet 
following EC-33.  Topics of discussion could include 
Washington's specific questions regarding the status of ISB's 
work and ISB's use of the U.S. Voluntary Contribution for 
this effort, and Linden and Paradkar could brief Del on the 
results of their preliminary review and their views regarding 
future directions. 
 
7.  (SBU)  Action Request:  Please advise status of the 
foreign language versions of the CFTS and whether they can be 
Fed Ex'ed to The Hague.  Please advise whether Washington 
wishes to sponsor a demonstration of the foreign langauge 
versions and if so, please propose dates which can be realyed 
to Linden.  Please advise whether Washington agrees that 
Del-sponsored meeting with Linden and Paradkar would be a 
reasonable forum in which to get an update on TS work and to 
relay/receive answers to Washington's specific questions. 
 
8.  (U)  Ito sends. 
SOBEL