US embassy cable - 03GUATEMALA2461

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 002461 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NP/CBM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, MNUC, KSCA, ETTC, TSPA, GT, MTCRE 
SUBJECT: ICOC - GUATEMALA UNABLE TO SUBSCRIBE BY OCTOBER 
 
REF: A. STATE 226229 
     B. STATE 254339 
 
Guatemala remains interested in subscribing to the 
International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile 
Proliferation (ICOC), but is not prepared to do so at the 
October 2-3 meeting in New York.  Sylvia Corado, Director for 
Multilateral Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, told PolOff on 
August 7 that the MFA was encouraged by the option (ref A) to 
"otherwise abide by" the three treaties listed in Section 
3(a) of the ICOC because, in Guatemala, the process to ratify 
or accede to them would be quite long.  However, Corado 
cautioned that in order to abide by the treaties as a matter 
of national policy, Guatemala had to be sure it understood 
its obligations, and was at that time engaged in an 
interagency review of these obligations.  Poloff followed up 
with the Spanish talking points provided in ref B on 
September 10.  On September 18, Corado informed us that the 
GOG interagency review was making little progress and that 
Guatemala would be unable to subscribe to the ICOC by the 
October 2-3 meeting in New York.  Corado would not speculate 
on how much more time may be needed for the GOG to define its 
position in regards to the ICOC. 
HAMILTON