US embassy cable - 04BRUSSELS854

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 000854 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AC/ISN AND EUR/ERA 
GENEVA FOR CD DEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PARM, KNNP, UNGA, EUN, CDG, USEU BRUSSELS 
SUBJECT: JANUARY 16 U.S.-EU TROIKA CONSULTATIONS ON ARMS 
CONTROL AND GLOBAL DISARMAMENT (CODUN) 
 
REF: BRUSSELS 36 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified.  Please Protect Accordingly. 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  On January 16 in Brussels, Geneva CD 
Ambassador Jackie Sanders and AC/ISN Director Robert Luaces 
led productive discussions on arms control and disarmament 
with the EU's global disarmament troika (CODUN).  USEU Poloff 
Van Reidhead participated as Control Officer.  Issues 
discussed were: 
 
-- Irish EU Presidency priorities:  a) Universalize and 
strengthen multilateral regimes; and b) Strengthen the UNSC 
role in nonproliferation.  Cooperation with the US also 
features prominently. 
 
-- UNFC:  EU welcomes US-initiated "revitalization" campaign, 
and will discuss reform ideas intersessionally. 
 
-- CD:  EU optimistic about achieving work program this year, 
especially if US develops position on FMCT; wants to 
replicate UNFC revitalization efforts in CD. 
 
-- UNDC:  EU waiting for proposals on possible agenda items; 
shares US view of UNDC as ineffective, but believes it has 
&sociological-political8 value, so should at least pay it 
&lip service.8 
 
-- CCW:  EU pleased with outcome of November States Parties 
meeting; hopes US ratifies new ERW protocol soon; looks 
forward to 2004 AVM talks. 
 
-- BWC:  EU agrees that November BWC meeting was positive 
step toward strengthening pathogen security and national 
implementation measures; but had hoped for more ambitious 
agreement. 
 
-- CWC:  EU pleased with recent work in CWC, especially 
Article VII Action Plan; EU continues to insist that states 
meet CW destruction deadlines; hopes US-Russian talks succeed 
soon; EU supports challenge inspections but wants to hold 
seminars and simulations first. 
 
END SUMMARY. 
 
EU Delegation 
------------- 
2. (U) The Irish EU Presidency was represented by 
Nonproliferation and Disarmament Director Adrian McDaid and 
Deputy Director Cillian Smith.  The upcoming Dutch Presidency 
was represented by Nonproliferation and Nuclear Affairs 
Director Paul Wilke and Policy Officer Elke Merks-Schaapveld. 
 Nonproliferation Desk Officer Didier Cosse represented the 
Council Secretariat and USA Desk Officer Andrew Denison 
attended for the Commission. 
 
Priorities of the Irish EU Presidency 
------------------------------------- 
3. (SBU) McDaid said that the key theme for the Irish 
Presidency would be effective multilateralism.  In 
particular, the EU would seek to strengthen the role of the 
UNSC in nonproliferation, and to universalize and strengthen 
the nonproliferation, arms control, and disarmament regimes. 
Close cooperation with the US also would be sought.  McDaid 
said that the action plan in the EU,s new nonproliferation 
strategy (analysis at ref A) would serve as a blueprint for 
EU activity.  Ambassador Sanders and Luaces said that the US 
welcomed the EU strategy, especially its emphasis on US-EU 
cooperation, but cautioned against over-optimism about an 
enhanced UNSC role in nonproliferation. 
 
58th UNGA First Committee (UNFC) 
-------------------------------- 
4. (U) McDaid assessed the results of the 58th UNFC session 
as generally positive.  He reported that EU member states 
voted the same on 42 of 53 resolutions this year.  He said 
that the EU appreciated the good coordination with the US, 
and viewed as particularly useful the three US-EU troikas 
held in New York during the plenary.  The EU viewed the 
US-initiated &revitalization8 campaign as particularly 
positive, he said, and would look for ways to carry the work 
forward intersessionally.  (Note:  Because of NAM 
sensitivities, the EU prefers &revitalization8 to 
&reform.8)  The EU will focus especially on operative 
paragraph one )- which asks for proposals for reform -- of 
resolution 58/41, and invited an early exchange of views on 
possible recommendations for the 59th UNFC session. 
 
5. (U) Luaces thanked the EU for its cooperation in the First 
Committee, and agreed that the US-EU troikas in New York had 
been particularly fruitful.  The US agreed that it was 
important now to keep the momentum going, and to look for 
ways to operationalize resolution 58/41.  It would be 
important for the next UNFC chair, which would be a nation 
from the Group of Latin America and Caribbean States 
(GRULAC), to be committed to reform effort.  The US hoped 
that the EU would join us in encouraging GRULAC to select its 
chair wisely, with an eye to furthering the reform agenda. 
Conference on Disarmament (CD) 
------------------------------ 
6. (U) Dutch Nonproliferation Director Paul Wilke said that 
he was moderately optimistic about the chance of achieving a 
work program this year in the CD.  He said that while it 
probably would be desirable to just pitch the old agenda and 
start from scratch, he did not think that would be possible. 
McDaid said that the US should replicate its approach in the 
First Committee -) which featured transparency and open 
consultation -- to emphasize the need for reform in the CD. 
He did not think, however, that much progress could be made 
until the US defined its position on the Fissile Material 
Cutoff Treaty (FMCT). 
 
7. (SBU) Ambassador Sanders said that, during her 
consultations on arrival in Geneva, she had been hearing the 
phrase, &window of opportunity,8 for developing a work 
program.  It was important not to let the opportunity pass. 
The US would work with others )- especially in the CD,s 
Western Group -- to carry the positive work and new spirit of 
the First Committee into the CD.  Luaces noted that the FMCT 
was still under review in Washington, and said that, at this 
point, the US could not agree to any agenda that included it. 
 The US also remained concerned about the A-5 proposal, and 
continued to oppose linkages that would only deadlock the CD. 
 Ambassador Sanders said that an increasing number of NAM 
members were even beginning to support the US position on 
eliminating linkages. 
 
United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC) 
-------------------------------------------- 
8. (SBU) On the UNDC, McDaid said that the EU was in 
&collection mode,8 waiting for possible agenda items from 
member states.  Wilke said that his government, which viewed 
the UNDC as a consolation prize for countries that could not 
get into the CD, had never taken the commission very 
seriously.  Western governments should view the UNDC as 
having a certain &sociological-political8 value, he said; 
paying &lip service8 to it might help with certain NAM 
members during the important NPT PrepCom this year. 
 
9. (SBU) Ambassador Sanders observed that delegations in 
Geneva also were cynical about the UNDC.  We should look at 
it with a fresh and critical eye, she said, to see whether or 
not it could acquire any value.  Luaces said that the US was 
working on ideas sparked by the recent Oslo seminar, 
beginning with an evaluation of whether the UNDC should 
continue to exist.  Meantime, the US would propose:  a) 
shortening this year,s session from three to two weeks; and 
b) replacing the two-track agenda with a single-year proposal 
to look at institutional reform of the UNDC.  The US also was 
developing fallback positions for the UNDC,s nuclear and 
conventional arms categories.  McDaid cautioned that the US 
approach might be too radical, but said that he would canvas 
other EU member states for their thoughts. 
 
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
10. (U) McDaid said that the EU was pleased with the outcome 
of the November Meeting of States Parties in Geneva, and 
hoped that the US would soon ratify the new Explosive 
Remnants of War (ERW) protocol (Protocol 5).  Ambassador 
Sanders agreed that the meeting had been constructive, but 
observed that, while the US is pleased to have the new ERW 
protocol, we continue to believe that a political document, 
rather than a legally binding protocol, would have greater 
immediate impact.  The US also looked forward to 2004 
discussions on Anti-Vehicle Mines (AVM), and urged all EU 
member and associated states to co-sponsor the US-Danish 
draft protocol on AVM. 
 
Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) 
----------------------------------- 
11. (U) The US and EU agreed that the document agreed at the 
November BWC meeting represented a positive step toward 
strengthening pathogen security and national implementation 
measures.  McDaid noted, however, that the EU had wanted a 
more ambitious text, and was disappointed that the more 
energetic August experts meetings had not translated into an 
equally energetic meeting of states parties.  The November 
outcome was &okay,8 but the EU had expected more.  Wilke 
said that he was &very enthusiastic8 about the developments 
of 2003, especially the material results of the 
intersessional experts meetings. 
 
12. (U) Luaces said that the US agreed with the EU assessment 
of the November meeting, and that we anticipated an equally 
productive 2004 session, which will focus on alleged use of 
biological weapons and disease surveillance.  (Note:  The EU 
Troika avoided the topic of resuming multilateral BWC 
negotiations after the 2006 RevCon, as well as the issue of 
creating an UNMOVIC-like entity to conduct biological weapons 
inspections.) 
 
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) 
--------------------------------- 
13. (SBU) Wilke said that the EU was happy with recent work 
in the CWC, especially the Article VII Action Plan agreed at 
the October 2003 Conference.  The EU had recently demarched 
all states not party to the CWC, he said, on the need to 
accede to the CWC.  The EU also would continue to insist that 
states meet their chemical weapons destruction deadlines, and 
hoped that US-Russian talks succeed soon.  The US and Russian 
delays were blocking destruction work overall, Wilke said. 
On the budget, Wilke said that the EU is moving away from 
micromanaging the OPCW because international confidence is 
growing.  The EU also supports challenge inspections, but 
wants to conduct seminars and simulations before discussing 
how such inspections could be conducted.  Wilke noted that 
the first of these would be in Austria in June or July. 
 
14. (SBU) Luaces outlined the four key US priorities for 
2004:  a) results-based budgeting; b) data automation at the 
OPCW; c) implementation of the Article VII and Universality 
Action Plans; and d) promoting compliance.  On the last 
point, Luaces noted that not all EU member states were in 
full compliance with CWC commitments.  The EU Troika said 
that it would convey the US point to member states.  The EU 
agreed that compliance must be strengthened, Wilke said, 
especially since the OPCW still lists so many states parties 
as noncompliant. 
 
Comment 
------- 
15. (SBU) Close US-EU coordination during last fall,s UNFC 
session and the success there of the U.S. revitalization 
initiative contributed to the positive atmosphere of these 
consultations.  Both sides were pleased to note the proximity 
of views on the issues discussed, while the EU side expressed 
guarded optimism on the prospect of the CD resuming work this 
year. 
 
16. (U) AMB Sanders and Mr. Luaces have reviewed this message. 
 
Schnabel