US embassy cable - 04PRETORIA5090

UNCLAS PRETORIA 005090 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR NP/NE, AF/S 
DOE FOR NE-2.4 AND NNSA/NA-241, NA-243 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG, KNNP, TRGY, SF 
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA: COMMENTS ON OUR PROPOSED RESEARCH 
AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION AGREEMENT ON NUCLEAR MATERIALS 
SAFEGUARDS TECHNOLOGIES 
 
REF: A. PRETORIA 1457 
     B. 03 PRETORIA 5319 
     C. 03 SECSTATE 270221 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified; not for Internet distribution. 
 
1. (U) See Action Request in Paragraph 3. 
 
2. (SBU) Embassy/Pretoria received the following diplomatic 
note (see text below) from the U.S.A. Directorate at the 
Department of Foreign Affairs on November 23 along with a 
typed version of our proposed R&D Cooperation Agreement on 
Nuclear Material Safeguards Technologies incorporating South 
African Government comments.  We will send the full text of 
the typed version to NP/NE Alex Burkart and Allan Krass via 
e-mail and fax. 
 
Begin text. 
 
The Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South 
Africa presents its compliments to the Embassy of the United 
States of America and wishes to inform you of the Department 
of Minerals and Energy's pleasure to forward to the United 
States of America the proposed Agreement for Co-operation in 
Research and Development in Nuclear Material Safeguards 
Technologies that incorporates the Department of Minerals and 
Energy's comments. 
 
The Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South 
Africa avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the 
Embassy of the United States of America the assurances of its 
highest consideration. 
 
Dated 23 November 2004 
 
End text. 
 
3. (SBU) Action Request:  Please provide a formal response to 
the South African comments on our proposed R&D Agreement on 
Nuclear Material Safeguards Technologies in conjunction with 
a formal response to South African comments on our proposed 
R&D Agreement on Nuclear Energy Cooperation (per Ref B). 
Given the similarities in these two R&D agreements, our 
responses to both sets of South African comments need to be 
consistent.  We would note that the South African holiday 
season is upon us and that we would like to present U.S. 
responses to the South Africans no later than December 8, if 
possible. 
FRAZER