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O 191755Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8521
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHII/VIENNA IAEA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2261
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0047
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASH DC
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0947

S E C R E T OTTAWA 001245 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ISN/CPI, ISN/IO, T, AND NEA/IR 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2018 
TAGS: PREL EFIN KNNP PARM PINR IR XS CH CA
SUBJECT: CANADIANS CONSIDERING U.S. IDEAS, INITIATIVES ON 
IRAN NON-PROLIFERATION 
 
REF: A. STATE 99000 
     ¶B. STATE 97505 
 
Classified By: PolMinCouns Scott Bellard, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (S/Rel CAN) Summary:  Canadian officials are studying ref 
a demarche on engaging China on proliferation-related trade 
with Iran, but warn that Canadian action could be slowed by 
the government's current pre-election caretaker status. 
Officials expressed appreciation for ref b ideas for blocking 
Iranian trade, and will take them into account as the 
inter-agency process reviews and reinvigorates Canada's 
non-proliferation regime over the next six months.  Canadian 
officials would appreciate even more interaction with U.S. 
officials regarding additional ways to increase pressure on 
the Iranians. End summary. 
 
¶2.  (S/Rel CAN) Department of Foreign Affairs and 
International Trade (DFAIT) Deputy Director for 
Non-Proliferation Shawn Caza and Senior Non-Proliferation 
Advisor (Iran) Che van Haastrecht expressed appreciation for 
ref a demarche and ref b paper.  Noting that the current 
pre-election caretaker status had dramatically slowed the 
wheels of government and would continue to do so until the 
results of the October 14 election were clear, Caza 
nonetheless promised pol/miloff and econoffs that he would 
circulate ref a points within DFAIT and report back soonest. 
Econoff separately shared ref a points with Department of 
Finance Senior Economist Robert Sample, who similarly 
promised to provide comments to Embassy Ottawa at a later 
date directly or via DFAIT. 
 
¶3.  (C/ Rel CAN) Caza commented that reftels' points were 
particularly well timed, coming just a few days before one of 
a series of previously scheduled inter-agency meetings to 
"reinvigorate" Canada's non-proliferation regime.  At this 
point, he said, the focus is on enforcement issues and the 
movement of goods and people.  Caza predicted that the 
meetings would generate a range of non-proliferation topics 
and policy options to present to senior officials for 
approval by the end of 2008.  After expected approval by 
senior officials, Caza and his inter-agency working-level 
colleagues plan to spend the first few months of 2009 writing 
a broad non-proliferation strategy for submission to Cabinet 
for final approval. 
 
¶4.  (S/Rel CAN) Turning to the details of ref b, Caza called 
the U.S. proposals "interesting and helpful".  Van Haastrecht 
agreed that the U.S. ideas on catch-all controls were 
particularly useful, but held out little hope of getting 
senior officials to sign up to having the government publish 
a list of suspicious end-users.  Instead, Caza said, DFAIT 
would probably recommend developing sectoral suspicious 
end-user lists to share with the inter-agency and privately 
with industry.  Caza similarly labeled ref b points on 
Iran-specific list-based controls "interesting and good 
idea," with the potential to take Canada beyond its current 
area controls list.  He noted, however, that only a 
constitutional change would enable the Canadian government to 
issue U.S.-style executive orders, so there was "no point" 
going in pursuing that approach. 
 
¶5.  (S/Rel CAN) Caza added that DFAIT also would appreciate 
U.S. thinking on ways to increase pressure on the Iranians in 
other areas related to non-proliferation.  There are no easy 
Qother areas related to non-proliferation.  There are no easy 
answers, he remarked, commenting that Russia's "new attitude" 
will likely make non-proliferation problems even more complex 
in the future.  Caza promised to give emboffs a briefing on 
likely improvements to Canada's non-pro regime near the end 
of 2008, shortly before the next scheduled quadripartite 
meeting on non-proliferation (septel). 
 
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada 
 
WILKINS