VZCZCXRO4925
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHDT RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHPB RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR
DE RUEHC #0622/01 3471508
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121459Z DEC 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
INFO ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 4145
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 4245
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 6586
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 2657

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 STATE 130622 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EUN KNNP OSCE PARM PREL SC UNVIE
SUBJECT: EU COMMISSION STABILITY PROGRAM -- THIRD COUNTRY 
ASSISTANCE -- NOVEMBER 18-19 COORDINATION MEETING IN 
WASHINGTON 
 
REF: STATE 33804 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  Multiple ISN Bureau and interagency 
officers met with the European Commission (EC) on November 
18-19 to discuss further nonproliferation programs and 
activities as originally envisioned in March (reftel) 
regarding the U.S.-EU Summit commitment to greater 
coordination through UNSCR 1540.  The EC described its 
refinements in obligating funding through the Stability 
Instrument, which serves as a guidance tool for its 
activities and policies related to nonproliferation, with 
greatly expanded funding.  Cooperative Threat Reduction and 
Chemical/Biological offices had extremely useful discussions 
concerning specific foreign assistance projects in the areas 
of biosecurity/biosafety, scientist engagement/redirection 
and possible training activities world-wide, and Washington 
agreed to send the EC an updated list of possible projects. 
The EC is especially interested in projects in the biological 
area and efforts to assist with Iraq and Libya scientist 
engagement/redirection activities.  Additionally, officers 
discussed proliferation financing activities and the Nuclear 
Smuggling Outreach Initiative, and continued discussions on 
specific areas in which the EU can contribute resources to 
combat the illicit trafficking of 
nuclear materials.  End Summary. 
 
---------- 
Background 
---------- 
 
¶2.  (U) These meetings built on ongoing cooperative efforts 
that last took place in June, when U.S. non-proliferation 
officials participated in an EC-hosted workshop focused on 
determining the EC's priorities for programming EU Stability 
Instrument funding on non-proliferation and identifying 
opportunities for coordination and cooperation with other 
actors.  At this time, U.S. officials provided a detailed 
overview of U.S. efforts and programs targeted at export 
control, nuclear smuggling/illicit trafficking, scientist 
engagement/redirection, and UNSCR 1540 outreach.  EC 
officials committed to continue the EU-U.S. coordination with 
a follow-up meeting when Stability Instrument funding is 
closer to being allocated. 
 
¶3.  (U) Coordination is moving ahead based on the 2007 
U.S.-EU summit declaration, which called for promoting 
greater coordination of nonproliferation efforts through 
UNSCR 1540; this call was reiterated in the 2008 U.S.-EU 
summit declaration.  In 2006, the EU established an 
approximately 400 million-Euro &Stability Instrument8 to 
carry out its activities in this area, and it has expressed 
an interest in further coordinating policies with other 
donors as a follow up to the June 2008 consultations and 
recent EXBS Conference in Croatia.  To continue discussing 
how to aid third countries in nonproliferation 
capacity-building, EC and U.S. nonproliferation experts met 
November 18-19 in Washington at the expert level. 
Nonproliferation experts Bruno Dupre and Jean-Paul Joulia 
represented the EC for these discussions.  End background. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
Biological Threat Reduction, Scientist 
Engagement/Redirection, and 
Regional Centers of Excellence (RCEs) 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Representatives from ISN/CTR, ISN/CB, and the DOD 
Cooperative Threat Reduction program met with the EC 
delegation to discuss foreign assistance projects in the 
areas of biosecurity/biosafety, scientist 
engagement/redirection and possible training activities 
worldwide.  The EC considers biological security important to 
EU security, and is keen to coordinate with the U.S. in order 
to avoid duplicative efforts and maximize effectiveness. 
Further, while the EC believes it is critical to continue to 
fund work in Russia and the former Soviet Union through the 
ISTC, it also recognizes the importance of expanding threat 
reduction 
efforts to the rest of the world to address new threats and 
 
STATE 00130622  002 OF 004 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The EC described its refinements in obligating 
funding through the Stability Instrument, which serves as a 
guidance tool for its activities and policies related to 
nonproliferation, with greatly expanded funding.  Under the 
auspices of the Stability Instrument, the EC would like to 
establish one to three Regional Centers of Excellence to 
support the expansion and management of its CBRN 
nonproliferation programs.  In order to guide the thematic 
and geographic focus of the Stability Instrument and 
associated RCEs, the EC has established an advisory group 
called the Experts Support Facility (ESF).  ESF technical 
experts evaluate CBRN risks worldwide, and then advise the EC 
on how best to apply its money to reduce WMD proliferation. 
ESF technical experts recently traveled to Central Asia, the 
Middle East, and Southeast Asia to visit bioscience 
laboratories and meet with ministry officials; they are also 
planning an initial assessment trip to Africa in the next few 
months. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) For scientist engagement/redirection activities, 
the EC is favorably considering one or more activities to 
engage and sustainably redirect former WMD experts in Iraq 
and Libya, in addition to ongoing efforts to redirect former 
Soviet WMD experts through the International Science and 
Technology Center (ISTC) and the Science and Technology 
Center in Ukraine (STCU).  ISN also presented opportunities 
for EC collaboration with the U.S. on new activities that 
engage chemical and nuclear scientists with WMD applicable 
expertise to improve chemical and nuclear safety and security 
best practices.  For these proposals, the EC made it clear 
that its redirection funding only applies to experts who 
worked on WMD programs (as opposed to experts with dual-use 
skills who did not work for such programs), but said that 
training in the chemical security area might be considered 
for funding under RCEs.  However, the EC maintained that 
activities to engage nuclear scientists would be separately 
considered under a different budget altogether. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The EC has allocated a significant amount of money 
toward biological threat reduction, scientist 
engagement/redirection and RCEs.  A total of 6.8M Euros has 
already been allocated for biosafety and biosecurity 
activities in Russia and Central Asia through 2009. 
Additionally, an estimated 22-30M Euros will likely be 
allocated for global biological threat reduction and 
scientist engagement/redirection activities between 2009 and 
¶2011.  However, most programmatic implementation for 
activities beyond Russia and the former Soviet Union will 
probably not begin until 2010 - about the same time the EC 
anticipates it will be able to initiate programs outside of 
Central Asia. 
 
¶8. (U) ISN/CTR agreed to follow up with the EC by sending in 
early December an updated list of possible projects where the 
EC could quickly and effectively contribute to global 
biological threat reduction efforts, scientist 
engagement/redirection, and CBRN training.  In addition, the 
U.S. and EC agreed to continue to share information on risk 
assessments and promising potential partners in regions of 
interest. 
 
------------------ 
Maritime Vigilance 
------------------ 
 
¶9.  (U)  The EC delegation outlined an initiative under the 
trans-regional security threats project area to improve 
security along critical maritime routes.  Along with a focus 
on reducing piracy and countering all illicit trafficking, 
the initiative will include a component to combat trafficking 
of CBRN materials, as well as SA/LW, by sea.  The EU will 
provide ssistance to littoral states along the Malacca Strait 
and Gulf of Aden.  Legislative assistance will include 
support for accession to the Convention for Suppression of 
Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA) 
and its 2005 Protocol.  Equipment will be provided to support 
establishment and maintenance of a Vessel Traffic Monitoring 
and Information Network.  Other CBRN aspects of the program 
are yet to be determined. 
 
------------------------------- 
Multilateral Nuclear Activities 
------------------------------- 
 
STATE 00130622  003 OF 004 
 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Laura Holgate, from the NGO Nuclear Threat 
Initiative (NTI), updated the EC delegation on the NTI,s 
challenge grant to establish a mechanism for reliable access 
to nuclear fuel in the International Atomic Energy Agency. 
NTI will give $50 million for this project if $100 million is 
raised from other sources by the end of September 2009.  The 
United States, Norway and the United Arab Emirates have 
pledged $65 million, leaving $35 million still to be raised. 
The EC delegation noted that a contribution, funded through 
the EU Stability Instrument, is still under discussion within 
the EU.  They expressed hope that the EU would be able to 
make a political commitment to a substantial contribution by 
mid-December.  The EU contribution would probably not cover 
the full $35 million still outstanding.  (Note: on December 
9, the EU announced that it would contribute 25 million Euros 
(approximately $33 million) to the NTI initiative.  End note.) 
 
----------------------- 
Proliferation Financing 
----------------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Anthony Ruggiero from ISN/CPI discussed the 
current state of our proliferation financing efforts in the 
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) with the EC delegation. 
Ruggiero noted that the FATF issued a typology report in June 
2008, which describes proliferation financing with specific 
case studies.  The FATF is moving forward with a new project 
to address the four issues for consideration raised in the 
typology paper and we expect this project will be completed 
June-October 2009. 
 
---- 
EXBS 
---- 
 
¶12. (SBU) The Commission officials also solicited ideas for 
potential Stability Instrument assistance in the area of 
export controls and border security in meetings with ISN/ECC 
(Export Control Cooperation) Director Wong, Deputy Director 
Church, and ISN/ECC country officers for the Export Control 
and Related Border Security (EXBS) program.  Dupre and Joulia 
indicated a relatively near-term Commission interest in 
expanding activities to Southeast Asia and the Middle 
East/North Africa.  They underlined, however, that Africa 
also was an area of interest. 
 
¶13. (SBU) ISN/ECC staff cautioned that EXBS and other USG 
programs -- as well as donors such as Japan, Australia, and 
individual EU member states -- had long-standing assistance 
efforts already in place in Southeast Asia and the Middle 
East.  Limited absorptive capacities and political 
sensitivities also needed to be considered before deploying 
further resources in any region.  While ISN/ECC staff 
emphasized that additional Commission efforts were welcome, 
they highlighted the importance of prior coordination of 
plans and activities, particularly in UAE, Indonesia, and 
Malaysia.  ISN/ECC noted the lack of transparency among some 
assistance providers/NGOs in Malaysia in particular. 
 
¶14. (SBU) ISN/ECC provided Commission officials with notional 
ideas for near and medium-term future activities, based on 
stated Commission/EU interests as well as U.S. perceptions of 
current assistance gaps.  This included recommendations as 
follows for regions of stated Commission interest: 
 
Algeria and Tunisia -- legal/regulatory training, assistance 
with implementing the EU control list, and 
government-industry outreach training. 
 
Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam ) 
legal/regulatory training, also UNSCR 1540 workshops for the 
Philippines and Thailand. 
 
Africa ) Any kind of border monitoring equipment/training, 
particularly in the Horn of Africa, Kenya, Congo, and South 
Africa. 
 
¶15. (SBU) For other regions, ISN/ECC recommended in-country 
assistance and training for Afghanistan; licensing, border 
and government-industry outreach training for Pakistan; and 
general assistance (enforcement training, 
establishment/upgrade of Customs academies, etc.). 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
STATE 00130622  004 OF 004 
 
SUBJECT: EU COMMISSION STABILITY PROGRAM -- THIRD COUNTRY 
ASSISTANCE -- NOVEMBER 18-19 COORDINATION MEETING IN 
WASHINGT 
Nuclear Smuggling Outreach Initiative (NSOI) 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶16.  (U) The U.S. continued its discussions with the EC on 
specific suggestions that it has for EU expenditures on 
projects to combat illicit trafficking.  Michael Stafford, 
the NSOI Coordinator, provided an update on NSOI,s country 
engagements and its assistance projects in Afghanistan, 
Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.  Mr. 
Joulia and Mr. Dupre were most interested in border security 
projects, both at POEs and along the green borders, and 
anti-corruption training projects.  In particular, the EC 
representatives were interested in funding an anti-corruption 
pilot project in Ukraine.  NSOI plans to continue its 
discussions with the EC on several of the proposed projects. 
 
------------------- 
Concluding Thoughts 
------------------- 
 
¶17.  (U) The EU,s Stability Report is due to be considered 
after December and its recommendations will be discussed in 
the winter.  Projects that the EU is likely to sponsor 
include the aforementioned regional CBRN training centers, 
possibly located in the Middle East/North Africa or Southeast 
Asia.  Very few new details were provided on the centers 
except that they would be training institutions that could be 
utilized by non-member countries.  Overall, the increased 
coordination through UNSCR 1540 and the desire to facilitate 
better deconfliction of third country assistance continues to 
set a positive way forward.  Washington welcomes this effort 
and will work closely with key EC offices to continue the 
efforts and prepare for the expected next step in early 2009. 
RICE