This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 THE HAGUE 001509 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AC/CB, NP/CBM, VC/CCB, L/ACV, IO/S 
BERLIN FOR ITO 
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISP 
JOINT STAFF FOR DD PMA-A FOR WTC 
NSC FOR CHURBA 
WINPAC FOR FOLEY 
COMMERCE FOR BIS (GOLDMAN) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PARM PREL RS CWC
SUBJECT: CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (CWC): SCENE-SETTER 
FOR 33RD SESSION OF THE OPCW EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, 24-28 JUNE 
 
REF: A. STATE 69419 
     ¶B. THE HAGUE 01451 
 
(U)  This is CWC-64-03. 
 
(U)  GUIDANCE REQUESTS/RECOMMENDATIONS -- PARAS 4, 20, 25. 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) The First Chemical Weapons Convention Review 
Conference, April 28 - May 9, consumed a great deal of 
Technical Secretariat and national delegation energy, and the 
last month has been frankly rather quiet.  While the 
annotated EC-33 agenda (faxed to Washington) is long at this 
point, many of the reports to be considered either have not 
yet been issued (Report of the Organization for 2002, Report 
of the Office of Internal Oversight), or have just come out 
(Audited Financial Statements of the Organization, 
EC-33/DG.5, C-8/DG.3 dated 10 June).  The pace of 
consultations so far not been intensive, except for those 
regarding the 2004 Program of Work and Budget, a document on 
which EC-33 in fact will not have to make a call.  Review 
Conference follow-up is not explicitly on the agenda.  This 
may in part reflect a widespread view that the RevCon was 
first and foremost an obstacle to be overcome without 
excessive conflict, rather than a major reorientation or 
rethinking of OPCW priorities.   The new EC Chairman, Czech 
Ambassador Kubernat, has scheduled consultations for Monday, 
16 June on preparations for EC-33.  Del will seek to slim 
down the agenda, removing those items where documents have 
not been circulated in time and/or necessary consultations 
have not taken place.  End Summary. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Three: 
Statement by the Director General 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U)  Del expects the DG's statement to be along the lines 
of his opening statement at the RevCon focusing on 
priorities.  It is likely he will discuss the RevCon results 
and follow-up, even though these matters are not explicitly 
on the EC agenda. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Four: 
Status of Implementation of the 
Convention and Related Issues 
-------------------------------- 
 
----- National Implementation Measures ----- 
 
¶3.  (U)  The Council is requested to consider inter alia a 
second addendum to the Director General's report on this 
issue of 13 March.  The second addendum/update was 
distributed on 12 June (EC-32/DG.17/Add.2, dated 5 June, 
faxed to AC/CB).  Del believes that noting the new document 
is appropriate, while reserving the right for further U.S. 
comment after study.  The TS effort to develop information on 
national implementation measures is positive, and it is 
appropriate to complement the Legal Office for what it has 
done so far, while questioning whether the TS -- given the 
priority placed on the effort at the RevCon -- is currently 
backing the effort with sufficient resources. 
 
----- Optimization of the verification activities ----- 
 
¶4. (U)  The Council is requested to "further consider" the DG 
report on the optimization and efficiency of verification 
activities (EC-32/DG.12, dated 6 March 2003), which in fact 
received no consideration at EC-32.  It is also asked to 
consider two more papers which are yet to be published. 
Guidance along the lines in paras 7-9 reftel (EC-32 guidance 
cable) should be sufficient. 
 
---- Status of implementation of Articles X and XI ---- 
 
¶5. (U)  Under this item, the EC is to consider a report 
published for EC-32 on the status of implementation of 
Articles X and XI,and a yet-to-be published corrigendum.  Del 
does not expect the report to elicit serious discussion. 
----- Article VI related obligations ----- 
 
¶6. (U)  If it gets printed in time, the Council will have an 
opportunity to comment on an update of the TS project to 
assist member states to meet their declaration-related 
obligations under Article VI.  If it is published, Del 
recommends that we strongly endorse the project, noting that 
this type of effort was strongly endorsed by the Review 
Conference.  If the document is not published -- Del 
understands it awaits the DG's approval for publication -- 
Del recommends that we stress the importance of having such 
an update and regret that for two Council sessions -- it was 
supposed to be published in time for EC-32 -- the TS has 
delayed in providing this important data to the Council. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Five: 
Report by the Director-General on 
the Universality of the Convention 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U)  The report on universality has yet to be published. 
Del will forward to Washington when available. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Six: 
Draft Report of the Organization for 2002 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶8.  (U)  This report is not yet available.  Del will forward 
to Washington when received. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Seven: 
Deadlines for Destruction of Category 1 
Chemical Weapons Stockpiles 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (U)  The Council is requested to note a DG report on the 
completion of destruction of one percent of the Russian 
stockpile. Likewise, Russia will present an update on the 
overall status of destruction of their CW stockpiles.  The 
documents are not yet available to delegations. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Eight: 
Detailed Plans for the Destruction 
of Chemical Weapons 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (U)  Delegation has passed on the U.S. responses to a 
series of Russian Federation questions regarding the Umatilla 
and Aberdeen Combined Plans, but has received no reaction 
from Russian representatives.  No other substantive issues 
have been raised regarding these documents. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Nine: 
Combined Plans for the Destruction or 
Conversion and Verification of Chemical 
Weapons Production Facilities 
----------------------------------------- 
 
------- Bosnia and Herzegovina Combined Plan ------ 
 
¶11.  (U)  The TS has received, and delegation is working with 
the local BH representative to obtain a copy, of the most 
recent BH draft of its Combined Plan.  In a previous draft of 
the document the TS discovered some (undisclosed) problem 
with page three, which the BH delegation has now apparently 
resolved.  Del will forward the document to Washington 
immediately upon receipt. 
------- Russian Combined Plans ------- 
¶12. (U)  The second of two TS teams inspecting Russian 
conversion sites is due back from the Russian Federation 12 
or 13 June.  The first team has returned and is compiling its 
report.  Upon the second team's return, the TS will generate 
its report to the EC on the status of Russia's conversion 
efforts. Informal TS reports indicate that the VX production 
facility at Novocheboksarsk is contaminated, has not been 
completely converted and, in all likelihood, neither its 
conversion nor that of the QL, chloroether, or munitions 
filling facilities, all at Novocheboksarsk, will be completed 
anytime soon. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Ten: 
Facility Agreements 
--------------------------------- 
 
-------- Belgian Facility Agreement -------- 
 
¶13. (SBU) In a meeting with the lead Belgian MOD 
representative and Belgian Ambassador Nieuwenhuys, the MOD 
representative had a copy of our questions. Along the margins 
next to virtually every question he had written in French 
"non."  It was apparent he had taken offense at the extent of 
our questions and viewed them as meddling in Belgian MOD 
business. 
 
¶14. (SBU) Ambassador Nieuwenhuys, however, appears to be 
taking a more considered approach.  For instance, with regard 
to our question about the application of Belgium's safety 
standards and regulations, vice use of TS/OPCW regulations, 
he asked the MOD rep if he really intended to assert that 
Belgian safety statutes should be subordinated to OPCW 
regulations.  The MOD person thought about the question and 
responded that this was clearly not the intent.  The 
Ambassador then suggested that they had probably better do 
some more thinking about the U.S. questions and the issues we 
raised. 
 
¶15. (SBU) Subsequently, Ambassador Nieuwenhuys asked 
Delegation if the U.S. would/could turn our questionss into 
recommendations for textual changes (i.e. edit the FA for 
them).  Delegation demurred, but agreed to sit down and go 
over the document again with the MOD on 18 June, just before 
the EC session. 
 
¶16. (SBU) Ambassador Nieuwenhuys has made it clear that 
Belgium is not in a major hurry to complete this document. 
He has actually said "this is not a matter of priority for 
us." Delegation believes we should expect a more considered 
and substantive response to our questions at the 18 June 
meeting and proceed from there. 
 
------- Aberdeen and Umatilla Facility Agreements ------- 
 
¶17. (SBU) The Umatilla and the ABCDF Facility Agreements were 
submitted to the EC prior to the last session.  Delegation is 
unaware of any objections to these FAs, though the Russian 
Federation indicated during the last session that it wanted 
an opportunity to study them.  It is not certain that Russia 
will make joining consensus on these documents contingent on 
adoption of some or all of its Combined Plans for conversion, 
but past experience suggests that will be the case. 
 
------- ROK Facility Agreement ------- 
 
¶18.  (U)  The Council is requested to consider an ROK 
Schedule 1 Facility Agreement.  Delegation recently delivered 
text of U.S. non-paper to ROK delegation, but has not yet 
received a response. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Eleven: 
Chemical Industry Issues 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶19.  (U)  Industry intersessionals are scheduled for 17-19 
June.  Del does not expect any decisions to emerge from these 
consultations. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Twelve: 
List of Validated Data for Inclusion 
in the OPCW Central Analytical Database 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶20. (U)  Del requests guidance on the new list of validated 
data. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Thirteen: 
Report on the Office of Internal 
Oversight for 2002 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶21.  (U)  This report is not yet available. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Fourteen: 
Report of the External Auditor on the 
Financial Statements of the Organization 
for 2002 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶22.  (U)  This report is not yet available. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Fifteen: 
Implementation of the Recommendations 
of the External Auditor and of the 
Office of Internal Oversight 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶23. (U)  The document relating to recommendations of the 
External Auditor has not yet been published.  Del expects 
consultations to be held on both of these documents as well 
as the previous two agenda items after the EC. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Sixteen: 
Financial Issues 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶24. (U)  The Director General has not had to use any of the 
cash surplus from 2001, although only days back, before the 
Japanese assessment of approximately 20 million euros was 
deposited in the OPCW account, the organization had only 
eight million euros cash in the bank including/including that 
surplus (but excluding the Working Capital Fund).  Germany on 
10 June signed its authorization for payment of the second 
trance of its assessment (approximately 5 million euros). 
This receipt of 20 million euros additional in contributions 
means that the organization now has sufficient cash on hand 
for about five months. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Seventeen: 
Draft OPCW Programme and Budget for 2004 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶25.  (U)  Consultations on the 2004 budget are scheduled in 
July.  Please advise if points arise from the Advisory Body 
on Administrative and Financial Matters (ABAF) meeting that 
should be raised at EC-33. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Eighteen: 
Provisional Agenda for the Eighth Session 
of the Conference of the States Parties 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶26.  (U)  The provisional CSP agenda is not yet available. 
Del will forward to Washington when received. 
--------------------------------------- 
Draft Annotated Agenda Item Nineteen: 
Any Other Business 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶27.  (U)  Del is not aware of anything under this agenda item. 
 
¶28.  (U)  Terzuolo sends. 
SOBEL