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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 05 BERLIN 001781 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR T, P, ISN, EUR/PRA, EUR/RPM, AND EUR/AGS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2026 
TAGS: PARM KNNP IAEA NATO PGOV GM
SUBJECT: SPD CALLS FOR MORE NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT 
 
REF: A. 05 BERLIN 1665 
     ¶B. 05 BERLIN 475 
 
Classified By: Acting Political Minister-Counselor Michael B. Martin; r 
easons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  On June 26 the Social Democratic party (SPD) 
held a conference under the rubric:  "Peace through 
Disarmament:  International Law and Nuclear 
Nonproliferation."  FM Steinmeier (SPD) and IAEA DG ElBaradei 
were the keynote speakers.  During the conference, Steinmeier 
and other SPD leaders emphasized that nuclear disarmament and 
nonproliferation are key elements of the SPD's long-standing 
"peace policy."  SPD party Chairman Beck signaled that the 
SPD intends to push to put nuclear disarmament on the agendas 
of Germany's EU and G8 presidencies in 2007.  Terming the May 
2005 NPT Review Conference (RevCon) a "failure", Steinmeier 
said that nuclear disarmament should be given a new impulse 
based on the outcome of the 2000 NPT RevCon.  He and 
ElBaradei also called on the nuclear weapon states (NWS) to 
further reduce their nuclear arsenals.  ElBaradei asserted 
that nuclear disarmament is the "Siamese twin of nuclear 
nonproliferation", and criticized the fact that NWS and NATO 
"till have doctrines of nuclear deterrence."  Steimeier 
reiterated his public calls on Iran to takea constructive 
approach to the P5   Germany ofer.  He also said that the 
India-U.S. agreement n civil nuclear cooperation was the 
"right way" o proceed, but added that "it would be a good 
sinal" if India also would adhere to the Comprehensiv Test 
Ban Treaty (CTBT) and a moratorium on the roduction of 
weapons-grade fissile material.  En Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
SPD SETTING ITS SIGHTS ON EU AND G8 PRESIDENCIES 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶2. (U) On June 26 the Social Democratic party (SPD) held a 
conference under the rubric:  "Peace through Disarmament: 
International Law and Nuclear Nonproliferation."  FM 
Steinmeier (SPD) and IAEA DG ElBaradei were the keynote 
speakers, following an introduction by SPD party Chairman 
Kurt Beck.  In introducing the subject, Beck emphasized that 
nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation are key elements of 
the SPD's long-standing "peace policy" of conflict prevention 
and resolution.  He signaled that the SPD intends to push to 
put nuclear disarmament on the agendas of Germany's EU and G8 
presidencies in 2007, saying that the upcoming, 
partially-overlapping EU and G8 presidencies offer Germany a 
rare opportunity in this regard.  Separately, MP Rolf 
Muetzenich, spokesman for disarmament and nonproliferation 
affairs of the SPD caucus, announced that the SPD is working 
on a catalog of proposals to be included in the SPD's next 
party "basic program", which, according to Embassy contacts, 
will be completed in draft form by the end of 2006 and 
presented to the SPD party board in January 2007. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
CALL FOR "REVIVAL" OF NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Beck said the SPD would hold firm to its appeal to the 
nuclear weapons states to proceed with long-term, and 
eventually total, nuclear disarmament.  FM Steinmeier made 
similar comments, assessing that the Nuclear Nonproliferation 
Treaty (NPT) is faced with "critical erosion", noting the 
Conference on Disarmament (CD) had not produced any new 
agreements in years, and citing Hans Blix's recent report to 
the UN in saying, "it's time for a revival" of nuclear 
disarmament.  Terming the May 2005 NPT Review Conference 
(RevCon) a "failure", Steinmeier presented the NPT as a 
fundamental "deal" in which the nuclear weapons states (NWS) 
agreed to give up their nuclear weapons in exchange for 
non-NWS agreeing not to seek nuclear weapons.  He said that 
 
BERLIN 00001781  002 OF 005 
 
 
nuclear disarmament should be given a new impulse, the basis 
of which should be the outcome of the 2000 NPT RevCon. 
Steinmeier also said that he would like to see the NWS 
continue with the incremental disarmament of their strategic 
and sub-strategic arsenals, noting in particular the United 
States and Russia.  He prefaced his comments by saying that, 
in order to "get the disarmament effort back on track," one 
needs to be prepared to think in the long-term, "over years." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
ELBARADEI CRITICAL OF NUCLEAR DETERRENCE DOCTRINE 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4. (U) IAEA DG ElBaradei said that the abolition of nuclear 
weapons was a goal of the NPT -- "not an immediate one, but a 
progressive one."  Citing the 1996 International Court of 
Justice (ICJ) decision, he said that NWS are obligated not 
just to negotiate on nuclear disarmament, but to reach 
concrete results.  ElBaradei asserted that nuclear 
disarmament is the "Siamese twin of nuclear 
nonproliferation."  He criticized the fact that NWS and NATO 
"still have doctrines of nuclear deterrence", arguing that it 
is contradictory for some states to maintain that nuclear 
weapons are essential to their security while telling other 
states they should not have them.  ElBaradei also claimed 
that the United States and Russia are still targeting each 
other in the same way they did as during the Cold War and 
said that there still are 27,000 nuclear warheads in NWS 
arsenals.  He welcomed the Moscow Treaty as "good start", but 
said that he would prefer to see the treaty subject to 
verification, extended indefinitely, and applied to weapons 
stockpiles.  ElBaradei also called for all states to ratify 
the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), remarking that, to 
bring the treaty into force, it would be necessary to 
convince the U.S. Administration and Congress to alter U.S. 
policy on the treaty. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
STEINMEIER CALLS FOR CLOSING THE "HOLES" IN THE NPT 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶5. (U) Steinmeier predicted that, if the international 
community fails successfully to respond to the nuclear 
challenges posed by Iran and the DPRK, we will face a new 
nuclear arms race in the Northeast Asia and the Middle East. 
Moreover, the spread of nuclear weapons technology would mean 
that terrorists would have easier access to nuclear weapons 
and materials.  Against this backdrop, Steinmeier argued for 
the need to "close the holes" in the nuclear nonproliferation 
regime, suggesting that the multilateralization of sensitive 
parts of the nuclear fuel cycle could be one useful element. 
He also proposed that nuclear nonproliferation verification 
could be strengthened by a more routine use of challenge 
inspections.  Finally, Steinmeier said that all states should 
implement nationally their multilateral commitments to 
nuclear nonproliferation, mentioning specifically national 
obligations under UNSCR 1540. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
ELBARADEI FOR AP, MULTILAT FUEL CYCLE, "VERIFIABLE" FMCT 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶6. (U) ElBaradei made strong pitches for the universalization 
of the Additional Protocol (AP) and for putting sensitive 
portions of the nuclear fuel cycle under multilateral 
regional or international control.  Responding to a question 
as to whether the NPT needed to be reformed, ElBaradei argued 
that he thought it probably more important to implement the 
NPT, rather than to try to reform it.  He added that the NPT 
could be further strengthened by complementing it with such 
things as the AP and various options for putting the 
sensitive parts of the nuclear fuel cycle under multilateral 
control, for example.  ElBaradei argued that it would be 
 
BERLIN 00001781  003 OF 005 
 
adequately, mentioning specifically the DPRK, which he 
bleakly assessed "had left the NPT without the UNSC even 
discussing it." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
STEINMEIER CALLS ON TEHRAN TO ACCEPT P5 GERMANY PROPOSAL 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶7. (U) Early in his remarks Beck underlined that the SPD does 
not want to see a nuclear armed Iran -- one of the few 
applause lines of the conference.  Steinmeier said that no 
one seeks to deny Iran access to peaceful nuclear energy 
technology.  However, he added, "anyone who so flagrantly 
violates his treaty obligations for 18 years" -- i.e., Iran 
-- needs to take steps to restore the deficit of confidence 
that his actions have created.  Steinmeier highlighted that 
the Iran/nuclear problem involves not only the authority of 
the NPT; also at stake is preventing a nuclear arms race in 
the Middle East and protecting Israel from an existential 
threat.  Briefly noting his June 24 meeting in Berlin with 
Iranian FM Mottaki, Steinmeier reiterated his public calls on 
Iran to take a constructive approach to the P5   Germany 
offer. 
 
¶8. (U) ElBaradei said that the IAEA is still evaluating 
whether Iran's nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, 
though he mentioned Iran along with countries that had shown 
"worrying signals".  ElBaradei argued that Iran has security 
concerns, but that there is concern among the other countries 
in the Middle East that Iran is seeking to increase its power 
in order to project its influence throughout the region. 
ElBaradei concluded that there are numerous regional security 
issues that need to be addressed in the Middle East, but that 
the international community first needs to clarify the nature 
of the Iranian program. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
STEINMEIER SAYS DEAL WITH INDIA "RIGHT WAY" 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) Steinmeier said that Germany would like to see India, 
Pakistan, and Israel join the NPT, but acknowledged that it 
is unrealistic to believe that will be achievable in the 
short-term.  Therefore, he concluded, the international 
community should find ways to bring the three states closer 
to the nuclear nonproliferation regime.  Focusing on India, 
Steinmeier said that the U.S.-India agreement, understood as 
a "deal to exchange energy technology assistance for binding 
obligations" of the nuclear nonproliferation regime, is the 
"right way" to proceed.  He added that "it would be a good 
signal," if India also would adhere to the CTBT, declare a 
moratorium on the production of fissile material for weapons 
purposes, and accept obligations to limit and ultimately 
dismantle its nuclear weapons program.  According to 
Steinmeier, all of these ideas are under discussion in the 
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). 
 
------------------ 
SA/LW:  "TRUE WMD" 
------------------ 
 
BERLIN 00001781  004 OF 005 
 
 
 
¶10. (U) While the conference was dedicated to nuclear 
disarmament/nonproliferation issues, Steinmeier devoted some 
of his time to the issue of small arms and light weapons 
SA/LW.  Noting the ongoing review conference on the UN's 
SA/LW program, he called SA/LW the "true WMD", given the 
large number of victims of small arms worldwide in conflicts 
each year.  He said that the international community should 
devote more effort to controlling SA/LW transfers and 
brokering. 
 
------------------------------- 
STEINMEIER MAKES PLEA FOR A/CFE 
------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Turning briefly to the subject of "European arms 
control", Steinmeier said that "the failure of the third CFE 
RevCon endangers the core element of European security 
architecture."  After a brief review of the history of the 
CFE and the Adapted CFE (A/CFE), he called on all state 
parties "to meet their responsibilities and together to do 
everything necessary to allow the A/CFE to come into force as 
soon as possible." (Note:  Steinmeier did not specifically 
mention Russia's Istanbul Commitments.  End Note)  In this 
context Steinmeier also argued that a "breakdown" of European 
arms control would have consequences far beyond Europe, 
because "Europe serves as a model worldwide for the creation 
of security and stability." 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶12. (C) The SPD's main motivation in holding this conference 
was to raise its profile -- and that of FM Steinmeier -- on 
an issue it considers one of its core competencies.  Given 
Christian Democratic (CDU) Chancellor Merkel's strong 
performance on foreign policy issues, the SPD has struggled 
to keep Steinmeier from being completely upstaged.  In light 
of this, it was no surprise that the conference was sprinkled 
with copious references to Willy Brandt (the last SPD Foreign 
Minister), conflict prevention, and "Ostpolitik"-style 
engagement (with Egon Bahr looking on approvingly from the 
front row).  The thus far limited press echo suggests the SPD 
may have miscalculated somewhat.  German public fixation with 
the ongoing World Cup may have something to do with that. 
While nonproliferation elements were woven throughout the 
conference discourse, the emphasis was on nuclear 
disarmament, a subject that remains broadly popular in German 
public opinion and one that easily can gain traction on short 
notice in Germany, depending on national and international 
developments.  The central argument that the NPT was a "grand 
bargain" trading nuclear nonproliferation for nuclear 
disarmament has been an particularly unhelpful but stubbornly 
recurring theme in German foreign policy (reftel B). 
Although Embassy and senior USG delegations have made 
numerous private and public efforts to get out our message, 
many German MFA officials, parliamentarians, and think tank 
experts persist in being dismissive of the U.S. record on NPT 
Article VI. 
 
¶13. (C) Though Steinmeier and Beck made only general appeals 
for more action on nuclear disarmament, the question remains 
how the SPD will seek to pursue this agenda in concrete 
terms.  SPD leaders several times during the conference 
underlined that the SPD intends to take a pragmatic approach, 
and is not being "naive" or overly idealistic.  Nevertheless, 
they have already encountered some resistance from the 
CDU-led MOD, at least on procedural grounds.  Following the 
conference, the MOD spokesman criticized Beck for announcing 
that the SPD intended to place nuclear disarmament on the 
agendas of Germany's EU and G8 presidencies, arguing that any 
such decisions should first be discussed with the CDU, the 
 
BERLIN 00001781  005 OF 005 
 
 
SPD's coalition partner.  SPD representatives no doubt will 
point out that the CDU-SPD coalition agreement calls for 
making arms control and disarmament a "central concern" of 
the government and for the long-term goal of the elimination 
of all WMD.  Moreover, German Social Democratic EP Martin 
Schulz made clear during the conference that he intends to 
work within the European Parliament to mobilize social 
democrats from across Europe to support this agenda. 
 
¶14. (S/NF) While some individual SPD members (including Beck 
in May 2005) have in various ways called for the near-term 
elimination of NATO nuclear weapons, including the withdrawal 
of U.S. non-strategic nuclear weapons (NSNW) allegedly 
stationed in Germany, the SPD party as a whole thus far has 
resisted this politically popular temptation (as has the CDU, 
which remains the most "on side" party in Germany on this 
issue).  Meanwhile, the opposition Greens, Free Democrats, 
and Left-wing parties all have called for the immediate 
withdrawal of U.S. NSNW allegedly stationed in Germany 
(reftel A).  Moreover, following the SPD conference, the 
Green party caucus put out a press release taunting the 
Social Democrats, claiming the SPD held the conference only 
to provide cover for itself as it moves to embrace the 
U.S.-India nuclear deal.  The Green caucus press release 
further argued that, if the SPD were truly serious about 
nuclear disarmament, it would call for the elimination of 
NATO nuclear weapons.  This issue is likely to continue to 
draw scrutiny and attention as the SPD searches for ways to 
fill its disarmament agenda with substance. 
TIMKEN