VZCZCXYZ0013
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPF #2212 3550120
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 210120Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7735
INFO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 2251
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 0286
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 3112
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1562
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0001

UNCLAS PHNOM PENH 002212 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, IO, ISN/CB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PARM CWC KTIA PREL CB
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON CAMBODIA'S CWC STATUS 
 
REF: A. A) PHNOM PENH 2142 
     ¶B. B) STATE 193643 
 
 ¶1.  (SBU)  On December 20, Acting DCM met with Lt. General 
Chau Phirun, Director General of the MOD's General Department 
of Material and Technique; Major General Chey Son, Chief of 
the Directorate of Chemical Protection, and his deputy, Lt. 
Colonel Yin Sothy.  Acting DCM reviewed reftel B demarche 
points, summarizing USG interest in Cambodia's progress 
towards establishing a National Authority and submitting a 
national plan to the Organization for the Prohibition of 
Chemical Weapons (OPCW), as well as developing draft penal 
legislation. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  MG Chey Son confirmed the MFA's response to us 
(reftel A) that a National Authority had been established 
earlier in 2006 by royal decree; the National Chemical 
Weapons Authority (NCWA) is chaired by the Minister of 
Defense.  Chey Son provided the Embassy with a copy of the 
decree, which lists the participating ministries and 
government officials.  Chey Con noted that Cambodia has 
participated in numerous regional and international workshops 
and conferences on the subject of chemical, nuclear, and 
biological weapons since 2003.  He noted that Cambodia became 
signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention and joined the 
OPCW in 2005.  Since joining, the RGC has sent two reports to 
the OPCW concerning the organization of the NCWA as well as 
an implementation action plan for the NCWA's roles, 
functions, and duties.  Chey Son added that the OPCW has 
sponsored three workshops in Cambodia -- one in 2005 and two 
in 2006.  OPCW has promised financial assistance amounting to 
15,000 Euros to the NCWA, of which 6,000 Euros have already 
been provided.  The OPCW funds, as well as Japanese 
government assistance, have been used to buy three scanners 
to test chemical substances.  The scanners have been 
installed at the Phnom Penh airport, the port of 
Sihanoukville, and the land border crossing with Vietnam at 
Bavette. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  LG Chau Phirun said that Cambodia will address 
chemical weapons in conjunction with nuclear and biological 
weapons in the context of the NCWA, as the national body has 
the responsibility for the control over all such weapons.  He 
explained that the Australian and Japanese governments have 
provided limited technical and material assistance to the 
NCWA.  He said that the NCWA needs further help in several 
areas:  first, the RGC requires legislation criminalizing 
activities prohibited by a number of UN conventions related 
to WMD to which Cambodia is a signatory country.  Chau Phirun 
noted that Cambodia does not plan to draft legislation 
exclusively for chemical weapons; rather, it seeks 
legislation that will enable Cambodia to meet its obligations 
not just on the CWC, but on other conventions as well. 
Cambodia has already requested the OPCW to assist through the 
provision of a legal advisor to help with the drafting of 
such legislation, but the OPCW has not yet responded to the 
Cambodian government request, he said.  A second area where 
the RGC could use help is in the area of human resources and 
capacity building within the NCWA.  The RGC envisions the 
NCWA having a staff of 100 personnel.  Finally, the MOD is in 
the process of building a technical school due to be 
completed in 2007, which will include a chemical protection 
component.  To date, there is no equipment or laboratory 
supplies for this portion of the school.  LG Chau Phirun 
added that the RGC would like to have additional scanners at 
other sites in Cambodia, but lacks the funding to buy them. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  From our conversation, it appears that the RGC is 
still in the early stages of meeting its obligations under 
the CWC but has made some progress.  Notably, the National 
Authority exists on paper, but has yet to realize its 
organizational structure due to budgetary limitations. 
According to MG Chey Son, his office has received copies of 
model legislation from the OPCW, Australia and Japan, but has 
made little progress because the drafts are reportedly in 
English and not the Khmer language. 
MUSSOMELI