VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMO #5448 3231424
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191424Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5350

UNCLAS MOSCOW 005448 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR OES/IHA (OSTFIELD, HILLESHEIM) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO PTER PINS RS
SUBJECT: BILATERAL BIOTERRORISM LETTER DELIVERED 
 
REF:  STATE 154159 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1. (SBU) On November 9, we provided reftel letter from State 
Department Bioterrorism Senior Adviser Ostfield to Deputy Director 
Titorenko in the MFA's Department of New Challenges and Threats 
(DNV).  On November 16, DNV Senior Adviser Vladimir Prokhorov 
advised us that S/CT Coordinator Dailey and Russian Counterterrorism 
Special Presidential Representative Safonov met in Vienna on 
November 6.  In Vienna, they discussed incorporating bioterrorism 
into the agenda of a proposed U.S.-Russian meeting of WMD experts in 
Moscow in early December. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Prokhorov told us Russia expected the bioterrorism agenda 
outlined in the Ostfield letter to be included in a subsequent 
letter from S/CT Coordinator Dailey to Safonov on the proposed 
meeting of WMD experts.  Prokhorov noted that Russia was hoping a 
WMD meeting (including the bioterrorism component) would take place 
on either December 3 or 4 in Moscow.  Alternatively, Prokhorov 
suggested a smaller meeting of bioterrorism experts in Moscow the 
week of December 17. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Prokhorov also expressed doubts about whether Russian 
officials from the Ministries of Defense, Agriculture, and Health 
and Social Development would take part in bilateral bioterrorism 
discussions.  He noted that Russia views combating bioterrorism as 
purely a law enforcement function, and that these ministries do not 
see that they have a role to play. 
 
BURNS