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S E C R E T GENEVA 000562 
 
 
DEPT FOR T, VCI AND EUR/PRA 
DOE FOR NNSA/NA-24 
CIA FOR WINPAC 
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DTRA FOR OP-OSA AND DIRECTOR 
NSC FOR LUTI 
DIA FOR LEA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2018 
TAGS: KACT PARM START JCIC INF US RS UP BO KZ
 
SUBJECT: JCIC-XXXII:  TAYLOR/KOSHELEV LUNCH, JULY 15, 2008 
 
Classified By:  Jerry A. Taylor, United States Representative 
to the Joint Compliance and Inspection Commission. 
Reasons:  1.4(b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (U) This is JCIC-XXXII-004. 
 
¶2.  (U) Meeting Date:  July 15, 2008 
                Time:  1:00 - 2:15 P.M. 
               Place:  Restaurant Le Creux-de-Genthod 
        Participants: 
 
U.S.                   Russia 
 
Mr. Taylor             Mr. Koshelev 
 
¶3.  (S) U.S. JCIC Representative Taylor hosted a lunch for 
Russian JCIC Representative Koshelev on July 15, 2008, prior 
to the opening of BIC-IX and JCIC-XXXII, scheduled to begin 
on July 16 and 17, 2008, respectively. 
 
¶4.  (S) Taylor welcomed Koshelev to Geneva and said he looked 
forward to a very productive JCIC session.  Koshelev agreed 
with Taylor's proposal to dispense with an opening plenary 
meeting and the requisite opening statements.  He said he had 
earlier talked with the Belarusian Representative who agreed 
with the approach, but he had not discussed this with the 
Ukrainian and Kazakhstani Representatives. 
 
¶5.  (S) Taylor stated that, with respect to the two issues 
the U.S. had placed on the agenda (SS-24 solid rocket motor 
(SRM) Elimination Procedures and changes to the Drovyanaya 
Site Diagram), the U.S. was ready to conclude these issues. 
Koshelev thanked Taylor for the U.S. willingness to conclude 
an S-Series Joint Statement on the Drovyanaya Site Diagram 
issue.  With regard to the SS-24 SRM Elimination issue, it 
was Russia's position that whatever the U.S. and Ukraine 
could work out would be agreeable to Russia.  Russia would 
not stand in the way of success on this issue.  Koshelev said 
the two primary issues which Russia was concerned about were 
the obligatory discussion of whether the START Treaty should 
be extended and Votkinsk and POE closures.  They were the 
driving issues for the meeting in Geneva.  Koshelev wondered 
what means the U.S. envisioned to record the Parties' 
positions regarding the requirements of Article XVII.  Taylor 
offered that he had not considered a particular form for 
recording the results of such a discussion and he would be 
interested in what Koshelev had to offer in this regard. 
 
¶6.  (S) With regard to Article XVII, Taylor noted that one 
reason a document would be needed would be for political 
reasons so that others outside the Treaty might know and 
understand the outcome of the discussions.  The only 
requirement spelled out in the Treaty was that the Parties 
meet no later than one year prior to the expiration of the 
Treaty.  Taylor said he believed that date to be December 4, 
¶2008. 
 
¶7.  (S) Koshelev stated that it had been very difficult to 
convince his superiors that the Parties should meet in the 
JCIC.  It was only at the point where he introduced the issue 
of the obligation for the Parties to meet regarding Article 
XVII were his bosses agreeable to the meeting.  Something the 
Parties should consider is where and when to meet in the BIC, 
as the possibility of the START meetings in Geneva would 
expire with the Treaty.  It would be more economical to meet 
in capitals.  Taylor offered that the Treaty provided for the 
Parties to agree to meet in a different location, Geneva was 
well-suited for our meetings as the Embassies were not as 
 
well-prepared to accept delegations for one week or two weeks 
of work, as this would place an undue burden on their 
facilities.  As for the BIC, this was a different story. 
Meeting in capitals for a one- or two-day conference was 
certainly a possibility, one in fact which Taylor had 
discussed in the past with Mr. Boryak. 
 
¶8.  (S) Koshelev said the Parties should consider how to 
formalize the meeting schedule of the BIC, as the mechanism 
of the START Treaty might not possibly be available to link 
the meetings of the BIC.  Meeting in capitals on a regular 
basis would facilitate the exchange of information. 
 
¶9.  (S) Koshelev asked how the election would affect our work 
in the BIC and JCIC.  Some time ago, a delegation of 
high-ranking officials from a previous administration had 
visited Moscow and had told several officials, Koshelev being 
among them, that Moscow should just wait until after the 
election and a "better deal" could be obtained.  Koshelev 
would not elaborate on what "better deal" meant, but was 
curious regarding an assessment of future arms control work. 
Taylor opined that, while he did not have any direct 
knowledge of future plans regarding the START and Moscow 
Treaties, he believed that both the Republican and Democratic 
candidates would likely have a different approach based on 
what he had read from both Party's web sites.  Asked whether 
he thought a post-START agreement could be finished during 
President Bush's term, Taylor said that he was hopeful. 
 . 
¶10.  (S) Koshelev told Taylor that Mr. Faircloth, the 
Director of the On-Site Directorate of DTRA, had visited 
Moscow recently and had mentioned the need to begin planning 
for the possible shut down of Votkinsk and the POEs should 
the START Treaty not be extended.  Taylor informed Koshelev 
that he had visited with Mr. Faircloth during the recent 
Votkinsk 20th Year Celebration and Mr. Faircloth had informed 
him that preliminary planning was beginning on a contingency 
basis.  Taylor did not have any details as this process had 
just begun.  Koshelev offered that Russia wanted to raise 
this in the JCIC as a way of "brain-storming" the issue.  In 
that way, Russia hoped to understand as much about what 
needed to be done as it could in advance.  Koshelev said that 
he felt there would need to be a good deal of work done on 
this as there were several considerations with regard to 
equipment at Votkinsk and the POEs that would need to be 
secured and removed by the Parties.  This would not just 
happen on its own accord.  There was the consideration that 
the Treaty permitted the inspecting Party the right to 
conduct continuous monitoring up until midnight on the last 
day of the Treaty, but that the monitors ceased to have any 
rights after that time.  Without proper planning, this could 
present problems for both the U.S. and Russia. 
 
¶11.  (U) Documents exchanged.  None. 
 
¶12.  (U) Taylor sends. 
TICHENOR 
 
 
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