VZCZCXRO7260
OO RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #1251 2632013
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 192013Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8525
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHII/VIENNA IAEA POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0479
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA PRIORITY 0050

UNCLAS OTTAWA 001251 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ISN W. MENHOLD AND VCI S. HORN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PARM PREL UNGA CA
SUBJECT: CANADA SUPPORTS RESOLUTION ON COMPLIANCE WITH 
NON-PROLIFERATION, ARMS LIMITATION AND DISARMAMENT 
AGREEMENTS 
 
REF: STATE 87531 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Following up on reftel demarche, Department of 
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Deputy Director for 
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Craig Weichel told pol/mil officer 
on September 19 that Canada would vote for the U.S.-sponsored 
UNGA First Committee Resolution on Compliance with 
Non-Proliferation, Arms Limitation and Disarmament 
Agreements.  Weichel noted, however that, unlike the U.S. 
records (reftel, para 5), his government's UN voting matrix 
indicated that Canada voted for, but did not sponsor, a very 
similar resolution in 2005. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Weichel further explained that, with the government 
now in "caretaker status" in advance of the October 14 
federal election, it would be nearly impossible for him to 
get authorization to co-sponsor the resolution this year. 
"Caretaker rules" call on the bureaucracy to "do as they did" 
in previous votes as much as possible, he noted.  Given the 
strong similarity between the 2005 and 2008 resolutions, the 
best Canada could do in this instance would be to promise to 
vote for, but not sponsor, the resolution at the 2008 UNGA, 
according to Weichel. 
 
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada 
 
WILKINS