VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTC #0104/01 0491007
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 181007Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2531
INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0130
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1811
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/DTRA ALEX WASHINGTON DC//OSAC PRIORITY

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000104 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ISN/CB, VCI/CCA, L/NPV, IO/MPR, 
SECDEF FOR OSD/GSA/CN,CP> 
JOINT STAFF FOR DD PMA-A FOR WTC 
COMMERCE FOR BIS (ROBERTS AND DENYER) 
NSC FOR FLY 
WINPAC FOR WALTER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: IZ PARM PREL CWC
SUBJECT: CWC: MEETING WITH IRAQI DELEGATION 
 
REF: A. STATE 11851 
     ¶B. FERGUSON/FINGARSON ROBINSON E-MAIL 02/09/2009 
        WITH ATTACHMENTS 
 
This is CWC-07-09. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Delreps met with Iraqi Ambassador Siamand 
Banaa and Iraqi delegate Abbas Al-Khafaji on 
February 12.  Delreps offered congratulations, as 
this was the official day the Chemical Weapons 
Convention entered into force for Iraq.  Delreps 
then inquired about Iraqi plans for participation 
in the upcoming Executive Council (EC) session 
(February 17-20).  Banaa said that he would like to 
make a statement and confirmed that no delegation 
would be coming from Baghdad.  He also indicated 
his interest in having Iraq be elected to the 
Council; delreps briefly described the process of 
election through the regional groups.  Delreps 
recommended Iraq attend the destruction informals 
on February 16 and that Baghdad send a delegation 
of experts to present and/or respond to any 
questions concerning Iraq's declaration at the next 
Executive Council session (April 20-24). 
 
¶2. (SBU) Drawing on guidance (Refs A and B), 
Delreps explained the history and current status of 
U.S. recoveries of Iraqi chemical weapons and 
provided copies of the non-paper, slides on 
recovery locations and information, and the draft 
U.S. supplemental  declaration.  Delreps emphasized 
that the draft declaration had not yet been shared 
with the Technical Secretariat (TS).  They 
emphasized that, as of February 12, the 
responsibility for reporting recoveries belonged to 
the Government of Iraq.  Banaa agreed that a 
meeting with U.S. experts on the margins of the EC- 
55 (February 17-20) would be useful. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Banaa noted that communications between 
his embassy and Baghdad were poor, and that it is 
still not clear whether his delegation will be 
augmented to deal with the increased workload from 
OPCW activities.  The Iraqi Embassy in The Hague 
has, however, had increased contact with the 
Technical Secretariat recently.  Verification 
Director Horst Reeps has apparently spoken to Banaa 
and Abbas about the contents and security of the 
bunkers at Muthanna, so it is unlikely there 
remains any confusion for their delegation as to 
whether or not Iraq will be declaring chemical 
weapons.  Abbas reported that they also had 
discussed a possible TS inspection team visit in 
the May/June timeframe, depending on the security 
situation. 
 
¶4. (SBU) In a separate conversation with Reeps, 
Delrep learned that Iraq has been active in 
completing several initial steps as a new member 
state, including providing contact information for 
their National Authority and approving the list of 
TS inspectors.  Within the TS's Chemical 
Demilitarization Branch, Yaugen Ryzhykau has been 
assigned as the lead officer for Iraq.  Reeps also 
informed Delrep that a number of delegations -- 
including Iran, Russia, Germany, France, and 
Austria -- have contacted him recently to ask about 
Iraq and its declaration.  Reeps has indicated to 
these delegations that Iraq will declare possession 
of chemical weapons.  He expressed some surprise 
that many delegations did not seem to have thought 
Qthat many delegations did not seem to have thought 
through some of the longer-term implications of 
this, to include the need for the EC to establish 
destruction deadlines. 
 
¶5. (U) BEIK SENDS. 
GALLAGHER