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UNCLAS STATE 106834 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG KNNP IAEA AR BR EG MX NL VM SZ KU GG AG EZ
SF, AE, UG, JO, RO, BU, AM, LH, EN, MO, GH, SI, SG, MU, AS, CH, RS, 
FR, UK, JA, CA, KS, IT, UP, PL, KZ 
SUBJECT: CHANGING THE GLOBAL NUCLEAR ENERGY PARTNERSHIP 
(GNEP) INTO THE INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR ENERGY FRAMEWORK 
 
Sensitive but unclassified ) please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action request.  See paragraphs 4 and 5. 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In his April 5 Prague speech, President Obama called 
for a new framework for civil nuclear cooperation, including 
an international fuel bank, so that countries can access 
peaceful nuclear power without increasing the risks of 
proliferation.  The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) 
is a well-established international partnership with 
technical and political representation, created to promote 
reliable, advanced nuclear fuel services and technologies. It 
is well suited to support President Obama's proposed 
international framework for peaceful civil nuclear 
cooperation. As such, the United States would like to reach 
out to all Partner and key Observer GNEP countries explaining 
the objectives for a re-framing of GNEP in line with 
President Obama's vision. 
 
¶3. (SBU) At the GNEP Executive Committee meeting on October 
23 in Beijing, the United States would like to propose the 
following transitions.  The USG will propose a re-naming of 
the Partnership to the "International Nuclear Energy 
Framework" (INEF).  In addition, to ensure the widest 
possible participation and to broaden the scope of 
Partnership activities, the USG will recommend the adoption 
of a simple mission statement as the sole action States would 
need to take to participate in future activities. The United 
States would also like to expand the scope of participation 
to include broader involvement of foreign ministries and 
regulatory agencies within participant countries. This cable 
is intended to communicate the proposed changes directly to 
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in all partner and key 
observer GNEP countries. 
 
--------------- 
ACTION REQUESTS 
--------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) For current GNEP Partners (Canberra, Beijing, 
Moscow, Paris, Tokyo, London, Ottawa, Seoul, Rome, Kyiv, 
Warsaw, Astana, Amman, Bucharest, Sofia, Yerevan, Vilnius, 
Tallinn, Rabat, Accra, Ljubljana, Dakar, Muscat, and 
Budapest): 
 
--Posts are requested to deliver the non-paper in paragraph 
12 to appropriate contacts in the Foreign Ministry. 
 
--(except Canberra and Muscat):  Posts should mention that 
the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) plans to distribute a 
similar message to its counterpart agencies in host 
governments. 
 
--Canberra and Muscat should note that the Foreign Ministry 
will also be contacted by USDOE. 
 
¶5. (SBU) For key GNEP Observers (Buenos Aires, Brasilia, 
Cairo, Mexico City, the Hague, Hanoi, Bern, Kuwait City, 
Tbilisi, Algiers, Prague, Pretoria, Abu Dhabi, and Kampala): 
 
--Posts are requested to deliver the non-paper in paragraph 
12 to appropriate contacts in the Foreign Ministry. 
 
--Posts may mention that other Ministries within the host 
government will be receiving a similar message from the 
USDOE. 
 
---------- 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) President Obama in Prague called for a new framework 
for civil nuclear cooperation, including an international 
fuel bank, so that countries can access peaceful nuclear 
power without increasing the risks of proliferation. 
Secretary Chu at the September 2009 IAEA General Conference 
elaborated on the new framework, citing elements such as 
binding and enforceable contracts, dependable fuel services 
that address all aspects of the commercial fuel cycle, 
relieving nuclear fuel customers of the uncertainty of used 
fuel management, storage of used fuel for a period of time 
while better alternatives are developed and deployed, fuel 
banks, helping build the necessary infrastructure for safe, 
secure, and responsible use of nuclear energy, and 
strengthening the liability regime(see 
http://www.energy.gov/news2009/8004.htm). 
 
¶7. (SBU) GNEP was originally established in 2007 with 
multiple goals, including the promotion of accelerated 
development, demonstration, and deployment of advanced 
reprocessing and other fuel cycle technologies through a 
domestic GNEP program as well as a broader international GNEP 
effort. Subsequently, the U.S. GNEP domestic program added a 
near-term domestic reprocessing component that envisioned 
using incremental changes to existing technologies.  The 
domestic component of GNEP has now been replaced with a 
long-term, goal-based R&D program. 
 
¶8. (SBU) As part of the international GNEP efforts, a 
multinational partnership was established which currently 
consists of 25 partner countries (who signed the GNEP 
Statement of Principles), 28 observer countries, and three 
inter-governmental organizations. The partner countries 
established a three-tiered structure consisting of a 
ministerial-level Executive Committee, a Steering Group, and 
two expert-level working groups ) one to address reliable 
nuclear fuel services and the other to address infrastructure 
development. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Given that GNEP is a well-established partnership 
that has technical and political representation, it is well 
suited as an international forum within which to address the 
new framework proposed by President Obama.  Consequently, the 
United States would like to adapt GNEP to support the 
formation of the international framework proposed by 
President Obama and move it away from the perception that 
GNEP is an effort intended to support recycling of spent 
fuel.  To reflect these changes, the USG will propose a 
re-naming of the Partnership to the "International Nuclear 
Energy Framework" (INEF).  The United States would also like 
to encourage broader country participation.  Current GNEP 
Partners and Observers would be welcome to participate in 
INEF on the basis of agreement with a simple Mission 
Statement.  Additional states that agreed with the mission 
statement would be welcome to participate in the new 
framework, by consensus invitation from the existing 
participants.  Unlike the current GNEP Statement of 
Principles, no signatures would be required to participate in 
INEF.  Additional changes in the goals or operating methods 
of the group could be considered at a later date by INEF 
partners. 
 
¶10. (SBU) GNEP will hold an Executive Committee meeting on 
October 23 in Beijing, at which the Partners will issue a 
Joint Statement.  The United States would like to use this 
meeting to put in motion the transition from GNEP to INEF. 
The United States will be proposing changes to the Joint 
Statement to accomplish that objective. 
 
¶11. (SBU) In the process of moving from GNEP to INEF, the 
United States would also like to broaden the base of 
interagency involvement by participating countries.  At 
present, energy and science ministries have taken the lead in 
representing their countries.  With the exception of local 
Embassy representatives, most of the participation has come 
from these ministries.  We would like to see engagement 
expand to include foreign policy and regulatory agencies 
since many of the issues involved reside in these arenas as 
well. As a consequence, while the Department of Energy is 
reaching out to the Steering Committee members to explain the 
new U.S. position and its objectives, the USG would like to 
reach out to Foreign Ministries as well. 
 
---------------- 
WRITTEN MATERIAL 
---------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) Begin Non-Paper 
 
The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership has made important 
contributions through the work of its Infrastructure 
Development Working Group and its Reliable Nuclear Fuel 
Services Working Group. 
 
However, many important developments have occurred since 
GNEP's establishment in 2007, including President Obama's 
call in his April 5 Prague speech for building a new 
framework for civil nuclear cooperation.  We believe that the 
Partnership has the potential to help in the development of 
this new framework, but that in order to do so most 
effectively, it should be adapted to encourage broader 
participation and provide a stronger way forward.  A new name 
could be considered.  One possibility is the International 
Nuclear Energy Framework (INEF). We think it is important to 
ensure the broadest possible participation in this 
forward-looking endeavor.  A succinct "mission statement" 
could replace the Statement of Principles, acceptance of 
which, since based on a consensus decision to extend an 
invitation, would be the sole action States would need to 
take to participate in future activities. The proposed 
statement could read as follows: 
 
"The International Nuclear Energy Framework (INEF) provides a 
forum for cooperation among participating states to explore 
mutually beneficial approaches that promote the use of 
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in a manner that is safe 
and secure and that strengthens the nuclear nonproliferation 
regime." 
 
If such a change were accepted by the Partners, states would 
no longer need to sign a document in order to become full 
participants, a step that we understand has discouraged 
certain nations from participating. 
 
The United States believes that these changes could transform 
GNEP into a more wide-ranging forum, with broader 
participation, and therefore with greater potential to 
overcome the challenges facing the global expansion of 
nuclear power. The United States will propose these changes 
for consideration by Partners through the draft GNEP 
Executive Committee Joint Statement. We look forward to 
working with (host country) on this path forward. 
 
End Text of Non-paper. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
POINT OF CONTACT AND REPORTING DEADLINE 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶13. (U) Department thanks all Posts for their assistance in 
this matter.  Department point of contact for working-level 
GNEP issues is Marc Humphrey (ISN/NESS, 202-647-6103, 
humphreyma@state.gov).  Please report the results of your 
engagement by Monday, October 19 to ISN/NESS and your country 
desk. 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED 
CLINTON