VZCZCXYZ0006
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #1117 3281837
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 241832Z NOV 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0000
INFO RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 0000

UNCLAS STATE 121117 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PTER RS US KGIC SK PARM
SUBJECT: GICNT: U.S. CONFIRMS SUPPORT FOR REPUBLIC OF 
KOREA HOSTING 2011 PLENARY 
 
REF: SEOUL 1632 
 
¶1.  This is an action request for Embassy Seoul.  Please see 
paragraph 3. 
 
SUMMARY 
---------------------------------- 
¶2.  The United States welcomes the Republic of Korea,s (ROK) 
offer to host the 2011 Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear 
Terrorism (GICNT) Plenary meeting.  The United States has 
discussed with the Russian Federation MFA staff (Russian 
GICNT Co-Chair), who also welcomes the offer.  This decision 
will most likely be announced once the Co-Chairs have 
identified a host for the 2010 Plenary.  The United States 
also remains interested in ROK,s offer to host a series of 
GICNT activities in the future. 
OBJECTIVES 
--------------------------------- 
¶3.  Department requests Post to inform appropriate ROK 
officials of the following: 
 
-- The United States looks forward to ROK,s participation in 
the GICNT Exercise Planning Group (EPG) meeting on January 
19, 2010 in Budapest, Hungary. 
 
-- Welcome the ROK,s offer to host the 2011 GICNT Plenary, 
noting that the United States has discussed this matter with 
the Russian Co-Chair.  The Co-Chairs look forward to 
announcing that ROK will host the 2011 Plenary, once a host 
for the 2010 Plenary meeting has been identified (discussions 
with certain partners are ongoing at present). 
 
-- Inform ROK that the Co-Chairs look forward to receiving 
more details regarding their proposals for additional GICNT 
activities.  The United States hopes these activities will 
aim to encourage regional cooperation among GICNT partner 
nations and implement at least one of the eight items from 
the Statement of Principles. 
 
-- Inform ROK that no formal procedure exists for requesting 
to host a Plenary.  In the past, the Foreign Minister of the 
offering partner nation has submitted a formal invitation to 
the U.S. Secretary of State and Russian Foreign Minister.  We 
anticipate that this and other procedural matters will become 
clearer in 2010 as the partnership examines how to &enhance 
implementation,8 a concept the Co-Chairs introduced at the 
June 2009 Plenary meeting. 
 
REPORTING DEADLINE 
---------------------------------- 
¶4.  Department requests that Post report ROK,s response by 
December 7. 
 
BACKGROUND 
--------------------------------- 
¶5.  On October 15, the ROK proposed hosting the 2011 or 2012 
GICNT Plenary meeting and also a series of GICNT activities 
(Reftel). 
 
¶6.  Background on the GICNT: The GICNT was launched in July 
¶2006.  Its mission is to strengthen international cooperation 
and collaboration to build partners, individual and 
collective capacity to combat the threat of nuclear 
terrorism. The United States and the Russian Federation 
co-chair the GICNT.  GICNT partners are committed to a set of 
principles that encompass a broad range of deterrence, 
prevention, detection, and response objectives.  Through 
multilateral activities and exercises, partners share best 
practices and lessons learned, particularly with regional 
neighbors, in order to strengthen both individual and 
collective capabilities to combat the threat of nuclear 
terrorism.  To date, partners have conducted over thirty 
multilateral activities and five senior-level GICNT meetings, 
resulting in strengthened policies, enhanced information 
sharing techniques, and greater partner nation transparency 
and collaboration. 
¶7. President Obama has called for the Global Initiative to 
become a &durable international institution8 (Prague 
speech, April 2009).  Both the United States and Russia 
welcome the expansion and strengthening of the Global 
Initiative and are currently taking steps to enhance 
implementation of the Initiative.  There are now 76 partners 
in the Global Initiative and four official observers: the 
European Union (EU), the International Atomic Energy Agency 
(IAEA), the International Criminal Police Organization 
(INTERPOL), and the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime 
(UNODC). 
POINT OF CONTACT 
--------------------------- 
¶8.  The Department greatly appreciates Post,s assistance. 
All cables associated with the GICNT should be slugged to the 
Department for ISN/WMDT and the relevant regional bureaus. 
E-mails regarding the GICNT may be sent to 
. 
CLINTON