VZCZCXYZ0002
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTC #0706/01 3241445
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 201445Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3496
INFO 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 000706 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ISN/CB, VCI/CCA 
SECDEF FOR OSD/GSA/CN,CP> 
JOINT STAFF FOR DD PMA-A FOR WTC 
COMMERCE FOR BIS (BROWN, DENYER AND CRISTOFARO) 
NSC FOR LUTES 
WINPAC FOR WALTER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PARM PREL OPCW CWC
SUBJECT: CWC:  ARTICLE X ASSISTANCE AND PROTECTION WORKSHOP 
IN DOHA 
 
This is CWC-68-09 
 
¶1. (U) Delrep attended the Eleventh Annual Workshop 
on Coordination of Article X Assistance and 
Protection held November 1-3 in Doha, Qatar.  The 
workshop was co-sponsored by the OPCW Technical 
Secretariat (TS) and the Qatari National Committee 
for the Prohibition of Weapons, Qatar's CWC 
National Authority.  Approximately 50 participants 
attended, half of whom came from various Qatari 
security and emergency response agencies.  The 
other half came from 23 countries, six of whom were 
national delegates from The Hague and the remaining 
were representatives of national authorities from 
capitals.  The UN also sent an official from its 
logistics department.  Del has sent ISN/CB by email 
a copy of the complete participant list. 
 
¶2. (U) The TS Assistance and Protection Branch 
provided most of the briefings on a broad overview 
of the status of implementation of Article X.  The 
workshop was thus geared toward substance/policy 
discussion and not practical training for first 
responders.  The emphasis in the briefings was on 
the need to develop national/regional capacities 
because the TS does not have the capacity to 
respond to every incident of a chemical weapons 
(CW) attack in a timely fashion.  Using its own 
Assistance, Coordination and Assessment Team (ACAT) 
as an example, the OPCW's only fly-away rapid 
response resource, the TS would ideally like to 
develop a network of regional response teams that 
can better serve the needs of States Parties in 
times of a real crisis. 
 
¶3. (U) Each participating country was given the 
opportunity to make a national presentation on its 
protective program and current efforts to assist 
other States Parties in protecting against a CW 
attack.  Eleven countries made national 
presentations:  China, Iran, the Czech Republic, 
Serbia, Switzerland, India, the UK, Colombia, Peru, 
Sierra Leone and Mexico.  Copies of those national 
presentations which were made available, as well as 
all of the TS briefings have been sent separately 
to ISN/CB. 
 
¶4. (SBU) China sent a representative from its 
Ministry of National Defense, Senior Colonel Tang 
Cheng, who previously worked in the TS Verification 
Division.  Tang provided a detailed briefing, 
including slides with pictures, on China's 
defensive and assistance programs.  Iran sent its 
most junior delegate from The Hague, Ali 
Gholampour, who delivered a verbal presentation 
without slides on Iran's Article X programs.  While 
Iran had given initial priority to equipping its 
armed forces with defensive equipment against a CW 
attack, Gholampour said recent efforts have shifted 
to providing the civilian population with 
humanitarian/medical assistance in case of a CW 
attack.  Gholampour noted the shift in focus was 
due to the very real threat of a CW attack in 
Iran's "dangerous neighborhood" and its own 
experience as a previous target.  Iran is 
developing a research institute on responding to CW 
attacks and has begun to incorporate CW awareness 
in its school system.  Gholampour ended his 
presentation with the reminder that Iran's proposal 
to establish an international victim's network 
Qto establish an international victim's network 
remains under consideration by the OPCW policy- 
making organs; Delrep intervened to oppose such a 
network.  (Del Comment:  Overall, Gholampour was 
far more constructive than he acts during 
consultations and meetings in The Hague.  End 
Comment.) 
 
¶5. (SBU) It was made clear to Delrep throughout the 
conference, by both TS officials and participants 
from Latin America, that the U.S. is doing far more 
under Article X than we are given credit for in the 
OPCW.  Delrep learned that the U.S. has been 
providing general assistance in the CBRN/hazmat 
protective field to Caribbean and South American 
countries; however, the U.S. has not claimed credit 
for such assistance under Article X.  Specifically, 
TS officials told Delrep that the U.S. had provided 
hazmat trailers to Caribbean countries.  These 
trailers have been extremely useful in training 
first responders in the region, and the TS 
officials asked Delrep if the U.S. can provide more 
such trailers.  Additionally, the Mexican 
representative told Delrep about CBRN first 
response training provided by the U.S. in Mexico in 
mid-October.  During its national presentation, 
Peru also thanked the U.S. for its assistance.  As 
long as any U.S. assistance includes some aspect of 
protection against a CW attack, TS officials 
indicated that the U.S. should be claiming credit 
for providing Article X assistance so that the TS 
can include it in its annual report. 
 
¶6. (SBU) In one of its presentations, the TS 
indicated that it plans to conduct technical visits 
to verify offers of assistance (made under Article 
X paragraph 7) from the following countries:  the 
U.S., Germany, India, Moldova, Pakistan and the UK. 
The TS conducted its first such visit in 2007 to 
China.  After the presentation, the TS official 
approached Delrep privately and said that the U.S. 
should expect to receive a written formal request 
from the Assistance and Protection Branch sometime 
in early 2010.  While acknowledging that the U.S. 
offer is broad and general in scope, the TS 
official maintained that the TS still wishes to 
visit to physically verify the items being 
considered for offer.  The TS official noted the 
success of a visit in 2008 to Australia, which has 
a broad offer for Article X assistance similar to 
that of the United States.  The TS has conducted 19 
such technical visits to date and is trying to 
avoid using the term "inspection" to describe such 
visits. 
 
¶7. (U) The TS Office of Special Projects announced 
its intention to host a table-top exercise on 
chemical safety and security with Poland in May or 
June 2010.  The exercise plans to simulate an 
attack on a chemical plant by a non-state actor; 
more information on the exercise will be released 
prior to the Conference of the States Parties (CSP) 
in The Hague.  The goal of the exercise is to help 
reduce the risks of toxic chemicals being used by 
terrorists, to develop national response 
capacities, and to improve coordination efforts 
with other entities, such as the European Union 
(EU). 
 
¶8. (U) SMITH SENDS. 
 
GALLAGHER