VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTC #0757/01 3521317
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 181317Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3592
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 000757 
 
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 (BROWN, DENYER AND CRISTOFARO) 
NSC FOR LUTES 
WINPAC FOR WALTER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PARM PREL CWC
SUBJECT: CWC: MEETINGS ON THE MARGINS OF THE CONFERENCE OF 
THE STATES PARTIES (CSP 14) 
 
REF: A. THE HAGUE 746 
     ¶B. THE HAGUE 738 
     ¶C. THE HAGUE 755 
     ¶D. STATE 116290 
 
This is CWC-76-09 
 
¶1. (U) This contains an action request:  see para 13. 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY:  On the margins of the 14th 
Conference of the States Parties (CSP) (ref A), the 
U.S. Delegation met bilaterally with the observer 
Israeli delegation, with the Indian delegation to 
discuss industry issues, and with the Algerian 
delegation to discuss the proposed conference on 
chemical safety and security in Algiers.  Delreps 
also participated in a meeting with interested 
parties on a proposal for continued verification of 
converted chemical weapons production facilities 
(CWPFs) ten years after their conversion.  Other 
meetings with the Iraqi and Libyan delegations, as 
well as the Technical Secretariat (TS), were 
reported in Refs B and C.  END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------ 
ISRAEL: JUST CHECKING IN 
------------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) On December 1, Head of Delegation Mikulak 
and Delreps met with the observer Israeli 
delegation consisting of Tamar Rahamimoff-Honig 
(Deputy Director, Arms Control Department, MFA), 
Tali Messika (CBRN Policy and International 
Cooperation, MOD) and Yair Even (DCM, Israeli 
Embassy in The Hague).  As during previous 
bilateral meetings, discussion was general in 
scope, covering major issues at the OPCW and before 
the CSP.  Throughout the meeting, Rahamimoff-Honig 
stated that Israel is adopting a "wait-and-see" 
approach to incoming Director-General (DG) Ahmet 
Uzumcu.  She expressed her hope that Israel could 
maintain the good relationship enjoyed with the TS 
under current DG Rogelio Pfirter.  Rahamimoff-Honig 
explicitly noted that the Israeli position 
regarding ratification of the Convention has not 
changed and is unlikely to do so anytime soon. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Rahmimoff-Honig asked several questions 
about the 2012 deadline for destruction of chemical 
weapons (CW) stockpiles, specifically inquiring how 
the Organization will manage the possibility of 
missing the deadline.  Mikulak gave an update on 
the status of destruction and conversations within 
the Organization, and he stated that any 
accommodation beyond 2012 likely would involve a 
political compromise rather than amendments to the 
Convention. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
INDIA: CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION ON INDUSTRY ISSUES 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) Delreps Clagett, Prather and Weekman met 
with Prajapati Trivedi (Head of the Indian National 
Authority) and Bijoy Chatterjee (a senior official 
in the Indian Department of Chemicals and 
Petrochemicals) to continue previous bilateral 
discussions on industry-related issues.  Weekman 
focused on chemical safety and security, 
highlighting three areas where member states could 
address the issue: posting data about chemical 
safety to the OPCW website, the proposed 
international chemical terrorism conference in 
Algeria, and a chemical safety meeting in the 
context of Article XI (economic and technological 
development).  The Indian delegation was very 
receptive to Weekman's ideas and indicated a 
Qreceptive to Weekman's ideas and indicated a 
 
 
 
willingness to host an Article XI-related workshop 
on chemical safety and security. 
 
¶6. (SBU) When Clagett shared U.S. views on 
including degradation mass spectra data in the OPCW 
Central Analytical Database (OCAD), the Indian 
delegation responded that degradation products must 
point to scheduled chemicals.  Clagett also talked 
about a chart he has developed to assess TS 
inspectors during industry inspections in the U.S.; 
the Indian delegation requested a copy of the chart 
for their use in evaluating the quality of TS 
inspectors.  The Indian delegation also stated 
their intention to conduct experimental sequential 
inspections with the TS and thanked the U.S. for 
the previously-provided non-paper on sequential 
inspections. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
ALGERIA: STILL PLANNING THE CHEMICAL SAFETY WORKSHOP 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶7. (SBU) On December 3, Delreps Smith and Weekman 
met with Algerian delegates Sid Ali Branci, Charg 
d'Affaires in The Hague, and Missoum Ramla from the 
National Authority in Algiers, to discuss the 
status of preparations for the proposed chemical 
terrorism conference in Algiers.  Weekman provided 
Branci, who arrived in The Hague over the summer, 
with a brief history of the proposal and the recent 
cable with proposed conference details (ref D). 
Branci stated that he had no new information or 
guidance from Algiers on the proposal. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Concerning costs, Weekman maintained as 
previously agreed that Algiers should cover most of 
the administrative costs with the U.S. funding the 
travel and per diem for around fifty participants 
through ISN/CTR's Chemical Security Engagement 
Program.  Branci expressed an interest in also 
obtaining funding from the European Union.  Branci 
agreed to follow up with Algiers to confirm 
Algerian support for the conference and to request 
the Algerian government coordinate with the African 
Center for the Study and Research Against Terrorism 
(CAERT) to host the conference and propose dates in 
the June 2010 timeframe.  Once these confirmations 
are made and there is a date to work against, 
detailed planning can begin. 
 
--------------------------------- 
VERIFICATION OF CONVERTERED CWPFS 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) Delreps Weekman and Prather attended a 
short-notice discussion on the United Kingdom's 
draft proposal on continued verification measures 
at converted chemical weapons production facilities 
ten years after conversion.  The meeting was 
chaired by Dutch Ambassador Lohman in his capacity 
as Vice-Chairperson for Destruction issues and 
attended by the representatives of the UK, Russia, 
South Korea, Germany, the TS, and the U.S.  The UK 
began the discussion by giving an overview of their 
"scorecard" approach to converted facilities 
inspections taking into account plant production. 
 
¶10. (U) Russia outlined problems with the proposal 
and stated they would not support a separate 
inspection mechanism for converted facilities. 
Russia further stated that a converted facility 
should be treated as a normal industrial facility 
Qshould be treated as a normal industrial facility 
under Article VI.  South Korea also stated they 
would not accept the UK proposal and will not 
accept a "separate mechanism." 
 
¶11. (U) Weekman stated that the U.S. was developing 
 
its position and still needed to assess the 
proposal.  Weekman stated that there was much 
history to this issue and that the Council would 
need to carefully consider, among other things, 
which facilities were of most concern.  This 
process would require some education of Council 
members.  Weekman opined that a risk-based approach 
made sense, and that issues such as the past 
history of the converted facility, its location and 
configuration within the existing plant site, and 
its capabilities all needed to be carefully 
considered in addition to its current production. 
 
¶12. (U) In response to a question on costs, the TS 
stated that increased expenses due to the 
additional converted facility inspections would be 
low to the OPCW.  The meeting concluded with the TS 
agreeing to work with Ambassador Lohman on a new 
draft proposal and then to sharing it with 
interested parties.  Consultations are expected to 
resume after the holiday period and prior to the 
February Executive Council meeting. 
 
¶13. (U) Action Request:  Del requests guidance on 
the UK proposal and, more broadly, a position on 
the verification and inspection regime for 
converted CWPFs ten years after their conversion. 
 
¶14. (U) BEIK SENDS. 
LEVIN