VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTC #0029/01 0151619
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151619Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3654
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 000029 
 
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 OPCW CWC
SUBJECT: CWC: WRAP-UP FOR WEEK ENDING JANUARY 15, 2010 
 
REF: A. THE HAGUE 21 
     ¶B. 09 THE HAGUE 755 
 
This is CWC-03-09. 
 
¶1. (U) This includes an action request: see para 
¶12. 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) As delegations return to The Hague from 
the long holidays, work at the Organization for the 
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is picking 
up speed.  The Western European and Others Group 
(WEOG) held its first meeting of the year on 
January 12.  Delreps called on Executive Council 
(EC) Chairman Jorge Lomonaco (Mexico) (reported 
separately in Ref A) on January 12 and on WEOG Vice 
Chairman Pieter de Savornin Lohman (Netherlands) on 
January 13 to discuss current issues, including the 
future WEOG Chairperson of the EC and upcoming 
consultations on the 2012 destruction deadline and 
"situations unforeseen" by the Chemical Weapons 
Convention (CWC).  German Ambassador Werner Burkart 
invited Delreps as well as the French and British 
Deputy PermReps to a Quad lunch to discuss these 
and other topics on January 15. 
 
¶3. (SBU) TDY Delreps met with visiting Iraqi 
technical experts and the Technical Secretariat 
(TS) to discuss Iraq's initial declaration and 
destruction planning on January 13-14 (to be 
reported by septel).  TDY Delreps also met with TS 
staff privately to discuss Libya's progress toward 
construction of its weapons destruction facility at 
Rabta (detailed below). 
 
----------------- 
THE NEXT EC CHAIR 
----------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) During the first WEOG meeting of the new 
year on January 12, Coordinator Ruth Surkau 
(Germany) opened discussion on selection of the 
next Chairman of the Executive Council.  Working 
his way through the ten EC members from the WEOG, 
German Ambassador Burkart noted that three WEOG 
ambassadors (Canada, Denmark and Germany) will 
leave during the summer and could not take up the 
position.  Three other countries (the U.S., as a 
possessor state, Turkey, given that the incoming 
Director-General is Turkish, and Spain, which 
currently holds the rotating EU presidency) likely 
would be unable to take on the role due to 
potential conflicts of interest.  Burkart concluded 
that the chair could come from one of the four 
remaining countries (France, Italy, Luxembourg and 
the UK). 
 
¶5. (SBU) UK Delegate Karen Wolstenholme said that 
London was interested in the possibility of 
splitting the chairmanship between countries and 
wanted to know if there were any precedent to do so 
and whether WEOG would consider the option.  Dutch 
Ambassador Lohman immediately responded that WEOG, 
as one of the pillars of the OPCW, has a 
responsibility to find a year-long solution of one 
ambassador to fill the role.  Spanish Ambassador 
Prat y Coll agreed, noting that the four 
possibilities all come from the EU and that it 
reflect poorly on both the EU and WEOG if one of 
them couldn't take up the chairmanship; he opined 
that the burden for the next EC Chair will be much 
less than for the current Chair (Mexican Ambassador 
Lomonaco).  Surkau proposed that Burkart continue 
consulting with ambassadors and reach agreement 
among the ten WEOG EC members before reporting back 
to the whole WEOG for the group's approval. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Delreps Beik and Granger met with Dutch 
Ambassador Lohman on January 13, who provided his 
insight into the selection of the next EC Chairman. 
According to Lohman, the EU will sort out 
internally between the four possible ambassadors. 
Lohman thinks that UK Ambassador Arkwright is most 
qualified and would be a strong Chair, but 
Arkwright categorically has stated that he does not 
want the position.  Lohman considered French 
Ambassador Blarel the next best choice, but is 
concerned that he would not be well advised by his 
new deputy.  Luxembourg Ambassador Hoscheit has 
experience in the UN Security Council, but a tiny 
staff.  Lohman thought that Hoscheit might be 
persuaded to take the job, and said the Dutch might 
be able to provide some support for his time as 
Chairman under Benelux cooperation.  Luxembourg 
traded its term on the Council with Belgium, who 
will hold the rotating European Union Presidency in 
the second half of 2010.  Lohman also thought it 
too early to rule out the Turkish Ambassador. 
While he agreed that a new Turkish Director-General 
and a Turkish EC Chair might be awkward, he thought 
it possible. 
 
¶7. (SBU) In the Quad lunch on January 15, UK 
Delegate Wolstenholme noted that London had ruled 
out her Ambassador taking the chairmanship, since 
the UK had chaired the working group for the Second 
Review Conference for 18 months, and the second 
delegate position had been slashed.  French 
Delegate Rabia did not comment on her Ambassador's 
availability.  German Ambassador Burkart noted that 
he had detected some interest when he met with the 
Luxembourg Ambassador, but that Hoscheit had 
declined on the excuse of limited staffing. 
Burkart plans to continue to pursue a candidate for 
this critical leadership post. 
 
----------------------- 
"SITUATIONS UNFORESEEN" 
----------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) During the WEOG meeting on January 12, 
Facilitator Michel Hurley (Ireland) started his 
update by noting that the TS suddenly has become 
seized with the issue.  Hurley has been working 
with Legal Advisor Onate on a paper to circulate in 
advance of his next consultation; he plans to 
circulate the paper and have a consultation in the 
second half of January and then meet again in 
February before the next EC session for a follow-up 
consultation on his paper.  Hurley said he is 
concerned with protecting the mandate given to him 
by the EC in October and keeping the consultation 
from being stretched in various directions. 
However, he indicated that the draft guidelines 
could be useful in considering Iraq's destruction 
of its chemical weapons (CW). 
 
¶9. (SBU) Italian Delegate Giuseppe Cornacchia 
questioned the title chosen for Hurley's 
consultations claiming that nothing is unforeseen 
in the Convention.  Cornacchia also raised concern 
with linking Hurley's consultation with Iraq, 
questioning the rationale for such a linkage. 
Delrep and UK Delegate Wolstenholme echoed 
Cornacchia's sentiments on not including Iraq in 
Hurley's consultation.  German Ambassador Burkart 
QHurley's consultation.  German Ambassador Burkart 
questioned the motivation for the TS inserting 
itself into the issue and also echoed Cornacchia's 
comments on the need for clarifying the title 
"unforeseen circumstances."  Spanish Ambassador 
Prat y Coll and Dutch Ambassador Lohman both voiced 
concern at provisions in the South African paper 
(circulated before Hurley's first consultation in 
November) to include Iraqi destruction of its 
declared CW stockpile as an "unforeseen situation." 
Hurley clarified that he is not including the terms 
or concepts of control and possession in his paper 
and that, as facilitator, he will guide discussions 
appropriately. 
 
¶10. (SBU) While meeting with Delreps on January 13, 
Dutch Ambassador Lohman opined that, in its draft 
paper, South Africa had exposed its true intentions 
of including Iraq in the discussion on "unforeseen 
circumstances".  Lohman also claimed that Hurley is 
under tremendous pressure from South African 
Ambassador Peter Goosen.  He then went on to 
express general concern with Goosen's attempts to 
sideline the TS and foment distrust, as well as 
Goosen's bullying of other African delegations into 
supporting South African positions and initiatives. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Facilitator Hurley phoned Delrep on 
January 15 and said he would be sending an advance 
copy of his draft paper by the end of the day, 
along with notes on his thinking (copy sent to 
ISN/CB).  Given the time remaining before the 
Executive Council, he will circulate the paper 
early the week of January 18, but welcomes 
feedback.  He expects lots of comments, both public 
and private, and will likely need to produce a 
second draft between his consultations (tentatively 
set for January 28 and February 11).  Delrep 
arranged to meet with Hurley on January 22 to 
discuss the draft paper (and any initial 
responses). 
 
¶12.  ACTION REQUEST:  Del requests feedback on the 
draft paper and guidance for the January 28 
consultation on this issue. 
 
------------- 
2012 DEADLINE 
------------- 
 
¶13. (SBU) As reported in Ref A, Delreps met with EC 
Chairman Lomonaco on January 12 to discuss his 
consultation on issues related to the 2012 
destruction deadline.  Delreps also discussed the 
issue with Dutch Ambassador Lohman on January 13. 
Lohman described Lomonaco's planned tact of 
focusing initially on practical considerations as a 
clever approach and said that Lomonaco should be 
supported.  While Lohman thought that Iran and 
others would not like the approach, he thought it 
was useful to move away from the debate on non- 
compliance and open up discussion of the future of 
the OPCW.  However, during the Quad lunch on 
January 15, German Ambassador Burkart instantly 
expressed doubts whether Lomonaco could 
successfully focus discussion away from the non- 
compliance issue, saying that discussion of 
practical considerations will be seen purely as a 
diversionary tactic. 
 
----------- 
TS ON LIBYA 
----------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) On January 12, TDY Delreps met with Horst 
Reeps, Director Verification Division, and Yaugen 
Ryzhykau, Senior Chemical Demilitarization Officer, 
to discuss Libyan progress on its conversion and 
destruction sites.  The last TS visit to Rabta was 
during June-July last year, where they found the 
Rabta destruction site "exceptionally clean" with 
no apparent construction.  The TS is operating 
under the assumption that the Rabta conversion was 
complete as of December 31, 2009, in accordance 
with Libyan obligations, and the next inspection to 
Qwith Libyan obligations, and the next inspection to 
certify conversion will be at the end of January or 
early February.  They will drive by the destruction 
site at that time and see what, if anything, is 
happening there, but will not be authorized to stop 
there. 
 
¶15. (SBU) For the Ruwagha storage facility, the TS 
conducted an inspection in December.  The 
inspection team saw no signs of construction 
activity on the burner or hydrolysis lagoons 
necessary for pinacolyl alcohol, isopropanol, 
thionyl chloride and phosphorus trichloride 
destruction.  The Libyans plan to start operations 
in late March at Ruwagha, but only "described on 
fingers" to the TS team how they were going to do 
it. 
 
¶16.  (SBU) The TS said the Rabta Destruction 
Facility Agreement and the general plan for 
destruction have not been modified to include the 
changes in category 2 destruction at Ruwagha.  On 
November 17, 2009, the TS sent a letter to the 
Libyan government requesting information.  The TS 
has received no response and will send a second 
letter next week. 
 
¶17. (SBU) Ryzhykau indicated that recently whenever 
the TS meets with the Libyans, particularly the 
Head of the National Authority (who is also 
commander of the chemical corps), they get 
political lectures about various topics ranging 
from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to Libya's 
not receiving proper support since it gave up its 
weapons of mass destruction. 
 
¶18. (SBU) DEL COMMENT:  When the delegation 
requested a meeting with the Libyan delegation 
during the TDY experts' visit the week of January 
11, the Libyan PermRep requested a non-paper to 
forward the request to Tripoli.  In the previous 
meeting (Ref B), we requested additional 
information from the Libyan government that has not 
been forthcoming. 
 
¶19. (U) BEIK SENDS. 
 
LEVIN