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FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8334
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
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RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0018
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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 000193 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/19/2020 
TAGS: PREL PARM MNUC KACT KNNP MARR MCAP NATO CH
IR, PK, FR 
SUBJECT: U/S TAUSCHER'S MEETINGS WITH FRENCH OFFICIALS 
 
Classified By: DCM Mark Pekala, Reasons 1.4 (b), (d). 
 
¶1. (C/NF) SUMMARY: Under Secretary of State for Arms Control 
and International Security Ellen Tauscher's February 2 
meetings with French counterparts from the Elysee 
(presidency) and MFA included discussions of U.S. disarmament 
priorities, the NPT Review Conference (NPT RevCon), the 
Nuclear Security Summit, and missile defense.  Meeting 
separately with NSA-equivalent Jean-David Levitte, Presidency 
Strategic Affairs Advisor Francois Richier, and MFA Strategic 
Affairs Director Patrick Maisonnave, U/S Tauscher reassured 
the French that while "a world without nuclear weapons" is a 
sincere USG ambition, the United States will not move 
precipitously and will take allies' interests into account. 
U/S Tauscher discussed next steps on NPT RevCon preparations, 
including thinking creatively about outcomes and minimizing 
the threat of disruptive Egyptian behavior.  U/S Tauscher 
also clarified USG missile defense priorities, especially 
political support for territorial defense at the 2010 Lisbon 
NATO summit. END SUMMARY. 
 
----------------------------- 
MOVING FORWARD ON DISARMAMENT 
----------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) U/S Tauscher stressed to Levitte, Richier, and 
Maisonnave that the U.S. position on disarmament is not far 
from that of France.  President Obama's ambition for a world 
without nuclear weapons is sincere, but grounded in reality, 
and the United States will not act precipitously or 
jeopardize core French interests or our relationship.  U/S 
Tauscher added that disarmament language in coming 
international forums, such as the April Nuclear Security 
Summit and the May Review Conference for the Nuclear 
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT RevCon), is important to the 
United States.  However, the United States also wants a 
strong focus on non-proliferation.  Tauscher stressed that 
the USG wanted to work with France to strike the right 
balance between disarmament and nonproliferation.  The United 
States remains committed to an effective deterrent, and the 
President's recent budget proposal includes a significant 
increase for the maintaining of U.S. nuclear forces. 
Additionally, the forthcoming Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) 
will strengthen extended deterrence, focusing on the quality 
of the deterrent force rather than quantity. 
 
¶3. (S/NF) Expressing relief at the USG commitment to 
coordination with France, Richier and Maisonnave nevertheless 
both stressed the French commitment to its nuclear deterrent, 
and Richier said the French worry that any unwelcome changes 
to U.S. declaratory policy in the NPR could signal a U.S. 
intention to insert the same policies into the NATO Strategic 
Concept.  Richier noted that any such attempt could impact 
France's ability to integrate its nuclear forces into NATO. 
In such a situation they would have to declare their 
strategic forces totally independent.  U/S Tauscher responded 
that the French would not be surprised by the NPR because 
consultation would be ongoing, adding that the United States 
has no intention of acting unilaterally on nuclear issues in 
the NATO context.  Richier noted that France was working on a 
paper that looks at its nuclear policy.  As a result of their 
review, the GOF has concluded that their criteria for use are 
very limited. 
 
¶4. (S/NF) Levitte asked when the administration was planning 
on pushing for ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban 
Treaty (CTBT), as U.S. ratification would be key to Chinese 
ratification, the true French goal.  U/S Tauscher said that 
getting the post-START treaty ratified would be a first 
priority, but that discussions of CTBT would start soon, 
including an upcoming report by the National Academy of 
Sciences.  Levitte stated that only when the U.S. ratifies 
the CTBT will it be possible to put real pressure on the 
Chinese.  On a fissile material cutoff treaty (FMCT), Richier 
said the French have "reason to believe" that China has been 
pushing Pakistan to keep up its opposition to starting 
negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament, adding that 
Pakistan does not seem to care that it is isolated. 
 
----------------------- 
NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT 
----------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Richier and Maisonnave both reiterated France's 
position that the April Nuclear Security Summit in Washington 
should address radiological threats in addition to nuclear 
material.  They also expressed GOF opposition to language in 
the draft communique calling for a "world without nuclear 
 
PARIS 00000193  002 OF 003 
 
 
weapons."  U/S Tauscher suggested that while the United 
States would insist on having disarmament language in the 
communique, the formulation agreed to in the G8 statement 
from the July 2009 L'Aquila summit may allow consensus. 
(NOTE: "We are...committed to...creating the conditions for a 
world without nuclear weapons, in accordance with the goals 
of the NPT". END NOTE.)  Richier and Maisonnave agreed that 
France could accept this language.  They did note their 
concern that it may be difficult for all 44 countries invited 
to the Nuclear Security Summit to agree to this language, 
since some are not NPT members. 
 
---------- 
NPT REVCON 
---------- 
 
¶6. (S/NF) Richier and Maisonnave agreed with U/S Tauscher's 
analysis that Egyptian FM Aboul-Gheit will, if unchecked, 
work to undermine the RevCon with an aggressive posture on 
the Middle East Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (NWFZ) resolution. 
U/S Tauscher outlined ongoing U.S. efforts to gain consensus 
language on the NWFZ, but underlined the need to contemplate 
a more forward-leaning strategy.  She suggested considering 
possible phone calls from Presidents Obama and Sarkozy 
directly to Egyptian President Mubarak in the mid-March 
timeframe to sensitize the Egyptian president to the 
importance of the RevCon in strengthening the NPT and the 
unhelpful role the Egyptian MFA is playing.  The French 
agreed on the likely need to elevate the issue beyond 
Aboul-Gheit.  In this context, U/S Tauscher also brainstormed 
with the French on a final "package deal" that could be 
offered to the Egyptians, including new consensus language on 
a NWFZ, a conference on civilian nuclear power in the Middle 
East, and/or pushing Israel to accept CTBT. (NOTE: The latter 
two were uncleared, spontaneous French suggestions. END 
NOTE.)  U/S Tauscher said that, if Egypt is still not willing 
to budge, it may be worth finding other Non-Aligned Movement 
states that could be separated from Egypt with promises of 
assistance that Egypt would no longer receive. 
 
¶7. (C) Levitte said that progress on Middle East peace prior 
to the RevCon would help greatly in creating a constructive 
atmosphere, adding that he would pursue discussions on this 
linkage at the February 5-7 Munich Security Conference. 
 
¶8. (C) Richier suggested that, in the absence of an 
acceptable and substantive final document, it may be possible 
to capitalize on other events prior to the RevCon, including 
the September UN Security Council summit, the Nuclear 
Security Summit, and the March OECD-hosted civilian nuclear 
energy conference in Paris.  Richier said it may be worth 
looking into how to repackage the positive results achieved 
or expected at these events in a statement or document at the 
RevCon that acknowledges their importance in strengthening 
the NPT. 
 
---- 
IRAN 
---- 
 
¶9. (C) Levitte said that the French ambassador in Tehran 
believes that there is a growing split between the population 
and the regime that may be irreparable.  The Iranian 
population thinks that action against the regime by the 
international community is good and France believes that it 
is important to support publicly those protesters taking to 
the street.  Levitte noted that he had talked to Iranian 
Foreign Minister Mottaki in Davos, Switzerland, in an attempt 
to get the Iranians to accept the Tehran Research Reactor 
Deal.  Mottaki stated that Iran had "new ideas" but did not 
provide any details.  Levitte stated that Iran was counting 
on tension between Washington and Beijing. 
 
--------------- 
MISSILE DEFENSE 
--------------- 
 
¶10. (C/NF) Levitte said the GOF is in the early stages of an 
interagency review on missile defense (MD).  According to 
him, the "old guard" sees MD as a threat to France's nuclear 
deterrent, but he added that President Sarkozy has publicly 
stated that MD is in fact a welcome complement to deterrence. 
 France has no money for a NATO system, but would be happy to 
contribute specific capabilities.  He added that President 
Sarkozy would not see specific proposals on the way forward 
for several weeks.  Richier added that the more details the 
United States can provide on its own plans, the easier it is 
to "arbitrate between different factions" in the French 
 
PARIS 00000193  003 OF 003 
 
 
government.  In the NATO context, Maisonnave's deputy and 
NATO specialist Muriel Domenach said France's concerns about 
funding required for MD were amplified by its judgment that 
the costs for programs approved for common funding inevitably 
seem to rise after approval is given. 
 
¶11. (C) U/S Tauscher and DAS Frank Rose clarified that the 
U.S. Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) was the U.S. national 
contribution to a NATO system, and that the USG would provide 
all funding.  U/S Tauscher stressed that the main U.S. 
priority was to gain political support at the head of state 
level for making territorial MD a NATO mission at the 2010 
NATO summit in Lisbon.  Tauscher noted that the United States 
wants NATO's Active Layered Theater Ballistic Missile Defense 
(ALTBMD) to provide the backbone to the Phased Adaptive 
Approach but that we would not make the Lisbon Summit a 
donors' conference. 
 
------------ 
OTHER ISSUES 
------------ 
 
¶12. (C) On the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) 
Treaty, Maisonnave noted that the French government believes 
that the Treaty is dead.  But, paradoxically, everyone 
believes it is a good treaty and there is no consensus on how 
to move forward.  Germany, for example, does not believe it 
is dead.  The French believe that it would be better to take 
a Vienna Document-type approach to achieve some of the 
objectives of the CFE Treaty. 
 
¶13. (C) Both Richier and Maisonnave raised the issue of the 
EC-151 Eurocopter.  Richier noted that France classified it 
as a civilian helicopter.  The French were concerned that the 
U.S. review on this issue continued to be postponed.  U/S 
Tauscher agreed to look into this matter.  She noted that a 
visit to the French factory was to occur soon and promised to 
get back to the French as soon as possible. 
RIVKIN