Wikileaks - MXCVI

160882 7/7/2008 7:16 08CANBERRA683 Embassy Canberra CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN VZCZCXYZ0002 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHBY #0683 1890716 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 070716Z JUL 08 FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9812 INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 0387 RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS PRIORITY 0272 RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 1009 RUEHSL/AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA PRIORITY 0065 RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST PRIORITY 0289 RUEHUP/AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST PRIORITY 0266 RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN PRIORITY 1130 RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 1006 RUEHLJ/AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA PRIORITY 0081 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1831 RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY 1123 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 1305 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 2182 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1449 RUEHPG/AMEMBASSY PRAGUE PRIORITY 0506 RUEHRK/AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK PRIORITY 0198 RUEHRA/AMEMBASSY RIGA PRIORITY 0067 RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 1014 RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE PRIORITY 0069 RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA PRIORITY 0228 RUEHTL/AMEMBASSY TALLINN PRIORITY 0040 RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 2356 RUEHTI/AMEMBASSY TIRANA PRIORITY 0068 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 3106 RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS PRIORITY 0060 RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW PRIORITY 0836 RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 5367 RUEHVB/AMEMBASSY ZAGREB PRIORITY 0056 RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0666 RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 0807 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1942 C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000683

NOFORN SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR PM/WRA AND EAP/ANP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2018 TAGS: PARM, PREL, PHUM, MOPS, AS SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA ACTIVE SUPPORTER OF CCW CLUSTER MUNITIONS NEGOTIATIONS

Classified By: Political Counselor James F. Cole for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)

1. (C/NF) Australia's commitment to the CCW negotiations on cluster munitions was reaffirmed in a July 7 meeting with Dr. Ada Cheung, Director, Arms Control and Counter-Proliferation Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Dr. Cheung indicated that GOA officials met recently with representatives from the EU and reiterated to them the political importance of supporting the CCW efforts and seeking serious and solid results from those negotiations, despite the GOA's support for the Oslo Process agreed text on cluster munitions.

2. (C/NF) Dr. Cheung expressed concern that Russia will oppose the negotiated text and will conceal its opposition until the November CCW meeting. She pointed out that Russia has no domestic political or NGO pressures for action on cluster munitions and will approach the negotiations on a "what's in it for me?" basis. She opined that without anything at stake, Russia may simply flex their negotiating muscle and seek to delay final text negotiations until the November 2009 CCW Plenary. She also stated that invoking Article 8 of the CCW to implement this initiative would be polarizing and that it is important to avoid Russian blocking of the cluster munitions negotQtions. Dr. Cheung suggested that while China, Pakistan and India will not independently act, they may follow a Russian lead in opposing action. However, she also speculated that China, while under the international spotlight of the Olympics, may feel more pressure to be cooperative.

3. (SBU) Dr. Cheung also provided several interoperability scenarios under legal review with respect to Article 21 of the Oslo Process Convention on Cluster Munitions. The GOA continues to work with other like-minded countries such as Japan, Canada, and the UK on this review, and plan a full briefing to their Defence and Foreign Affairs Ministers by August 31, 2008.

4. (C/NF) On a separate issue, Dr. Cheung indicated that the GOA has modestly backed a proposal to increase staffing to a QGOA has modestly backed a proposal to increase staffing to a maximum of six people at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). She said this staffing level is required to handle the heavy UNODA administrative burden required under Protocol V.

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