VZCZCXYZ0005
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHBY #0198 0580609
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 270609Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9091
INFO RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1414
C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000198
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR ISN/CB A.SOUZA AND EAP
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2018
TAGS: PARM PREL ETTC AS
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA GROUP: PLENARY INFORMATION EXCHANGE AND
POTENTIAL PROBLEM WITH PARIS PLENARY REF: STATE 16112 Classified By: Political Counselor James F. Cole for reasons
1.4(b),(d) .
1.(SBU) Polmiloff provided the general and Australia-specific points in reftel to Michael Kourteff, Acting Director for
Counter-Proliferation, and Alexandra Jones, Executive Officer, Counter-Proliferation Section, Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade, on February 27. (The delay in delivery of the demarche resulted partly from the unavailability of key
DFAT interlocutors as well as the demands of the U.S.-Australia Ministerial (AUSMIN) consultations.)
2.(C) Kourteff and Jones promised a response by February 29, readily agreeing to our request that our efforts to promote
bilateral exchanges detailed elsewhere in reftel not be circulated as part of an official AG document.
3.(C) Jones flagged a possible problem with the April 14-18 AG Plenary. The Australian Mission in Paris had telephoned
that morning to report that French President Sarkozy had just "commandeered" the AG venue during the mid-April period.
While Australia hopes that the French government will identify a new venue, Jones said, if it does not, the GOA may need
to reach out to other diplomatic missions in Paris, including the U.S. Embassy, for help with finding a substitute venue
for the expected 200 attendees.
MCCALLUM