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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ZAGREB 000476
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: HR NATO PREL UNGA
SUBJECT: REGIONAL SEMINAR IMPLEMENTING UNSCR 1540 IN EUROPE
1. SUMMARY. The first UNSCR 1540 seminar held in Europe
since UNSCR 1810,s adoption in April 2008 took place on June
5-6, 2008, in Rakitje, Croatia. Croatia and Romania hosted
the workshop, entitled "United Nations Security Resolution
1540: A Path for Further Implementation," in cooperation with
the NATO International Staff and the Regional Arms Control
Verification and Implementation Assistance Center (RACVIAC).
RACVIAC provides arms control training, promotes confidence
building and security measures, and seeks to broaden
cooperation in South Eastern Europe. A total of 43
participants from 10 States, several international and
regional organizations, and states from outside the region
participated in the workshop.
2. The workshop,s focus was on increasing the level of
reporting as well as preparing states for implementation,
encouraging participating states to increase their commitment
to UNSCR 1540,s obligations, and discussing UNSCR 1810,s
shift in emphasis from reporting to implementation. Romanian
and Croatian participants gave comprehensive briefings on
their efforts to enact export control laws consistent with EU
standards. As evidenced by their hosting of this seminar,
both countries are focused on strengthening security
cooperation in the region and used the event to highlight
their regional leadership role. END SUMMARY.
Europe,s First Regional Forum
-------------------------
3. As the first regional forum held in Europe since the
April 2008 adoption of UNSCR 1810, the workshop served as a
forum for states in the region to focus on the UNSCR 1540
reporting and implementation measures reiterated in UNSCR
1810, which extended the work of the 1540 Committee for three
years. The workshop had five sessions: Session I - Building
the government structure to coordinate national
implementation of UNSCR 1540; Session II - Creating
synergy--international tools and recommendations to support
UNSCR 1540 implementation; Sessions III and IV - Capacity
building--strengthening national legal framework and
institutions; Session V - regional ownership and
international support for implementation. (NOTE: Tom Wuchte
of ISN/CPI, the U.S. 1540 Coordinator, has a copy of the
slides from all of the presentations.)
4. In opening remarks speaking on behalf of the UN 1540
Committee, Mr. Toma Galli, First Secretary of Croatia,s UN
delegation reminded participants that implementation of
Resolution 1540 (2004) is a long-term and continual process
beginning with submission of a report; there was a continuing
need to exchange experiences on the priority assigned to the
issue of weapons of mass destruction; concrete challenges
exist with reporting by smaller or less-developed states with
respect to the implementation of the resolution; and the UN
Office of Disarmament Affairs (ODA) remained firmly committed
to furthering international disarmament and non-proliferation
instruments by working with the 1540 Committee. Speakers from
Norway and the United States reinforced these themes and
talked about how UNSCR 1810 gave support for national action
plans as the best way forward and how regional efforts are
vital to strengthen 1540 implementation. Delegations welcomed
the U.S. explanation on ways to obtain technical assistance.
The participating UN experts were effective in explaining the
value of reporting and encouraged states to post their
national action plans and matrices on the UN website.
5. During the second session, speakers from international
organizations pointed out how adherence and strong
implementation of UNSCR 1540 is complementary to and
strengthens other global nonproliferation regimes, including
the Australia Group, the Missile Technology Control Regime,
and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The web of
constraints of all of these regimes works in concert to
mitigate proliferant behavior. During the capacity building
sessions, speakers from Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and
Turkey gave detailed briefings on their comprehensive and
largely successful efforts to pass export control laws and
other legislation required to conform with EU model export
control legislation. Although the representative from Serbia
did not give a presentation, Dragana Mladenovic of the
Serbian MFA noted that this workshop had been particularly
ZAGREB 00000476 002 OF 002
useful as Serbia is beginning early work on taking steps to
join all of the nonproliferation regimes. She indicated that
what Serbia learned at the workshop would clarify the scope
of the effort that will be required, and that they had met
the right people from the region who can help them.
6. The following countries sent representatives to the
workshop: Australia, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Greece,
Italy, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, and the U.S. The UN
1540 Committee, the EU, the IAEA, and the NATO International
Staff also participated.
7. Possibilities for useful follow-up to this seminar would
be for other attending governments to host similar regional
workshops in coordination with the 1540 Committee and
like-minded states focusing on:
-- Implementation of anti-proliferation financing best
practices;
-- Leveraging private sector resources/expertise regarding
1540 and through the increased emphasis in the 1540 Committee
via 1810;
-- Determining value-added role of Interpol,s contribution
to the effort to combat the biological weapon threat;
-- Case studies in operational 1540 cooperation;
-- How to best garner political support in establishing a
NATO Trust Fund, or other regional financial and in-kind
contributions, to build national/regional 1540 technical
capacity.
Bradtke