INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Nuclear Suppliers Group: Canada Will Join

Published: Thu 4 Dec 2008 08:08 PM
VZCZCXRO8795
PP RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHMT RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #1519 3392015
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 042015Z DEC 08 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8814
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNNSG/NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP PRIORITY
UNCLAS OTTAWA 001519
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
ISN/NESS FOR R. DELABARRE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PARM ENRG ETTC KNNP CA
SUBJECT: NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP: CANADA WILL JOIN
CONSENSUS ON ENR
REF: STATE 126581
1. (SBU) Canada will join consensus on the U.S. proposal for
strengthening Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) control of
transfers of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) equipment and
technology, according to Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade (DFAIT) non-proliferation senior policy
advisor Che van Haastrecht. Van Haastrecht said that he had
been instructed to pass on the "high level of appreciation by
senior levels of DFAIT" over U.S. flexibility in taking into
account Canadian concerns in the original proposal. Although
he described the current draft proposal as "not perfect" and
containing "a certain amount of ambiguity," van Haastrecht
said it does meet Canada's needs from economic and
non-proliferation points of view. Canada is drafting a
letter for the NSG Consultative Group chair to make its
agreement formal and to lay out its understanding of how the
U.S. proposal will operate, according to van Haastrecht. He
added that Canada originally had concerns about sections 7
(b) and (c), with the latter being the predominant concern.
Van Haastrecht also expressed keen interest in the reactions
of key capitals, including Moscow, Brasilia, Buenos Aires,
Pretoria, and the EU.
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada
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