Cablegate: Mofat Responds Favorably to Global Initiative To

VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUL #0550 0570813
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 260813Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3047
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2080
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2191
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 7830
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0391
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J5 SEOUL KOR
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//OSD/ISA/EAP//
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J2 SEOUL KOR
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0072
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA SCJS SEOUL KOR
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SEOUL 000550

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR ISN/WMDT AND T: TIM KATSAPIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PTER PARM PINR PINS KNNP MCAP KS
SUBJECT: MOFAT RESPONDS FAVORABLY TO GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO
COMBAT NUCLEAR TERRORISM

REF: A. STATE 21284

B. SEOUL 406

1. (SBU) On February 26, POL M/C and Russian DCM Alexander
Timonin delivered ref A points encouraging the ROKG to
participate in the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism to Song Young-wan, MOFAT's Director-General for
International Organizations. Song agreed that the Initiative
was important and underlined that Seoul shared the objective
of preventing nuclear terrorism, a goal that no country could
achieve alone. He said that the ROKG was doing all it could
to protect its nuclear facilities and to prevent illicit
nuclear proliferation. The ROKG was conducting an
inter-Agency review to consider endorsing the Statement of
Principles. MOFAT expected the Blue House to make its
official determination after relevant ministries, including
the Ministry of Science and Technology, presented their
opinions in March. Song expressed his personal hope that the
ROKG would participate in the third meeting of the Initiative
in Kazakhstan in June.

2. (SBU) Song reiterated ROKG requests (ref B) that the
ROKG, as a potential partner country, be given a readout of
the February 12-13 meeting in Turkey, which he said would aid
ROKG deliberations. POL M/C provided the Joint Statement of
the Co-Chairmen to the Second Meeting and offered to pass
more information when it became available.
VERSHBOW

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