Cablegate: Combatting Nuclear Terrorism: Polish Mfa

VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWR #1259 3031727
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291727Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7233

UNCLAS WARSAW 001259

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

ISN/WMDT FOR BRIAN LEWIS AND MEGGEN WATT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MCAP PARM PINR PINS PREL PTER PL
SUBJECT: COMBATTING NUCLEAR TERRORISM: POLISH MFA
CONSIDERING HOSTING EXERCISE PLANNING GROUP IN 2010

REF: A. A. STATE 113280
B. B. WARSAW 001199

1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MFA) indicated that it might host Exercise Planning Group
(EPG) activities of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism in 2010, but could not do so in 2009 due to
internal staffing concerns. END SUMMARY.

2. (SBU) Poloff delivered ref A demarche on October 29 to
Szymon Bochenski, who is responsible for nuclear
proliferation issues at the MFA's Security Policy Department.
According to Bochenski, the MFA was already considering
whether it could host EPG activities in 2010 and will notify
us when a decision is made. Bochenski said the MFA was
unable to host EPG activities next year because the Ministry
was struggling with Global Initiative staffing requirements
(ref B) and was organizing a European regional meeting under
the auspices of the Proliferation Security Initiative in
Spring 2009. The MFA is also in the planning stages of
organizing a seminar on non-proliferation issues in Fall
2009, but Bochenski was reluctant to disclose details at this
early stage.

3. (SBU) Bochenski indicated that the MFA would not be able
to participate in the EPG meeting in Virginia on November
13-14 because the session conflicts with a NATO weapons of
mass destruction (WMD) seminar in Berlin. He noted, however,
that the MFA staff found the Global Initiative web portal to
be extremely useful, especially in tracking EPG developments.
Bochenski emphasized that he will host an inter-agency
briefing within the next week to inform counterparts of the
work of the Global Initiative.

4. (SBU) On a related note, Bochenski told PolOff that Lukasz
Zielinski, head of the MFA's WMD non-proliferation division,
planned to participate in the Missile Technology Control
Regime Plenary in Canberra in early November. Zielinski will
be accompanied by a Ministry of Defense (MOD) missile expert
and a colonel from MOD's international security policy
department.
ASHE

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