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