Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 Message Text SECRET PAGE 01 PARIS 33448 231221Z 41 ACTION SS-25 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 SSO-00 026 W --------------------- 005037 R 231200Z DEC 75 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6322 INFO AMEMBASSY OTTAWA AMEMBASSY SEOUL AMEMBASSY TOKYO USMISSION IAEA VIENNA S E C R E T PARIS 33448 EXDIS E O 11652 GDS TAGS TECH FR KS SUBJECT ROK NUCLEAR REPROCESSING PLANS REF STATE 298094 1 IN COURSE OF GENERAL DISCUSSIONS ON INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR ISSUES WITH EMBOFF ON DECEMBER 22 MFA SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS DIRECTOR DE NAZELLE MADE FOLLOWING COMMENTS ON THIS SUBJECT 2 FRANCE APPRECIATED FRANK PRESENTATION BY US ON ITS APPROACH TO ROK AND US EFFORTS TO KEEP FRENCH INFORMED DE NAZELLE HAD NOT RECEIVED THE REPORT FROM FRENCH EMBASSY COVERED BY REFTEL EMBOFF BRIEFLY REVIEWED CONTENTS OF REFTEL 3 ON THE SUBJECT OF A REGIONAL REPROCESSING PLANT DE NAZELLE NOTED THAT THE JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER WAS VISITING PARIS DURING THE WEEK OF DEC 22 AND HE WAS CONSIDERING INFORMALLY RAISING THE SUBJECT WITH THE JAPANESE DURING THIS VISIT EMBOFF INDICATED THAT USG FAVORED CONSIDERATION OF SUCH A PROPOSAL TO INCLUDE ROK NEEDS AND RAISING THE MATTER WITH THE JAPANESE SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 PARIS 33448 231221Z DE NAZELLE INDICATED THAT HE WOULD PROBABLY EXPLORE THE Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 MATTER WITH THE JAPANESE AND ADVISE EMBOFF ON THE RE' SULTS 4 DE NAZELLE REITEREATED HIS BELIEF THAT THE ROK WAS COMMITTED TO DEVELOPING A NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY HE AGAIN STATED THAT THE FRENCH MANUFACTURER AWAITED APPROVAL BY THE GOF TO PROCEED WITH THE REPROCESSING PLANT AND THAT THE GOF WOULD NOT MAKE A DECISION ON THE MATTER UNTIL AFTER US HAD FINISHED ITS EFFORTS TO DISSUADE THE ROK FROM PURCHASING THE PLANT IN RESPONSE TO THE DIRECT QUESTION AS TO WHETHER THE GOF WOULD PROCEED WITH THE PLANT IF THE ROK DECIDED TO BUILD THE PLANT DE NAZELLE SAID THAT FRANCE WAS NOT PREPARED AT THIS POINT TO HAVE ITS CONTRACTOR PROCEED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PLANT BUT THAT THIS DID NOT CONSTITUTE A FIRM DECISION BY THE GOF NOT TO PROCEED WITH THE PLANT 5 ALTHOUGH HE DID NOT GIVE A SPECIFIC FIGURE DE NAZELLE AGAIN NOTED THAT THE DOWNPAYMENT BY THE ROK TO THE FRENCH CONTRACTOR FOR THE REPROCESSING PLANT WAS NOT A SIGNIFICANT SUM HE NOTED THAT IF THE GOF STOPPED THE CONTRACT THERE WOULD PROBABLY BE A SUIT FILED AGAINST THE GOF BY THE FRENCH CONTRACTOR TO RECOUP THE DOWNPAYMENT IF THE ROK STOPS THE CONTRACT THE DOWNPAYMENT WOULD BE FORFEITED AND PRESUMABLY THERE WOULD BE NO COURT ACTION IN ADDITION DE NAZELLE NOTED THAT THE FRENCH REPUTATION WOULD BE LESS WORN IF THE ROK STOPPED THE CONTRACT GAMMON SECRET NNN Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006                     National Security Archive    Suite 701  Gelman Library  The George Washington University    2130 H Street  NW  Washington  D C  20037    Phone  202 994‐7000  Fax  202 994‐7005  nsarchiv@gwu edu