Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 04 MAY 2006 Message Text SECRET PAGE 01 STATE 017725 61 ORIGIN SS-25 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 SSO-00 026 R 66011 DRAFTED BY S S-O PKJOHNSON WLT APPROVED BY JCUNNINGHAM S S-O PKJOHNSON --------------------- 001316 O 232018Z JAN 76 ZFF4 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO CINCPAC NIACT IMMEDIATE S E C R E T STATE 017725 EXDIS MIL HANDLE AS SPECAT EXCLUSIVE POLAD FOR ASST SECRETARY HABIB AND AMBASSADOR SNEIDER FOLLOWING REPEAT SEOUL 0546 ACTION SECSTATE 23 JAN 76 DTG O 231520Z JAN 76 QUOTE S E C R E T SEOUL 0546 EXDIS DEPT PLS PASS CINCPAC FOR POLAD FOR ASST SECRETARY HABIB AND AMBASSADOR SNEIDER - CINCPAC HANDLE AS SPECAT EXCLUSIVE E O 11652 GDS TAGS MNUC PARM KS FR SUBJECT ROK NUCLEAR REPROCESSING REF SEOUL 0545 1 JAN 23 AFTERNOON SESSION WITH ROK REPS INVOLVED DISCUSSION OF SEPARATE DRAFTS OF SUMMARY RECORD OF DISCUSSION PREPARED BY EACH DELEGATION AND DECISION TO PROCEED ON BASIS OF US DRAFT FINAL AGREED TEXT TRANSMITTED REFTEL SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 STATE 017725 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 04 MAY 2006 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 04 MAY 2006 2 AS IS CLEAR FROM TEXT THERE IS CLEAR UNDERSTANDING ON PART OF ROK THAT STRENGTHENED COOPERATION IN FUTURE IS CONDITIONAL ON DECISION BY ROK TO CANCEL FRENCH REPROCESSING FACILITY AND THAT THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER US ROK DISCUSSION OF FUTURE COOPERATION UNLESS AND UNTIL DECISION TO CANCEL IS MADE WE ARE CONVINCED ON BASIS OF DISCUSSION WITH BOTH MINISTER CHOE AND DEPUTY PRIMIN NAM THAT AFFIRMATIVE RECOMMENDATION TO CANCEL WILL GO FORWARD TO PRESIDENT PARK SOONEST BUT WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT FINAL PRESIDENTIAL DECISION NOT YET MADE HOWEVER ALL INDICATIONS ARE THAT DECISION IS LIKELY TO BE MADE VERY PROMPTLY 3 TEXT CONFORMS CLOSELY TO US POSITION ON POTENTIAL AREAS FOR FUTURE COOPERATION AND ALL INDICATIONS OF SUCH COOPERATIVE AREAS ARE EXPRESSED IN GENERAL TERMS AND ARE BROADLY QUALIFIED MOST SIGNIFICANT DISCUSSION ON SUBSTANTIVE ISSUE AROSE WITH RESPECT TO EVENTUAL TRAINING RELATED TO REPROCESSING ROK REPS ARGUED FORCEFULLY THAT US WAS TAKING ILLOGICAL AND INEQUITABLE POSITION BY INSISTING ON CANCELLATION OF REPROCESSING FACILITY DESIGNED FOR TRAINING PURPOSES AND INSISTENCE THAT ROK RECEIVE ITS REPROCESSING SERVICES FROM MULTI-NATIONAL FACILITY WHILE WITHHOLDING ANY INDICATION OF ASSISTANCE THAT WOULD ALLOW ROK TO PARTICIPATE MEANINGFULLY IN SUCH ENTERPRISE ORIGINAL US FORMULATION INCLUDED STATEMENT SUPPORTING SUCH MEANINGFUL ROLE BUT OMITTED REFERENCE TO POSITIVE US TRAINING ASSISTANCE FORMULATION DEVELOPED AS RESULT DISCUSSIONS WITH ROK REPS TIES ANY US TRAINING HELP NOT ONLY TO US CAPABILITIES BUT TO ACTUAL ROK PARTICIPATION IN AGREED MULTI-NATIONAL ARRANGEMENT THUS TRAINING BECOMES ADDED INCENTIVE TO ROK TO PARTICIPATE IN MULTI-NATIONAL OPERATION AND CANNOT BE EMPLOYED AS STEP TO INDEPENDENT NATIONAL CAPABILITY FORMULA ALSO MAKES IT CLEAR THAT ANY TRAINING WILL BE PHASED TO CORRESPOND WITH SUCCESSIVE STEPS IN MULTILATERAL REPROCESSING PROJECT ITSELF ROK CLEARLY UNDERSTANDS WHAT IS MEANT BY OUR FORMULATION I E NO TRAINING OUTSIDE OF MULTI-NATIONAL CONTEXT 4 ROK UNDERSTANDS THAT BOTH TEXT AND US REPS ABILITY TO INITIAL ANY RECORD IS AD REFERENDUM SUBJECT TO DEPT'S APPROVAL INITIALLING IS SET-UP FOR 1000 HOURS SEOUL TIME JAN 24 FOR REASONS OUTLINED ABOVE AND IN MESSAGE REPORTING DISCUSSIONS SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 STATE 017725 WITH NAM EMBASSY AND US REPS BELIEVE THIS STEP IS BEST CHANCE TO SECURE EARLY ROK DECISION TO CANCEL WITHOUT COMMITTING OR IMPLYING INAPPROPRIATE US COOPERATION 5 CANADIAN AMBASSADOR INFORMED CHARGE EVENING JAN 23 THAT CANADIAN CABINET HAD AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE OF AGREEMENT RE CANDU SALE PROVIDED ROKG RESPONDS POSITIVELY TO CANADIAN REQUEST FOR ASSURANCE THAT ROK WILL NOT PURSUE ACQUISITION OF FRENCH Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 04 MAY 2006 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 04 MAY 2006 REPROCESSING FACILITY AMBASSADOR SAID THAT WHEN HE PASSED THIS INFORMATION TO FONMIN JAN 23 LATTER INFORMED HIM THAT HE COULD EXPECT RESPONSE BY 1100 JAN 24 TIMING GIVEN CANADIAN AMBASSADOR SUGGESTS THAT ROK DECISION MAKING IS CLEARLY KEYED TO OUTCOME US DISCUSSIONS ERICSONLUNQUOTE SISCO SECRET NNN Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 04 MAY 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