Pages 38-39 from FCO 151_47 - centrifuge export controls and multilateral discussions

This document is a summary of the multilateral meeting on centrifuge export controls that took place on September 16. The progress made at the meeting is considered satisfactory, although some participants, such as Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, and Japan, still have reservations about the use of the Zangger Committee and the strength of Article III 2(b) of the NPT as the basis for the exercise. However, they recognize the political need for the exercise. Work is still ongoing to find agreeable language for the new controls, and a new draft will be circulated to participating countries soon. It was decided that further meetings in this format would have limited use, and it was proposed to hold an early meeting of the Zangger Committee in Vienna in mid- to late November. To avoid public debate about the NPT, one more informal meeting will be held before the Zangger Committee meeting. The new draft controls will be circulated as a working paper to all members of the Zangger Committee, and a meeting with the Soviet Union is planned for October 23.