CANADA ON IAEA DG EL BARADEI'S VISIT TO IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 000533 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2013 TAGS: KNNP PREL PARM IR CA SUBJECT: CANADA ON IAEA DG EL BARADEI'S VISIT TO IRAN REF: STATE 46864 Classified By: Political Counselor Mary Witt, Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Canada shares our strong concerns over Iran's nuclear program (reftel),and will continue pushing for a tough approach to Tehran by the IAEA. Terry Wood, Foreign Affairs Deputy Director for Non-Proliferation, told us on February 21 that Canada believes Iran is technically in breach of its safeguards agreement. Wood agreed with virtually all of the arguments laid out in reftel, and said that the point about Iran being the only affected country failing to declare new facilities was particularly useful. Canadian officials in Tehran and in Vienna are closely following El Baradei's visit to Iran. ¶2. (C) Wood said that if Iran were to now declare all of its facilities, including pilot enrichment experiments, then that would be a significant step forward. But if Iran was serious about being taken at its word, he continued, it would have come forward long ago to address international concerns. Wood said that the IAEA safeguards operation division that covers Iran is also responsible for Canada, and that this division is well informed on what Iran is doing. He observed that El Baradei was trying to do whatever he could to get Iran to come clean, even suggesting that Iran report undeclared material to the IAEA Board as a minor irregularity. ¶3. (C) Wood assured us that Canada will take every opportunity to press Iran on this issue, both bilaterally and multilaterally. He noted that Iran is closely following the IAEA's approach to North Korea, and that Canada had Iran in mind, too, as it pushed for IAEA action on the DPRK. CELLUCCI