UAE press on El Baradei, Iran nukes

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 003078 SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/UNP, NP, AND NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/07/2014 TAGS: KNNP IAEA IR TC SUBJECT: UAE press on El Baradei, Iran nukes Classified by Ambassador Michele Sison, reasons 1.4 (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Iran's nuclear program received an unusual amount of attention in the press this week, with an exclusive interview with IAEA Chief Dr. Mohamed El Baradei in one newspaper, and a strong editorial endorsement of Iran's decision to go on a diplomatic offensive about its nuclear intentions in another. Absent from this coverage is the official voice of the UAEG, although we know from private discussions with senior Emirati officials that they view Iran's nuclear program with deep concern and have consistently supported a tough approach by the IAEA. End Summary. El Baradei assesses Iran's case -------------- ¶2. (U) In an exclusive interview with the Arabic language, Dubai-based "Al Bayan" newspaper on September 7, IAEA Chief Mohamed El Baradei compared Iran's failure to submit to the agency sufficient information about its nuclear program to the IAEA's earlier experience with Iraq. This raised doubts about Iran's credibility and intentions, he said. Iran felt it was justified in not complying with the IAEA because it feared sanctions against it, El Baradei said, adding that the IAEA wanted to verify that Iran's activities were for peaceful purposes. Iran subsequently decided to cooperate fully with the IAEA and entered into an agreement with the UK, France and Germany, which had demanded greater transparency on the Iranians' part. ¶3. (U) El Baradei said IAEA and Iran want to solve the crisis over Iran's nuclear program, especially in light of information the agency has about Iran, and he predicted a normalization of relations between Iran, the IAEA, and the Europeans. He told "Al Bayan," a business-oriented publication, that he hopes Iran will continue to cooperate in a transparent fashion, and that that will in turn build trust and allow the IAEA to declare that the Iranian nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes. El Baradei's meetings in Washington -------------- ¶4. (U) El Baradei also talked about his meetings in Washington that included the President and NSA Rice, and said there is still a conviction in the Administration that Iran's program includes a military component. He said the IAEA does not have any evidence to support this. "We cannot confirm or deny that," he said. Inspections need time, patience -------------- ¶5. (U) El Baradei told "Al Bayan" that his agency learned from the Iraq case that inspections operations need time and patience. "We should not be hasty in our conclusions," he said. The IAEA cares that its reports are based on facts only and not rely on assumptions because the issue involves war or peace. Iran wins praise for diplomacy -------------- ¶6. (U) Meanwhile, a Dubai-based newspaper praised Iran's diplomatic decision to go to European capitals to defend its nuclear program. Iran's diplomatic "offensive" is a "welcome change" that deserves support, according to an editorial on September 7 in the privately owned "Khaleej Times." The editorial called the development "a clear break from the past when Iran cared little about its image and did little to fight back when attacked in Western media." However, the newspaper still gave Iran low marks overall, noting that the Islamic republic "is still run in a totalitarian fashion and continues to be hopelessly backward. Its leaders live in a world of their own without the faintest idea how the rest of the world views them and their country." Comment: -------------- ¶7. (C) We do not believe that the editorial on Iran in the "Khaleej Times" with its bold mix of praise and criticism reflects official UAEG opinion. The UAEG's practice is to levy criticism against Iran in private. (End Comment.) SISON