SPAIN: ELBARADEI TELLS PALACIO IAEA SHOULD MOVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000635

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE (J. ZIMMERMAN AND M. JOSLIN) AND
NP/RA (P. LAIDLAW)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2014
TAGS: PARM PGOV PREL PTER SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN: ELBARADEI TELLS PALACIO IAEA SHOULD MOVE
CAUTIOUSLY ON IRAN


Classified By: Political Counselor Kathleen M. Fitzpatrick,
reasons 1.4(B) and (D).


1. (C) Poloff queried Guillermo Kirkpatrick, the Foreign
Ministry's Deputy Director General for Disarmament, about
Minister Palacio's February 19 meeting with IAEA Director
General ElBaradei in Vienna. Kirkpatrick said ElBaradei told
Palacio he was extremely happy with Libya's cooperation with
the IAEA. ElBaradei said it would be difficult for Libya to
be more cooperative.


2. (C) The situation with Iran was more worrisome.
ElBaradei wants to proceed slowly and cautiously with Iran,
so Iran does not feel threatened and turn into another North
Korea. He emphasized that where Libya has "locked up" and
made available for inspection its nuclear program equipment,
Iran has only suspended its enrichment activities. Iran's
nuclear program is far more developed than Libya's and could
be restarted at any moment. It will be important, said
ElBaradei, not to provoke Iran, but rather to coax it into
cooperating with the international community and eventually
abandoning its program.


MANZANARES