SLOVENIA ON IRAN RELATED BRIEFING

S E C R E T LJUBLJANA 000808

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/23/2015
TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL AORC SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA ON IRAN RELATED BRIEFING

REF: SECSTATE 209598

Classified By: Ambassador Thomas B. Robertson for Reasons 1.4(B,D)


1. (S) On November 23, DCM, C/SIMO, and PolMiloff delivered
reftel demarche and presentation to MFA Director for Policy
Planning and Multilateral Policy (A/S equivalent) Stanislav
Rascan, Security Department Head Stanislav Vidovic, and
Security Department staffer Rina Pavlin Gnidovec. During the
course of C/SIMO's presentation, Vidovic asked whether the
documents shown in the PowerPoint were from Iran, whether the
test facility pictured in the diagram was a detonation site
or a monitoring facility, and whether IC projections included
a timeline for completion of a usable nuclear weapon. C/SIMO
responded by noting the documents were from Iran, the diagram
featured in the presentation depicted a monitoring facility
10 km removed from the detonation site, and that no known
concrete timeline for weaponization existed. Vidovic also
asked whether it is the U.S. assessment that Iran is building
a nuclear weapon for defensive purposes or whether it has
aggressive intentions. C/SIMO underscored the possibility
that Iran could use a nuclear weapon preemptively, though it
might choose to do so through another state or non-state
organization.


2. (S) After the presentation, Rascan told us he had recently
returned from Brussels, where he had participated in a
discussion of Iran with other EU Political Directors. Rascan
noted that Slovenia does not have very deep knowledge about
what is happening inside Iran today, although it does
maintain a Mission in Tehran and is engaged in a political
dialogue at the level of State Secretary (NOTE: Due to a
recent reorganization of the Slovenian MFA, the State
Secretary position is now the equivalent of a Deputy FoMin.

SIPDIS
Rascan indicated the GOS was waiting to see whether political
consultations with Iran would now be elevated to the Deputy
FoMin level. He also noted that the current consultations
were mostly of an economic nature. END NOTE.) Rascan also
noted he had briefly served as Charge d'Affaires in Tehran in
2002, and had toured the country, including the towns of
Isfahan and Persepolis. Rascan noted that Iran's sheer size
and mountainous terrain made it easy to hide military
facilities and covert military operations.


3. (S) Rascan told us that Slovenia was being pushed by the
EU to take over chairmanship of the IAEA in 2005-06, to
represent the East European states. Rascan noted that the
only other contender for the position from Eastern Europe was
Belarus, which the EU would like to prevent from becoming
Chair. Finally, Vidovic asked a question from Security
Department staffer Bostjan Jerman (not present at the
meeting) about whether the U.S. was engaged in dialogue with
Russia on its "joint venture" proposal to conduct Iran's
nuclear reprocessing activities inside Russia. PolMiloff
noted that the USG was in close consultations with the EU-3
and Russia on that issue but that the Secretary was
determined that Iran give up its nuclear ambitions and that
the IAEA Board take the necessary actions toward that end at
the time of our choosing.
ROBERTSON


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