SPANISH VIEWS ON IAEA COMMITTEE ON SAFEGUARDS AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 003150

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR NP AND EUR/WE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2015
TAGS: KNNP AORC TRGY ENRG SP IAEA
SUBJECT: SPANISH VIEWS ON IAEA COMMITTEE ON SAFEGUARDS AND
VERIFICATION

REF: SECSTATE 159113

Classified By: ESTHOFF Ken Forder per 1.4 (B/D).


1. (U) ESTHOFF passed reftel points August 30 to MFA
Disarmament Affairs Deputy Director General Marcos Rodriguez
Cantero, thanking Spain for supporting the creation of the
IAEA's Committee on Safeguards and Verification and
requesting Madrid's views on membership, leadership and
agenda-related issues. Rodriguez Cantero told ESTHOFF
September 2 that Spain has two concerns it would like to
raise with Washington; one "national," the other
"multilateral."


2. (C) From the national perspective, Spain strongly
believes that countries should not/not have to sit on the
IAEA's Board of Governors in order to be a member of the
Committee on Safeguards and Verification. This membership
question needs to be sorted out before extensive
agenda-related discussions are held.


3. (C) From the multilateral perspective, Spain believes
that the case of Iran has shown that the IAEA's current "tool
kit" is inadequate. Spain believes the IAEA needs to be made
more effective and hopes the new Committee on Safeguards and
Verification can contribute to this process. As a result of
our approach, Spain will work to develop specific proposals
on how to use the Committee and will pass these ideas to the
U.S. via Vienna.
AGUIRRE