REPORTING IRAN TO THE UNSC DEMARCHE DELIVERED

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 000103

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2016
TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL IR EU AORC AE UN
SUBJECT: REPORTING IRAN TO THE UNSC DEMARCHE DELIVERED

REF: A. STATE 6236


B. 05 ABU DHABI 5129

Classified By: AMBASSADOR MICHELE J. SISON, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) On January 16, Pol Chief met with MFA Director for
International Organizations Yacub al-Hosani to deliver ref A
points on U.S. views regarding the Iran nuclear issue, and
texts of both the EU-3 Foreign Ministers' Statement and the
Secretary's Statement on Iran's resumption of uranium

SIPDIS
enrichment activities. Pol Chief left the points as a
nonpaper and informed al-Hosani that Ambassador will raise
the issue with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh
Hamdan bin Zayed as soon as he is able to receive her.
Al-Hosani said he would undertake to forward these documents
to Sheikh Hamdan, Foreign Minister Rashid Abdullah al-Noaimi,
and MFA U/S Abdullah Rashid al-Noaimi.


2. (C) Referring to the point about the importance of the
international community standing together to press Iran to
make the strategic decision to end its nuclear weapons
program, Pol Chief told al-Hosani that the USG was keen to
obtain public support for reporting Iran to the UNSC.
Al-Hosani said that while the UAE may have diplomatic
relations with Iran, the UAE is not likely to confront the
Iranians directly about their concerns with Iran's nuclear
ambitions. Al-Hosani recalled that at the conclusion of the
Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Abu Dhabi December 19, UAE
Foreign Minister al-Noaimi had warned of the threat posed by
Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (ref B). "It was an indirect
warning, but the Iranians got the message," al-Hosani said.
Al-Noaimi told a press conference that the GCC had "a
legitimate fear" of Iran's nuclear program, focusing mainly
on environmental concerns. "The GCC states are very close to
the Iranian nuclear reactor in Bushehr and don't have the
necessary protection in case of radioactive leakage,"
al-Noaimi said.

The Press and Other Reactions to Iran Nuclear Issue
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3. (C) Iran's likely referral to the UNSC has received
different treatment in the Arabic and English press, with the
latter highlighting the crisis with large front-page
headlines. The Arabic press has been more subdued on the
issue, perhaps preferring not to provoke Iran. Embassy
contacts, particularly intellectuals and think tanks, have
expressed worries about Iran,s nuclear ambitions and about
the potential for military confrontation between Iran and the
West )- in which case they have told us they are afraid the
whole region could become a war zone.
SISON