SLOVAKIA UNHAPPY WITH IRAN, SUPPORTS UNSC

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000031

SIPDIS


STATE FOR EUR/NCE AND NEA/ARPI
NSC FOR DAMON WILSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/13/2021
TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL IR EU AORC LO
SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA UNHAPPY WITH IRAN, SUPPORTS UNSC

REFERRAL; CONSIDERING A BILATERAL MESSAGE

REF: A. STATE 6236

B. BRATISLAVA 28 (NOTAL)

Classified By: DCM Lawrence R. Silverman for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (C) DCM and Poloff delivered ref A points to State
Secretary (Deputy Foreign Minister) Magda Vasaryova on

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January 13. Vasaryova, whose portfolio includes the United
Nations, told us that Slovakia, as a member of the Security
Council, a country with a bilateral relationship with Iran,
and Vice Governor of the IAEA, is "very unhappy" with the
situation. Vasaryova said that, following the January 12
EU-3 meeting in Berlin, the position of the United States and
the EU Members of the Security Council is clear and
complementary; however, Vasaryova noted that the positions of
Russia and China were as yet unknown. Vasaryova, who was
joined in the meeting by UNSC Coordinator Marcel Pesko, asked
that we pass along to the MFA any read-out from next week's
meeting in Moscow on the subject.


2. (C) Vasaryova told us that during her recent travel to
Moscow, the State Secretaries there openly raised the issue
of Iran's nuclear ambitions with her and told her that the
Russians, too, were very unhappy. She noted the importance
of educating the public and the media on the issue, saying
that Slovakia has laid out its position clearly in a public
statement that stressed support for an IAEA report to the
UNSC and the need for full Iranian compliance (ref B). When
the issue comes to the UNSC, she said, Slovakia will support
a rational solution; Pesko said that a common P-5 approach
would receive Slovakia's full support, though he raised
questions about the effectiveness of targeted sanctions.

SHOULD SLOVAKIA INVITE THE IRANIANS FOR A CHAT?
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3. (C) On the margins of the meeting, Pesko quietly noted
that the Danes had recently called in the Iranian Ambassador
for a discussion of this issue. He asked if it would be
helpful for Slovakia to do the same. We advised Pesko that
it would be best to await IAEA action in the UNSC, and then
the international community could coordinate its approach.
VALLEE


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