MEETING OF FM KUBIS WITH DEPUTY SECRETARY OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRATISLAVA 000749 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2013 TAGS: PGOV PREL UNSC IR LO SUBJECT: MEETING OF FM KUBIS WITH DEPUTY SECRETARY OF IRAN'S SUPREME NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL BRATISLAVA 00000749 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: CDA Lawrence Silverman as per E.O. 12958 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Slovak FM Jan Kubis met Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Nahavandian, on September 4 in Bratislava. Nahavandian made clear that Iran does not regard UNSCR 1669 as legally valid and confirmed that Iran plans to continue with the development of a peaceful nuclear program. Iran would consider suspension of its program only in the context of an agreement for a wider nuclear-free Middle East. Kubis reiterated Slovakia's support for UNSCR 1669 including follow-on measures as called for by the resolution. Slovak participants in the meeting told poloff it was clear that Iran is trying to undermine western unity on this issue, and to have the matter removed from the UNSC and returned to the IAEA. Slovakia would support sanctions targeted at the Iranian regime. End summary. WHAT IRAN SAID -------------- ¶2. (C) Marcel Pesko, Director of the UN Department at the Slovak MFA, and Karol Mistrik, Director of the Department for OSCE and Disarmament, briefed representatives from the British, Finnish, German and U.S. embassies on Kubis' meeting with Nahavandian on September 8. Mistrik said the meeting did not contain any surprises and presented the following summary of Nahavandian's main points: - Iran's nuclear program properly belongs before the IAEA and not before the UNSC. - Iran does not feel bound by UNSCR 1669, which it regards as illegal. - Iran's nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and Iran has done nothing to feed suspicions that it may be diverted to military applications. - Iran will continue with the development of a peaceful nuclear capability. - Suspension of Iran's nuclear program is a non-starter. Iran's executive is bound by a national law that requires them to break off all cooperation with IAEA and the UN if suspension of the program is a pre-condition. - Iran would be willing to discuss suspension of its nuclear program as part of an effort to establish a region-wide nuclear-free zone. - Iran may withdraw from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty if it is faced with follow-on measures that it regards as illegally applied. - Iran understands the EU's ongoing concerns about energy security and is ready and willing to help the EU secure energy resources, provided that the EU is willing to treat Iran in a fair and equal way. THE SLOVAK REACTION -------------- ¶3. (C) Kubis told Nahavandian that Slovakia fully supports the E3 3 position, that the international community is united in its insistence that Iran suspend its nuclear program, and that Slovakia is willing to support follow-on measures as per the final paragraph of UNSCR 1669. ¶4. (C) Both Mistrik and Pesko expressed amazement that Iran could question the legality or binding force of UNSCR 1669, and Pesko described Iran's linkage of its obligation to suspend enrichment with the start of negotiations for a region-wide nuclear-free zone as "a strange connection." Pesko said he is certain that the UNSC has a firm legal basis to impose follow-on remedies right now, but suggested that what is lacking is a united political will, particularly in Russia and China. THE WAY FORWARD -------------- ¶5. (C) Pesko suggested that the most useful follow on measures - if unanimously agreed to - would be sanctions that targeted Iranian leaders and also inhibited the development of Iran's nuclear program. As examples Pesko suggested travel restrictions for higher leaders and targeted trade restrictions. Pesko hopes that such measures can be agreed upon by all concerned before the UNGA so that they can be announced following a Ministerial-level meeting in New York. Pesko cautioned, however, that a Ministerial-level meeting in conjunction with UNGA would be to Iran's advantage if definite follow-on measures were not pre-agreed. ¶6. (C) Mistrik said it was particularly important for the U.S. to continue working to persuade Russia and China to join a consensus for follow-on measures as per UNSCR 1669. Until Russia and China have been persuaded to go along, Mistrik feels that the public discussion of possible sanctions by the U.S. is counter-productive, since it feeds the impression that the international community is divisible on this issue. Mistrik believes that - in terms of actually stopping Iran's BRATISLAVA 00000749 002 OF 002 nuclear program - unilaterally invoked measures would be worse than no response at all. SILVERMAN