Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06CANBERRA814
2006-06-01 02:42:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Canberra
Cable title:
AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS U.S. ANNOUNCEMENT ON IRAN
how-toVZCZCXRO3822 OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS DE RUEHBY #0814 1520242 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 010242Z JUN 06 FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4923 INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUEHBN/AMCONSUL MELBOURNE IMMEDIATE 2595 RUEHBAD/AMCONSUL PERTH IMMEDIATE 1335 RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY IMMEDIATE 0503
C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000814
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/ANP, NEA/IR, AND NEA/ARP (STEVE WALKER)
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/2016
TAGS: PREL PARM AS IR
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS U.S. ANNOUNCEMENT ON IRAN
REF: STATE 87682
Classified By: CDA Bill Stanton for reasons 1.4 (b/d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000814
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/ANP, NEA/IR, AND NEA/ARP (STEVE WALKER)
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/2016
TAGS: PREL PARM AS IR
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS U.S. ANNOUNCEMENT ON IRAN
REF: STATE 87682
Classified By: CDA Bill Stanton for reasons 1.4 (b/d).
1. (C/NF) Charge presented reftel U.S. demarche on Iran to
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on the morning
of June 1. Responding positively to the U.S. proposal, the
FM said he would be happy to support it publicly. He told
his staff participating in the meeting to draft a press
release in support of the U.S. decision which would also urge
Iran to fully and verifiably suspend its enrichment and
reprocessing activities. FM Downer said he might also make a
supportive statement in Parliament later in the day.
Furthermore, the FM agreed with the Charge's suggestion that
the Australian Embassy in Tehran follow-up as well in support
of the U.S. initiative.
2. (C/NF) FM Downer commented that while he thought the U.S.
move was excellent, he was privately very skeptical that Iran
would give up its enrichment activities. Iran is "absolutely
wedded to the strategy of uranium enrichment," he asserted,
and nothing "short of stopping them physically" was going to
derail it from that goal. Downer believed that, in the end,
the U.S. and its allies would either have to accept that Iran
would have nuclear weapons or try to destroy Iran's
capability to develop them.
3. (C/NF) Asked by the FM how the U.S. proposal would play
out domestically in Iran, his Iran adviser David Windsor
commented that it could play into the hands of conservatives
in Tehran who would say they were happy to talk to the U.S.
but would meanwhile continue enrichment activities. The
Charge noted that the U.S. proposal in any case negated
criticism that we were not willing to engage Iran to find a
diplomatic solution to its nuclear program. This put the
focus back on the real issue of Iran's nuclear activities.
FM Downer agreed.
4. (U) We will transmit to the Department any GOA statements
on the U.S. initiative as soon as they become available.
STANTON
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/ANP, NEA/IR, AND NEA/ARP (STEVE WALKER)
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/2016
TAGS: PREL PARM AS IR
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS U.S. ANNOUNCEMENT ON IRAN
REF: STATE 87682
Classified By: CDA Bill Stanton for reasons 1.4 (b/d).
1. (C/NF) Charge presented reftel U.S. demarche on Iran to
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on the morning
of June 1. Responding positively to the U.S. proposal, the
FM said he would be happy to support it publicly. He told
his staff participating in the meeting to draft a press
release in support of the U.S. decision which would also urge
Iran to fully and verifiably suspend its enrichment and
reprocessing activities. FM Downer said he might also make a
supportive statement in Parliament later in the day.
Furthermore, the FM agreed with the Charge's suggestion that
the Australian Embassy in Tehran follow-up as well in support
of the U.S. initiative.
2. (C/NF) FM Downer commented that while he thought the U.S.
move was excellent, he was privately very skeptical that Iran
would give up its enrichment activities. Iran is "absolutely
wedded to the strategy of uranium enrichment," he asserted,
and nothing "short of stopping them physically" was going to
derail it from that goal. Downer believed that, in the end,
the U.S. and its allies would either have to accept that Iran
would have nuclear weapons or try to destroy Iran's
capability to develop them.
3. (C/NF) Asked by the FM how the U.S. proposal would play
out domestically in Iran, his Iran adviser David Windsor
commented that it could play into the hands of conservatives
in Tehran who would say they were happy to talk to the U.S.
but would meanwhile continue enrichment activities. The
Charge noted that the U.S. proposal in any case negated
criticism that we were not willing to engage Iran to find a
diplomatic solution to its nuclear program. This put the
focus back on the real issue of Iran's nuclear activities.
FM Downer agreed.
4. (U) We will transmit to the Department any GOA statements
on the U.S. initiative as soon as they become available.
STANTON