TANZANIA VIEWS NAM STATEMENT ON IRAN AS A

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAR ES SALAAM 001012 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT AF/E FOR BYODER LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/22/2016 TAGS: PREL AORC IAEA KNNP UNSC IR TZ SUBJECT: TANZANIA VIEWS NAM STATEMENT ON IRAN AS A COMPROMISE REF: A. STATE 089324 ¶B. DAR ES SALAAM 0910 Classified By: Political Officer Mary B. Johnson for reasons 1.4(b andd ) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) According to Ambassador Liberata Mulamula, head of the Multilateral Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International cooperation, the Government of Tanzania (GOT) worked in committee for several weeks with Non Aligned Movement (NAM) partners to tone down the language of the NAM statement that was issued in Malaysia on May 30. PolCouns delivered Reftel A points June 14 expressing our strong disappointment that the NAM statement was not balanced, failing to mention that Iran has consistently ignored the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommendations nor to note the Iranian regime's long-standing record of serious safeguard failures. ¶2. (C) Mulamula indicated that the GOT representative on the NAM statement drafting committee had been instrumental in convincing other NAM nations not to allow any language in the statement condemning countries by name or implication that have either not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and/or are pursuing non-peaceful uses of nuclear power. In addition, a strong push to condemn the "pressure being put on one country" (i.e. Iran),while other countries are "left free" to develop not only peaceful nuclear energy, but also nuclear weapons programs, was stopped. Mulamula claimed the GOT representative had insisted that the NAM statement must take into consideration the views reached within the UNSC. ¶3. (C) Ambassador Mulamula believed that the NAM statement "could have been much worse", stressing that the GOT worked hard to keep the statement's language from undermining either the efforts of the Board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC). "The compromise that emerged was to focus only on principles of the legitimacy of the development of peaceful nuclear power," Mulamula stated. ¶4. (C) However, PolCouns pressed that in view of Tanzania's position on the UNSC, the GOT role within the NAM needs to be even more active than Singapore's, the sole voice to speak out and express disappointment about the unbalanced NAM statement. Moreover, since shortly after the NAM statement was adopted, the United States made the difficult decision to join the EU-3 in order to negotiate directly with Iran, we look to Tanzania to work proactively to support this major step the United States has made. ¶5. (C) PolCouns stressed that at this stage, Tanzania is in a key position to work with other NAM members and help them understand the important step that the United States has taken toward finding a permanent solution to the question of Iran's nuclear ambitions. In addition, since Tanzania maintains diplomatic relations with Iran, the GOT can work directly to persuade Iran to "do the right thing" and come to the negotiating table. ¶6. (SBU) Mulamula reiterated that the GOT fully supported the important step that the U.S. took to join negotiations with Iran (Reftel B). PolCouns urged that the GOT find the right venue to make a public statement to that effect. RETZER