UKRAINE SUPPORTS U.S. INITIATIVE ON IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIEV 002124 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/2016 TAGS: PREL PARM ENRG MNUC IR UP SUBJECT: UKRAINE SUPPORTS U.S. INITIATIVE ON IRAN REF: STATE 87682 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Gwaltney for reasons 1.4(a,b,d). ¶1. (C) Charge delivered reftel demarche to Deputy Foreign Minister Volodomyr Khandohiy May 31. Khandohiy said he had watched Secretary Rice's press conference on television; this was clearly a very important initiative. He promised to convey our message to the Foreign Minister and to look into having the MFA release a statement as soon as possible. ¶2. (SBU) Despite the evening delivery of the demarche, an official statement dated May 31 was on the MFA website by the morning of June 1. The statement 1) notes that Iran's nuclear program troubles the international community; 2) expresses support for efforts to get Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions and to fully cooperate with the IAEA; 3) calls the U.S. initiative a "constructive step"; 4) urges Iran to "make a positive choice to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes"; and 5) expresses willingness to facilitate that choice via diplomatic means. Informal Embassy translation of the MFA statement is in para 4. ¶3. (C) Thanked for the supportive GOU statement and reminded of the need to keep Iran's feet to the fire, DFM Khadohiy told Charge June 1 that the MFA planned to release another statement after the June 1 Vienna meeting of the Perm-5 plus Germany. ¶4. (U) Begin informal Embassy translation of MFA statement: May 31, 2006 Ukrainian MFA statement on the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran The nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran raises concerns among the international community today. To unblock this issue, the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the Federal Republic of Germany are meeting in Vienna on June 1. Ukraine supports the efforts of countries that promote Tehran's abandoning of its nuclear ambitions and return to comprehensive cooperation with the IAEA. This is precisely the aim of the constructive step of the U.S., which has expressed its readiness, together with the EU Troika, to sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of Iran. Ukraine, as a country that gave up its own nuclear potential, calls on the government of Iran to make a positive choice to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and stands ready to facilitate such a choice by diplomatic means, in particular via negotiations. End MFA statement. ¶5. (U) Visit Embassy Kiev's classified website: www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev. Gwaltney