U.S. STATEMENT ON IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINGSTON 001064

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/IR, NEA/ARP (WALKER),WHA/CAR (BENT)
SOUTHCOM PLS PASS POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR JM
SUBJECT: U.S. STATEMENT ON IRAN

REF: STATE 87682

Classified By: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange Johnson. Reasons 1.4(b) and
(d).


1. (C) Upon receipt of Reftel on May 31, the Ambassador
attempted to contact Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller,
who was campaigning outside of Kingston and unavailable by
phone. With Foreign Minister Anthony Hylton abroad on
official travel, the Ambassador telephoned Minister of State
for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (and currently the
acting FM) Delano Franklyn and reviewed reftel points with
him. Emphasizing that the USG will now participate in its
first direct talks with the Iranian government in 25 years,
she urged the GOJ to come out publicly in support of the U.S.
position, and to encourage Iran fully and verifiably to
suspend its enrichment and reprocessing activities.


2. (C) Franklyn said that he, too, was headed out of the
capital on campaign business and could not guarantee a GOJ
statement on May 31. He assured the Ambassador that the GOJ
is following developments in the Iran/EU-3/USG negotiations
closely and would make a public statement "at the appropriate
time."


3. (C) Comment: Simpson Miller and the governing Peoples
National Party (PNP) are currently preoccupied with winning
the June 7 election for the parliamentary seat recently
vacated by former PM P.J. Patterson. They view that contest
as a key barometer of the PM's (and the PNP's) popularity in
advance of the upcoming general elections (due anytime before
the end of October 2007) which Simpson Miller must win to
secure her own mandate to govern. The Ambassador, who is
already scheduled to meet with the PM and the FM on another
matter on June 5, will use the occasion to convey the Iran
message directly to them.
JOHNSON