READOUT ON SULTAN'S JUNE 5 MEETING WITH IRAN FM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000904 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IR, NEA/ARP E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/06/2026 TAGS: PREL MNUC SENV PINS IR IZ MU SUBJECT: READOUT ON SULTAN'S JUNE 5 MEETING WITH IRAN FM REF: MUSCAT 868 Classified By: Ambassador Gary A. Grappo. Reason: 1.4 (b, d). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Iranian FM Mottaki assured Sultan Qaboos in a June 5 meeting that Iran will give careful study to the incentive package that EU foreign policy chief Solana will deliver on June 6, as well as to the USG's May 31 offer. He offered no indication of where Tehran is leaning. Mottaki reassured the Sultan of Iran's peaceful nuclear intentions and commitment to a diplomatic solution, but insisted upon guarding Iran's rights. Based on positive Iranian reaction to the Secretary's May 31 CNN interview, the Omanis urge the USG to SIPDIS choose its words and approach carefully. End summary. -------------- Iran to Give Western Proposals Careful Study -------------- ¶2. (C) Foreign Ministry Under Secretary Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi provided the Ambassador a read-out June 6 of Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki's June 5 meeting with Sultan Qaboos in Salalah, in which the Under Secretary took part. Describing the meeting as generally positive, he said the Sultan strongly encouraged the Iranians to give serious consideration to the USG's May 31 proposal to join in direct talks as well as the incentives package being delivered to Tehran on June 6 by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. ¶3. (C) Without divulging Tehran's inclinations, Mottaki simply replied that Iran looked forward to Solana's visit and would give the incentive package careful study. The Iranian FM reassured the Sultan that Iran was only interested in peaceful development of nuclear energy and repeatedly denied any WMD intent. Iran, he said, will cooperate with the international community and desires a diplomatic solution to the current impasse. Iran nevertheless demands respect for its rights to peaceful nuclear energy. Mottaki also told the Sultan that Iran seeks to abide by its 1950's-era bilateral nuclear agreement with the U.S. (Note: We assume this is reference to the 1957 U.S.-Iran Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. End note.) -------------- Oman Advice to US: Watch Your Language -------------- ¶4. (C) The Under Secretary said Mottaki indicated that Iran had paid careful attention to Secretary Rice's May 31 interview on CNN and found "the language" she used to be favorable. Sayyid Badr used this example to underscore his advice that Washington take great care in the language and approach it employs toward Iran, since threatening tones will only be counterproductive. The Under Secretary said Omanis look forward to getting the Iran issue off the front-pages and out of the spotlight, at which time serious diplomacy could then take hold. -------------- Media reports -------------- ¶5. (U) The Tehran Times also reported June 6 that Oman's ambassador in Tehran delivered a letter June 5 to FM Mottaki from Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yousef bin Alawi. Prior to his departure, Mottaki stated that the main purpose of his trip to Oman was to strengthen bilateral and regional cooperation as well as to discuss Iran's peaceful nuclear program. The Omani ambassador in Tehran was quoted as affirming Iran's rights to peaceful nuclear technology, but expressed his hope that nuclear impasse will be resolved diplomatically. ¶6. (U) Iran's Mehr News Agency reported Mottaki as saying that Iran is strongly against efforts to provoke dissension among Iraqi Shia and Sunni communities. He also defended the Bushehr nuclear power plant as being built according to international standards under constant IAEA supervision, and claimed it poses no environmental threat to regional countries. GRAPPO