IRANIAN DFM JALILI MEETS WITH NORWEGIAN FOREIGN

S E C R E T OSLO 001343 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2016 TAGS: IAEA IR NO PREL SUBJECT: IRANIAN DFM JALILI MEETS WITH NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER Classified By: DCM Kevin M. Johnson, reason 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Saeed Jalili, traveled to Norway on Friday 27 October, to take part in a round table sponsored by the Norwegian think tank NUPI. Jalili had a two-hour meeting with State Secretary Raymond Johansen, and an additional meeting with Foreign Minister Stoere. The Norwegians stressed that the Iranians should do everything in their power to 'build confidence' in the international community that they are not pursuing nuclear weapons, and that the Iranians should also help to calm sectarian violence in Iraq. Jalili said that they've already done everything in their power to build confidence to no avail, and that on the Shiite/Sunni conflict, they can only urge the Shiite community not to respond to attacks against them, but that the violence is 'ethnic, not religious' in nature. The Norwegians did not bring up Iran's threats to Israel. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) The Norwegian think tank NUPI invited Jalili and several other academics associated with the Iranian think tank called the Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) to participate in a round table discussion on Iran's nuclear program. As they could not get a Schengen visa, the academic participation from the Iranian side had to drop out (Jalili was able to transit through Sweden with his diplomatic passport). Jalili did host a seminar, but shortened his program and spent much of his visit in discussion with State Secretary Raymond Johansen and a shorter follow-on 'courtesy call' with FM Stoere. Iranian Desk Officer Vigdis Garborg, who accompanied Jalili through the visits, shared her readout of the meeting. ¶3. (S) Johansen started by saying to Jalili that 'no one disputes the right of Iran to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes', but that Iran has to take measures to build confidence. Jalili responded that they've suspended their uranium enrichment program for two years with no apparent result, and asked 'how much longer must they wait'? Johansen said that there are no time frames. Jalili said that no other country has undergone as many inspections as they have and that the limited restrictions are for 'security concerns' and that no other country would open their military bases for inspection. Johansen then noted that the GON strongly supports the EU three and that the Iranians should use their creativity to build confidence if current measures aren't doing the trick. ¶4. (S) Johansen then asked about the Iranian role in the region's conflicts. Jalili claims that the sectarian violence in Iraq is not due to Shiite/Sunni conflicts, but rather to the ethnic make-up of Iraq. He also blamed the U.S. for the violence in the area. After Johansen urged Jalili to decrease tension in the area, Jalili stated that the Iranian government would ask that Shiites in Iraq 'not to fight back' in the future if they are attacked by Sunnis. Jalili then met with FM Stoere, where a shorter conversation occurred covering the same points. Neither Johansen nor Stoere brought up Iran's threats towards Israel. Garborg said that it was on their agenda, but that there were other items ahead of the threats against Israel on the list (such as human rights concerns and the building of a new DCM's residence in Tehran) that took up the remainder of the meeting. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: Garborg has spent a lot of time in Iran, and appears to be sympathetic to the Iranian position on many matters. However, she is not alone in her openness to dialogue with the Iranians. Norwegian policy is to keep the door open, and they were willing to listen to the Iranian points in the hopes of getting an equally polite hearing from Jalili. The director of the sponsoring organization in Norway, Sverre Lodgaard, has previously been a guest of IPIS in Tehran. END COMMENT. Whitney