FM LIVNI TELLS VISITING NSG TROIKA NUCLEAR-ARMED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001722 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA (MAHER) STATE FOR ISN/NESS (DELABARRE) DEPT OF ENERGY FOR DOE/NNSA/NA-242 (GOOREVICH) UNVIE FOR LISA HILLIARD E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2016 TAGS: PREL MNUC PINS PINR PGOV KNNP PARM IR IS UN UNSC GOI EXTERNAL SUBJECT: FM LIVNI TELLS VISITING NSG TROIKA NUCLEAR-ARMED IRAN IS GREATEST THREAT TO ISRAEL Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones. Reasons: 1.4 (b, d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Israeli FM Livni told representatives of the visiting Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) Troika and U.S. Consultative Group Chairman Richard Goorevich April 27 that a nuclear-armed Iran represents "the greatest threat to Israel since the Holocaust." She also stressed that Israel supports the NSG because it believes it is the right thing to do, and hopes the NSG will recognize Israel's effort by formally according it "adherent status." END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) FM Livni's half-hour meeting with NSG Troika representatives Ambassador Roald Naess (Norway),Ambassador Richard Ekwall (Sweden) and U.S. Consultative Group Chairman Richard Goorevich was frequently interrupted with status reports to FM Livni by her staff about ongoing negotiations to form a new coalition government. Israeli Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC) Director General Gideon Frank participated in the meeting. ¶3. (C) Raising the NSG's treatment of Iran, Livni said that the NSG must do more to combat the threat to Israel that Iran poses, and that Israel is waiting for the UNSC to take action. She stressed that a nuclear-armed Iran would be "the greatest threat to Israel since the Holocaust." In response, the troika representatives said that the NSG, at this time, is limited in its options to deal with Iran, as the five permanent UNSC members are also NSG members and do not necessarily agree with each other on the way ahead in dealing with Iran. If no consensus emerges among the P-5 in New York, it will be difficult to forge a consensus at the NSG plenary in Rio de Janeiro in June. The troika representatives noted, however, that the group can take some helpful steps, such as share information among members to deny Iran the supplies it needs for its nuclear program, and pointed to the key role that the NSG played in spurring the IAEA to action on Iran in 2002. At this point, in a dramatic way, FM Livni looked Norwegian Ambassador Naess in the eye and asked him twice, "Do you understand the threat to Israel that is posed by Iran?" He said "yes," and the other troika members joined him. IAEC DG Gideon Frank then asked the troika representatives whether they understood the danger that Iran's access to sensitive nuclear technology poses to Israel, to which they responded affirmatively. The troika representatives replied that the NSG's ongoing discussion of criteria for allowing technology transfers is built around the Iranian case, adding that most of the NSG's 45 members agree on the danger that a nuclear armed Iran poses to regional and international security. They noted, however, that the U.S. and like-minded members start to lose support from NSG members when they call for a ban on transferring "any and all nuclear technology" to Iran. ¶4. (C) FM Livni told the troika representatives that Israel is adhering to the NSG's guidelines -- even though it is not a formal member -- "because it is the right thing to do," and because Israel views nuclear nonproliferation as a priority. Like IAEC Director General Gideon Frank earlier in the day (septel),she noted that Israel had requested formal recognition of its status as an "adherent" in a letter to the NSG in late 2004, and wondered why the NSG had not yet responded. Ambassador Naess replied that the issue was already under NSG consideration and would be reviewed at the NSG plenary in Rio de Janeiro. He explained that the NSG operates on consensus, and that it takes time to get all 45 members of the group to agree. Goorevich added that the incoming NSG chairman, Ambassador Medeiros (Brazil),said that it will be one of his priorities at the Rio plenary to get the NSG to agree on some kind of formal status (either adherent or associate) for Israel and other similarly qualified non-members. He cautioned that Medeiros could not promise results. During the remaining time in the meeting, IAEC DG Gideon Frank reviewed positively the NSG's outreach to Israel and other NSG non-members in front of FM Livni and the troika representatives. ¶5. (U) U.S. Consultative Group Chairman Richard Goorevich cleared on this cable. ********************************************* ******************** Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. ********************************************* ******************** JONES