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.

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