NETHERLANDS/IRAN: BOT AND MOTTAKI ON NUKES, MIDDLE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 002661 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2026 TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM IR NL SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/IRAN: BOT AND MOTTAKI ON NUKES, MIDDLE EAST, AND HUMAN RIGHTS REF: A. THE HAGUE 2544 ¶B. THE HAGUE 2597 ¶C. SCHOFER-REITER E-MAIL 12/7/06 ¶D. THE HAGUE 2634 Classified By: AMBASSADOR ROLAND E. ARNALL FOR REASONS 1.4(B/D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In his December 7 meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki, Dutch Foreign Minister Bot urged Iran to work with the IAEA to address international concerns about Iran's nuclear program or face possible UNSC sanctions. Bot also called on Iran to rein in Hizballah and Hamas and to take a more constructive approach to Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Gaza. Bot expressed concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran and pushed Mottaki to reopen a dialogue with the EU on human rights. According to the MFA, Mottaki's lack of flexibility and reliance on standing Iranian talking points indicate the relative powerlessness of the Iranian Foreign Ministry to influence policy. END SUMMARY. MOTTAKI GETS "TOUGH" MESSAGE -------------- ¶2. (C) As anticipated (ref A),Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki received a "tough" message from his Dutch interlocutors during his December 6-8 to The Hague. Although the main purpose of the visit was to attend the Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention at OPCW, Mottaki's program also included a brief courtesy call on Dutch PM Jan Pieter Balkenende (ref B) and more substantial meetings with Foreign Minister Ben Bot and Minister of Economic Affairs Joop Wijn. On December 6, Mottaki addressed an audience of GONL officials, diplomats, journalists and academics at the Clingendael Foundation (ref C). ¶3. (C) According to Loek ten Hagen, Iranian Desk Officer at the Dutch MFA, FM Bot focused on Iran's nuclear program, the Middle East, and Human Rights in his discussion with Mottaki. Bot and Mottaki, ten Hagen noted, have a personal relationship dating back to the time they spent together in Ankara as Ambassador for their respective countries. Despite this relationship, however, Bot reportedly was disappointed by the fact that Mottaki showed virtually no flexibility on any of the issues discussed, reverting instead to familiar Iranian arguments. Ten Hagen said this tended to confirm Dutch suspicions that Mottaki, and the Iranian Foreign Ministry in general, exercised little real influence in Tehran. NUCLEAR PROGRAM: WORK WITH, NOT AGAINST, IAEA -------------- ¶4. (C) On the Iranian nuclear program, Bot urged Iran to cooperate fully and transparently with the IAEA and to address outstanding IAEA questions as soon as possible. He expressed support for the UN Security Council's consideration of next steps in light of the Iranian failure to comply with UNSC Resolution 1696. Although the Netherlands is committed to a diplomatic solution to the current situation, Bot made clear that negotiations "cannot start or succeed while Iran continues its nuclear enrichment activities." In response to Mottaki's assertion that Iran was entitled to a peaceful nuclear program under the NPT, Bot stressed that the issue was not Iran's NPT rights, but its failure to reassure the international community that its program was solely peaceful. Mottaki reiterated that Iran would view a UNSC sanctions resolution as a "threat to Iran's national sovereignty and security" and would respond accordingly. MIDDLE EAST: "CONSTRUCTIVE APPROACH" NEEDED -------------- ¶5. (C) Bot called on Iran to take a constructive approach to developments in the Middle East by reining in Hizballah and Hamas. Iran could also play a more helpful role in with regard to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon, he added. Bot told Mottaki that Iranian efforts to boost its regional influence by casting doubt on the Holocaust were "deeply disturbing" Mottaki, according to ten Hagen, responded along "familiar lines," blaming "external pressures" for the unrest in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the tensions in Lebanon and Gaza. Mottaki was openly "derisive" of the Baker-Hamilton report on Iraq, stating that it failed to address or comprehend the actual political dynamics of the region. That said, Mottaki claimed Iran remained committed to reconstruction in Iraq and wanted to work with Iraq and its neighbors "to help restore security and stability." Ten Hagen said Mottaki also told THE HAGUE 00002661 002 OF 002 Bot on the margins of the meeting that Tehran would be willing at some pont to talk to the U.S. about Iraq, but only after "good preparation" by both sides. HUMAN RIGHTS: NO MOVEMENT ON DIALOGUE: POSSIBLE "OPENNESS" ON AL-MANSURI -------------- ¶6. (C) Expressing concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, Bot pushed Mottaki to restart the EU-Iran dialogue on human rights previously canceled by Iran; Mottaki reportedly did not respond substantively. Bot also called for greater transparency in the al-Mansuri case, including Dutch consular access to the Dutch-Iranian defendant. While Mottaki did not address Dutch concerns directly, he did indicate "more openness" to discussing the al-Mansuri case than in the past, according to ten Hagen. Ten Hagen also pointed to the fact that al-Mansuri's family recently were in contact with him on the telephone, and may be allowed to visit him in Iran, as "first steps" in the right direction. Neither Mottaki nor Bot raised the recent harassment of Iranian journalists participating in Dutch media training programs (ref D),according to ten Hagen. BLAKEMAN