TURKEY: EXPECTATIONS FOR MID-NOVEMBER IAEA REPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 002722 SIPDIS SIPDIS EUR/SE FOR GOODMAN/GARBE E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2017 TAGS: KNNP MNUC PARM IAEA AORC IR TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: EXPECTATIONS FOR MID-NOVEMBER IAEA REPORT ON IRANIAN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORK PLAN REF: A. STATE 151308 ¶B. ANKARA 2702 Classified By: Pol-Mil Counselor Carl Siebentritt, Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (C) We met with MFA Department Head for South Asia Devrim Ozturk to share USG expectations for the upcoming IAEA report on Iranian implementation of the work plan (ref a). Ozturk welcomed the points and promised to share them with colleagues in other departments. He said the GOT continues to support a diplomatic approach to resolving the crisis, and will continue to urge Iran to take the path of cooperation rather than confrontation. ¶2. (C) According to Ozturk, the nuclear issue was most recently raised by FM Babacan during his October 27-28 visit to Tehran (ref b.),where he met with Iranian President Ahmadinejad, FM Mottaki, and the new National Security Council Secretary and chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. According to Ozturk, Babacan urged his Iranian interlocutors to take a constructive, cooperative, and responsible approach to defuse the nuclear issue, encouraging Iran to take additional steps to address the international community's concerns. Babacan also emphasized to the Iranians that the demands are not just from the U.S., but from the international community, and warned that Turkey will abide by any additional UNSC sanctions. ¶3. (C) Ozturk said that Turkish delegation came away from its meeting with Jalili with the impression that Jalili does not represent a significant change from Larijani and that Iran has no plans to alter its course, which is to give the impression that it is cooperating with the IAEA while continuing its minimalist approach to cooperation. The Iranians did not give the Turkish delegation any indication that they would change their position on enrichment. The Iranians, according to Ozturk, trotted out familiar arguments: that it is already meeting IAEA and international demands for cooperation, and that the West has a double standard when it comes to dealing with Iran and Israel on the nuclear issue. Ozturk agreed that, if needed, a new round of sanctions would be a useful and necessary tool to compel Iranian compliance to the demands of the international community. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ MCELDOWNEY