AMBASSADOR UNDERSCORES IRAN SANCTIONS ACT CONCERNS

UNCLAS BAKU 000554 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EB/ESC, NEA/IR AND EUR/CARC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG ETTC PREL EPET EINV AU IR AJ SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR UNDERSCORES IRAN SANCTIONS ACT CONCERNS WITH VISITING AUSTRIAN AMBASSADOR REF: A. STATE 53758 ¶B. VIENNA 1068 ¶1. (U) SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. ¶2. (SBU) The Ambassador took the opportunity of a May 2 meeting with Austrian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Marius Calligaris (resident in Ankara) to raise US concerns regarding reports of any agreement between OMV and Iran to develop Phase 12 of the South Pars gas field (ref a). Calligaris noted that he had heard from OMV CEO Ruttensdorfer, who told him the Ambassador had conveyed USG concerns directly to him during his recent trip to Baku (ref b). Calligaris confirmed that OMV had not signed a final agreement with Iran and characterized the document as more like a "letter of intent;" he also said the Mehr block oil agreement was not a final agreement. Calligaris said the Austrian government had heard USG concerns regarding Iran on numerous occasions but noted that the Austrian government had only a limited ability to influence OMV. While OMV is a state-owned company, it "operates completely independently," Calligaris said. DERSE