ALBANIA WILL SUPPORT STRONG LANGUAGE AGAINST IRAN AT IAEA

UNCLAS TIRANA 001001 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR ISN/RA RICHARD NEPHEW, IO/T HEATHER VON BEHREN, EUR/SCE E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: KNNP MNUC IAEA IR AL SUBJECT: ALBANIA WILL SUPPORT STRONG LANGUAGE AGAINST IRAN AT IAEA REF: SECSTATE 157039 ¶1. (SBU) On 21 November, Pol-Econ Chief met with Islam Lauka, the Director General for Multilateral Affairs at the MFA to deliver reftel demarche. Lauka said Albania's IAEA Board Member Ferit Hoxha had spoken to USIAEA Ambassador Schulte and Albania planned to support the U.S. and EU position. Albania was waiting for a formal EU statement and planned to associate with that message. In the absence of an EU message, Albania was prepared to make a strong national statement along the lines of the U.S. demarche. ¶2. (SBU) Lauka confided that Albania hoped for Iran's support for eventual Kosovo independence within the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC),and was concerned that if Albania voted against Iran at the IAEA that Iran would vote against Kosovo in the OIC. Nonetheless, Lauka said Albania agreed that the issue before the IAEA was more important and would support the US/EU position against Iran. ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: Albania continues to prove a valuable partner in issues of international consequence, and their position on the IAEA Board of Governors should continue to benefit the U.S. Kosovo remains at the forefront of Albania's foreign policy decisions, and Lauka's linking of Kosovo to the IAEA issue serves as a reminder of this. CRISTINA