IRAN RELATED BRIEFINGS

S E C R E T USUN NEW YORK 000211 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2017 TAGS: ENRG IR KNNP MNUC PARM PREL TRGY SUBJECT: IRAN RELATED BRIEFINGS REF: A. STATE 27549 ¶B. USUN 174 Classified By: Ambassador Jackie W. Sanders. E.O. 12958. Reasons 1.4 ( B&D) ¶1. (S) On 09 March Ambassador Sanders and Chief of Station's (COS) senior representative at USUN delivered reftel sensitive briefing on Iran's nuclear weapons program to Panama's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Ambassador Ricardo Arias and to Italy's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Marcelo Spatafora. Ambassador Arias described the information as convincing and did not pose any follow-up questions. Ambassador Spatafora likewise found the material to be valuable and only asked if the information contained in the briefing had been recently acquired. Both Ambassadors accepted the nonpaper and stated they would review it carefully. ¶2. (S) At the conclusion of the Iranian weapons program briefing, Ambassador Spatafora took the opportunity to forcefully describe his level of frustration at being excluded from the P-5 plus 1 negotiations of the Iran sanctions resolution. Pulling out a just received instructions cable from Rome, Spatafora launched into an emphatic warning regarding the possible consequences of not involving Italy in the early negotiations of the sanctions resolution. Spatafora noted that while Rome and the Italian Embassy in Washington may appear compliant and unconcerned with the negotiations, that he had received clear instructions from the Foreign Minister to object to the resolution if the economic sanctions in that resolution make Italy "pay more" than other nations. Spatafora emphasized that Italy agreed with the need for a sanctions resolution but that Italy will not simply go along with a resolution it has not been a party to negotiating. Spatafora vehemently complained about being kept in the dark by his EU colleagues and noted repeatedly that what information he has on the status of the resolution comes from the open press and not his EU colleagues. ¶3. (S) Ambassador Sanders thanked Ambassador Spatafora for his candor and encouraged him to express his views to his EU colleagues. Additionally, Ambassador Sanders provided a general update on the status of the negotiations and assured Spatafora that USUN would take his views into account. WOLFF