UNSC/IRAN: P5 RESOLUTION INTRODUCED

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000213 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/2011 TAGS: PREL UNSC IR SUBJECT: UNSC/IRAN: P5 RESOLUTION INTRODUCED REF: STATE 33349 Classified By: Ambassador Alejandro D. Wolff, Acting Permanent Represen tative, for reasons 1.4 b,d ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On behalf of the P5, on March 15 the UK introduced a draft resolution on Iran to the Security Council following the IAEA's report of February 22 of Iranian non-compliance with resolutions 1696 and 1737. The draft resolution builds upon the sanctions established by 1737, including by increasing the number of companies and people subject to the travel and financial measures, and by imposing a mandatory ban on arms exports from Iran. Each of the permanent members spoke briefly to introduce the draft resolution to the elected members of the Council. Most of the ensuing discussion focused on the timing of Council action, with Indonesia and Qatar, in particular, seeking an overly long delay in order to consult with capitals. Ambassadors agreed to have an experts-level consultation on Thursday afternoon, at which UK, U.S. and French experts walked the rest of the Council through the text. The first round of full Council negotiations is currently scheduled for the week of March 19. USUN and UKUN are working to persuade the South African Presidency and others to move quickly to adopt the resolution by conducting the first negotiations as early as possible. End Summary. ¶2. (U) On Thursday, March 15, the UK introduced to the Security Council a draft resolution on Iran that had been previously agreed-upon by the five Permanent Members of the Council and Germany. The resolution (reftel) would strengthen the measures imposed by 1737, in response to the report of the IAEA Director General of February 22 (GOV/2007/8) that found that Iran had not suspended its proliferation-sensitive activities as called for in resolutions 1696 and 1737, but had expanded them. In introducing the text, UK Permanent Representative (PR) Jones Parry said the resolution was intended to induce Iran's return to the negotiating table through an "incremental increase" in sanctions. Iranian compliance, he emphasized, would allow for the measures to be reversed. Jones Parry called for prompt consideration by the Council of the draft but said that he wanted a "full debate" among all fifteen members, and the timeline to adoption was for the Council to decide. ¶2. (U) French Deputy PR Lacroix walked the other Ambassadors quickly through the text, noting that the majority of the preambular paragraphs and the concluding operational paragraphs were drawn substantially from 1737. He said the annex of entities and individuals proposed for designation was "balanced" and the inclusion of representatives of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was a "very important element of the P5 discussion." ¶3. (U) Chinese PR Wang said that China was "deeply concerned" by the Iranian nuclear issue, and believed that it could only be resolved through peaceful means. China urged Iran to "seriously respond" to the requirements of the IAEA and the Security Council, and is in favor of new sanctions measures by the Council to "increase pressure" on Tehran. The "rhythm and degree" of these measures should be considered carefully and should be "gradual, appropriate and proportional." Measures imposed by the Council should be "sufficient to drag Iran back to the negotiating table" but "not put Iran in a corner." Sanctions should focus on nuclear and missile issues and not impact normal economic activity or the well-being of the Iranian people. Given these considerations, China "is in favor of bringing the current draft to the Council as the basis of discussion." ¶4. (U) Ambassador Wolff noted that the Council was in the position of considering another sanctions resolution because Iran had failed to comply with the provisions of two previous Chapter VII resolutions. He called for quick action by the Council to approve the text introduced by the P5 and Germany. The question before the Council was not about Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy, but instead was about Iran's failure to meet the requirements of the IAEA and the Council, including, as the IAEA reported, "through activities undeclared to the agency for twenty years." Iran is challenging the authority and legitimacy of the NPT, the IAEA and, through the Security Council, the entire UN. Wolff stressed the importance of ensuring the credibility and integrity of Council decisions and responding appropriately to Member States that ignored the Charter-mandated compliance with Council decisions. Iran's President had, Wolff reminded his colleagues, again called the Council's resolutions "torn pieces of paper." The P5's proposed resolution represented a modest, incremental approach, as explicitly called for in resolution 1737 in the event of Iranian non-compliance. ¶5. (U) Russian PR Churkin made a very brief statement, in which he expressed his hope that adoption of the resolution before the Council would allow for a return to negotiations and would encourage the Iranians to "take advantage of the very generous opportunities" in the proposal presented by the six powers in 2006. ¶6. (C) There were few substantive comments from other delegations. Belgian PR Verbeke said the Council should act in unity, swiftly and soberly. "Our impression of the draft resolution is that it represents an appropriate, incremental increase to the measures imposed by 1737." Panamanian PR Arias noted his appreciation for the introduction of the resolution. He asked for further information from the drafters on the political and diplomatic efforts that the P5 and Germany were undertaking to reach the objective of a negotiated settlement. Italian PR Spatafora said that while he did not doubt that the Council was "right" in its adoption of 1737 and follow-on measures, he was not confident that Iran perceived the Council in the same way. (Comment: Though Spatafora did not further elaborate his point, he seemed to imply that the burden was on the Council to "prove" that its requirements were just and should be accepted.) ¶7. (C) The Council's discussion focused on the timing of the consideration of the resolution. Indonesia and Qatar argued for a lengthy process, including repeated rounds of expert-level consultations next week. This approach was rejected by the drafters, who called for negotiations solely at Ambassadorial-level. The experts could meet to provide "clarifications", but the Council should move immediately to a political-level negotiation, said Jones Parry. Slovakia, Belgium, Panama and Peru were helpful in turning off the efforts to dramatically slow-down the process, but they all accepted that the first meeting of the Council to discuss the text would not occur until the week of March 19, allowing capitals at least a couple of workdays to consider the text. South African PR Kumalo, as Council President, suggested the first PR-level meeting should take place on Wednesday, March ¶21. (Comment: USUN and UKUN have expressed to Kumalo that such a delay is simply unacceptable. Russia and China do not share our concerns about the proposed timing and did not speak. In private discussions after the Council session, elected members told us that they were seeking maximum time for the capitals to consider the text. USUN recommends that Department underscore with capitals the importance of moving to adoption promptly.) ¶8. (C) Council experts met later on Thursday. The drafters had agreed to go through the text and provide "clarifications" as appropriate. (The meeting was chaired by the UK, with support from U.S. and French experts. Russian and Chinese experts did not speak.) After a quick explanation of the origin and basic purpose of each of the paragraphs, the elected members asked few questions. Most of the discussion was focused on the content of the annex. Indonesia, in particular, asked for more information on each of the proposed designees. Qatar specifically asked for information on the background of the IRGC individuals proposed for designation. WOLFF