AUSTRIA'S POSITION ON IAEA ISSUES: ISRAEL

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 002366

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR ISN/RA (NEPHEW),AND IO/T (VON BEHREN).

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/07/2017
TAGS: MNUC AADP AROC KNNP KDEM PARM PREL IAEA AU
IS, IR
SUBJECT: AUSTRIA'S POSITION ON IAEA ISSUES: ISRAEL
RESOLUTION AND IAEA-IRAN "WORK PLAN"

REF: (A) STATE 119672 (B) STATE 123352 (C) STATE 124747

Classified By: A/DCM J. Dean Yap for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. Austria supports a consensus outcome that
would eliminate the Israel-specific agenda at the IAEA BoG
and expects the EU to work toward this outcome. However,
Austria is unlikely to raise any concerns regarding the
Iran-IAEA "work plan" at the BoG. Rather, it wishes to
protect IAEA-Iran relations as one of the few channels for
addressing Iran's nuclear program. End Summary.


2. (U) Charge, accompanied by Econ/Poloff, delivered reftel
A-C demarches to Austrian MFA PolDir Mayr-Harting on
September 7. FonMin Plassnik was in Portugal for the Gymnich
meeting of EU FonMins. Econ/Poloff had previewed both issues
with MFA Disarmament Office staffer Lassmann on Sept. 6.

Israel-Specific Agenda Item
--------------


3. (C) Mayr-Harting was unaware of the Israel issue when
initially raised, and called on Disarmament Office Director
Marschik into his office for the discussion. The EU,
according to Marschik, will seek the same solution as in
previous years, i.e., a regional agenda item adopted by
consensus vice country-specific agenda items. He also
reported that this was the common EU position and that the
Portuguese, as EU President, will work with the Arab members
of the BoG to resolve the matter.

IAEA-Iran Work Plan
--------------


4. (C) Mayr-Harting was aware that the IAEA-Iran work plan
had been completed, but neither he nor Marschik seemed aware
of its contents in any detail. Charge outlined the problems
identified by the U.S. Mayr-Harting stated that Austria was
not concerned that the IAEA-Iran process could delay UNSC
diplomacy. Marschik said he thought the "work plan" could be
completed in three months, even after the sequential and
flawed program for addressing the old and outstanding issues
was pointed out.


5. (C) Rather than raise concerns about the work plan,
Mayr-Harting argued that El-Baradei's and the IAEA's role in
negotiating with Iran was very important because there were
few others in the position to speak directly with Iran. To
attack the work plan would undermine his position with Iran.
Charge noted that many of the problems with the work plan
arose from Iranian demands; to object to them would indicate
support for El-Baradei and his negotiators. Nonetheless,
they remained reluctant to press the matter at the IAEA or in
the BoG, given that the IAEA offered one of the few channels
available for substantive dialogue. At the end of the
conversation, Mayr-Harting fell back on the need to develop
an EU consensus on the issue before Austria could take
action. He stressed that in this regard a common position
from the EU-3 would be particularly important.
Yap