C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 001051

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/FO, NEA/ELA, PRM/FO
DEPT FOR ISN/RA MONGIELLO/NEPHEW

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/16/2018
TAGS: IR KNNP MNUC PARM TRGY IAEA PERL UR LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: GOL DOUBTS NAM WILL APPROVE IRAN'S DRAFT
STATEMENT

REF: STATE 74879

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. William Grant for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d).


1. (C) PolOff delivered reftel demarche to Oussama Khachab,
Head of the Americas Desk, and Fadi Hajali, who holds the
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) portfolio, both at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs on July 17. Khachab reported that Foreign
Minister Fawzi Salloukh would likely attend the 2008 NAM
foreign ministers' meeting in Tehran, July 27-30. Hajali,
responding to Iran's proposed text for the foreign ministers'
statement, said the GOL did not submit reaction to the
text, but that he believed the ext would not be approved.


2. (C) Hajali showe PolOff a document sent by the GOL's
mission in New York, which several NAM members had been
circulating. The document stated that the consenting states
would not take a stance in the NAM meeting that opposes UN
Security Council resolutions. Further, the foreign ministers
would take into account all IAEA reports, instead of a select
few. They also confirmed that they would not assign "a
particular description" to Iran's nuclear program (NFI).
Hajali concluded that this document indicated several NAM
members' objections to the draft Iranian text, and therefore
it would not be necessary for the GOL to react separately.
Chile, Ecuador, Jamaica, Nigeria, Singapore, Peru, Guatemala,
India, and Egypt had all expressed their support for this
document.


3. (C) Syria, Venezuela, and Cuba reportedly did not support
the document.


4. (C) The CDA also delivered reftel demarche to Prime
Minister Fouad Siniora during meeting on July 15. Siniora
took note of the information, but gave no substantive
response.
GRANT