IAEA/IRAN: SWISS REACTION TO LATEST IAEA REPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERN 000267 SIPDIS DEPT FOR ISN/RA (R.NEPHEW),IO/T (H.VONBEHREN),AND EUR/AGS (Y.SAINT-ANDRE) E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2018 TAGS: KNNP MNUC PARM IAEA IR SZ SUBJECT: IAEA/IRAN: SWISS REACTION TO LATEST IAEA REPORT AND PLANS FOR JUNE 2-6 BOG REF: STATE 57726 Classified By: Poloff Chris Buck; reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On May 30, poloff delivered the message in reftel to Jean-Daniel Praz, acting Head of the MFA Office of Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs. (Note: Post also passed a copy of the reftel non-paper to MFA State Secretary Michael Ambuehl and to the diplomatic advisor to President Couchepin. End Note) Praz said that the IAEA Secretariat's May 26 report on Iran was the "most negative" thus far, and "very disappointing." He commented that IAEA officials had made numerous trips to Iran since the last report, but the Iranians "are still giving the same answers they gave in February." ¶2. (C) Praz said he expected the Swiss national statement at the June 2-6 IAEA Board of Governors meeting to focus on and to emphasize the need for Iran to cooperate with the IAEA. He said that Swiss IAEA Governor Walter Steinmann, Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, would attend the BOG, as will Praz. CARTER