IRAN'S JALILI GETS TOUGH RECEPTION FROM EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000137 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE PASS TREASURY FOR U/S LEVEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2018 TAGS: PREL ETTC KNNP PHUM IR EUN SUBJECT: IRAN'S JALILI GETS TOUGH RECEPTION FROM EU REF: BRUSSELS 0100 Classified By: Laurence Wohlers, Polmincouns, for reasons 1.4(b) and (d ) Summary and Comment -------------- ¶1. (C) During a January 23 visit to Brussels, Saeed Jalili, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator met with mixed success at the EU. He achieved the desired form and access, including prestigious meetings with top officials as well as high profile press coverage. On substance, however, Jalili made no headway with EU leaders who rebuffed Jalili's pitch for closer EU-Iran relations in the absence of progress on the nuclear file and human rights. Jalili's overconfidence and lack of nuance rubbed Europeans the wrong way. The timing of the visit, which coincided with a P5 1 Ministerial meeting in Berlin, appeared to have backfired on the Iranians. Jalili reportedly cancelled his next stop in Davos and returned to Tehran immediately after learning that the P5 1 had agreed to pursue a third UNSC resolution on Iran. EU experts are now preparing the ground for EU-27 Foreign Ministers to approve a third round of autonomous EU designations at their February 18 GAERC meeting. End Summary and Comment. EP Unconvinced by Jalili's pitch for EU-Iran relations -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Jalilil addressed Members of the European Parliament at a ninety minute meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee on January 23. The format of the event worked to Jalili's advantage. After delivering a prepared statement, he was able to avoid a give and take with MEPs by answering all of their questions in a single statement. Jalili argued for the EU and Iran to cooperate in four areas: 1) regional democracy-building, touting Iran as the area's "best example of democracy"; 2) security and non-proliferation, in order to "fight the danger of proliferation caused by the U.S. unilateralism"; 3) energy; and 4) the economy. In a twisted reference to the U.S. NIE on Iran, Jalili asserted that "even the U.S. was now saying that Iran's nuclear activities were peaceful." Attempting to pander to his audience, Jalili repeated the word "democracy" like a mantra, asserting that Iran was a regional force for democracy and had excellent relations with both the Talibani and Karzai governments. ¶3. (C) FAC Chairman Jacek Saryusz-Wolski expressed disappointment with Jalili's failure to answer MEPs' questions on Iran's nuclear activities, support for regional rejectionist groups and terror, and human rights abuses. Some MEPs coughed loudly and repeatedly during Jalili's address to register their disagreement with his outlandish statements. Most made clear in their questions their strong opposition to Iran's nuclear, regional and human rights policy. Nonetheless, many MEPs appeared to be surprised, and even thrown off balance, by Jalili's utter self-confidence and conviction. (COMMENT: In contrast to their direct and oftentimes angry manner with Pakistani President Musharraf at a similar Committee event earlier in the week, MEPs were more subdued with Jalili. MEPs, who had enjoyed a rational exchange of views with Musharraf were, perhaps, unprepared for the impossibility of a similar dialogue with Jalili. END COMMENT) Separately, an EU official who attended Jalili's private and public meetings that day, was struck by his seeming inability or unwillingness to deviate from the same presentation or provide nuance, calling him "a true product of the Iranian revolution." Solana Plays It Cool -------------- ¶4. (C) According to a reliable Council Secretariat contact, the Iranians had hoped to meet with EU President Barroso and RELEX Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, but avoid CFSP High Rep Solana, who is Jalili's counterpart in the nuclear discussions. As reported reftel, the European Commission made clear that it would not consider the Iranian meeting requests in the absence of a similar request to the Council Secretariat. The Iranians realizing that this was the price SIPDIS of admission to the Commission, waited until January 21 to request a meeting with Solana. For his part, Solana kept the Iranians on tenterhooks and then invited Jalili to a three plus three dinner on January 23. EU participants were Solana, Robert Cooper, Council Secretariat Director General, and Annalise Gianella, Solana's Non-Proliferation Advisor. Jalili was joined by VFM Bagari, and Ambassador to the EU, Ali Asghar Khaji . By Solana's design, the dinner was largely social. Solana pulled Jalili aside privately for 15-20 minutes to assure him that the channels of communication were open on the nuclear issue, but that Iran first needed to make a "serious steps" in order to restore BRUSSELS 00000137 002 OF 002 confidence and pave the way for negotiations. He reportedly did not discuss substance of the nuclear issue with Jalili, but did discuss regional issues including Iraq and Afghanistan (NFI). In a separate and simultaneous aside, Cooper and Gianella informed Iranian VFM Bagari of the outcome of the Berlin Ministerial, i.e., that the P5 1 had made a commitment to further action in the UNSC and that a third resolution as well as additional EU measures could come quickly if Iran did not act now to suspend enrichment and reprocessing. RELEX Commissioner Delivers Tough Message -------------- ¶5. (C) In a twenty minute meeting on January 24 Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations (RELEX) took a no-nonsense approach with Jalili. According to a Commission notetaker (strictly protect) in the meeting, the Commissioner cut-off Jalili's pitch for closer cooperation between the EU and Iran on the so-called "four dimensions" (democracy in the region, non-proliferation, energy, and economy),to inform him that there would be no/no discussion of political and economic issues with the EU until Iran resolved the nuclear problem and restored the trust of the int'l community. Furthermore, even if Iran were to resolve the nuclear file "within the next year," Ferrero-Waldner stated that the human rights problem remained an obstacle to relations. In order for Iran to have a "normal" relationship with Europe, human rights abuses needed to be addressed in a serious manner. Jalili was reportedly surprised by Ferrero-Waldner's refusal to consider separation of issues and underscored th e need for "dialogue." Ferrero-Waldner scoffed at Jalili's call for dialogue, pointing out that Tehran had, for the last five months, refused the Commission's request to second a Belgian national to the Belgian Embassy there to liaise with Iranian MFA counterparts on non-contentious assistance issues. EU Prepares for Next Round of Designations -------------- ¶6. (C) According to several EU and Member States Iran watchers, EU-27 capital based experts are expected to meet in Brussels on February 6 to discuss a new round of autonomous EU designations of Iranian officials and entities suspected of engaging in proliferation-related activities. The Slovene Presidency will convene the meeting of non-proliferation (CONOP) and regional experts (COMEM) to consider a list of new candidates for designation under the EU's Common Policy Concerning Restrictive Measures Against Iran. The list is comprised of candidate submissions (identifier information and evidence) by UK and France. EU Member States experts are expected to complete a list of recommended designations with a view toward approval by EU-27 Foreign Ministers at their meeting (GAERC) in Brussels on February 18. The Foreign Ministers are also expected to receive briefings from CFSP High Rep Solana on the nuclear dossier. The EU will resume internal deliberations of new sanctions against Iran immediately after a third UNSCR is tabled in New York, with a view toward approval of new measures at the March GAERC. MURRAY .