Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BRUSSELS137
2008-01-25 16:23:00
CONFIDENTIAL
USEU Brussels
Cable title:  

IRAN'S JALILI GETS TOUGH RECEPTION FROM EU

Tags:  PREL ETTC KNNP PHUM IR EUN 
pdf how-to read a cable
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DE RUEHBS #0137/01 0251623
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O 251623Z JAN 08
FM USEU BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE
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
--------------------
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
.