IAEA/IRAN REPORT -- PRESSING THE GOI

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 001066 SIPDIS DEPT FOR P, T, EAP, IO, PM, ISN, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, ISN/RA (NEPHEW),IO/T (VON BEHREN) E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2018 TAGS: PARM KNNP IAEA IR ID SUBJECT: IAEA/IRAN REPORT -- PRESSING THE GOI REF: A. STATE 57726 ¶B. JAKARTA 929 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Per Ref A, Mission has urged that the GOI take a robust posture regarding Iran's failure to cooperate with the investigation of Iranian nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Our contact said the GOI is still studying the recent IAEA report. Mission looks forward to Ambassador (IAEA) Gregory Schulte's planned visit to Jakarta as a prime opportunity to reiterate the international community's deep concerns about this matter. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) UNDERSCORING POINTS: On June 2, Dep/Pol/C of the Regional Stability Unit reviewed the recent IAEA report on Iran with Carolina Tinangon of the office of International Security and Disarmament at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DEPLU). Dep/Pol/C laid out the report's examples of Iran's noncompliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions and its clear failure to cooperate with the IAEA's investigation. The IAEA report--which identified "serious concerns" over Iranian activities--left little doubt that Iran was not providing the necessary documentation and transparency to substantiate its assertions regarding its nuclear program. Speaker Ali Larijani's recent statements were particularly troubling. ¶3. (C) Dep/Pol/C pressed for a firmer Indonesian line on Iran's nuclear activities. Indonesia had been largely silent on this in recent months, he noted, and--in previous statements--Indonesia had emphasized Iran's right to pursue peaceful uses of nuclear energy without giving equal weight to the need for Iranian compliance with UNSC and IAEA requirements. Especially given its current status as a non-permanent member of the UNSC, Indonesia needed to send a more balanced message to Iran. Failure to obtain Iran's compliance would undermine the IAEA process, one that Indonesia has said it wanted to see succeed. ¶4. (C) GOI STUDYING REPORT: Noting that Indonesia was not an IAEA Board member, Tinangon said DEPLU had a copy of the IAEA report and was "still studying" it. Citing language from the report, she said the IAEA had not concluded that Iran's nuclear activities were for military purposes. Dep/Pol/C stressed that this was due to IAEA investigators' lack of access to Iranian facilities, and urged that Indonesia support firm statements by Board member-states on this matter. ¶5. (C) PLANNED VISIT: Mission looks forward to Ambassador to the IAEA Gregory Schulte's planned June 19-21 visit as a prime opportunity to reiterate the international community's deep concerns in this area. Though Mission continues to raise USG concerns, the GOI has clearly not been focused on this matter since the UNSC's approval of Resolution 1803 in March in a vote which isolated Indonesia (14 countries voting "yes" with only Indonesia abstaining). It is good to keep reminding the GOI that this matter remains very much on the international agenda and cannot be ignored for domestic political reasons or any other reason. HEFFERN