OMANI FOREIGN MINISTER DOWNBEAT ON PROSPECTS FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 000403 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/02/2018 TAGS: PARM PREL KNNP MNUC IR MU SUBJECT: OMANI FOREIGN MINISTER DOWNBEAT ON PROSPECTS FOR RESOLVING IRANIAN NUCLEAR FILE REF: STATE 57726 Classified By: Ambassador Gary A. Grappo for Reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) In a meeting with Omani Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs on June 1 to discuss a number of issues (septels),the Ambassador delivered reftel demarche and non-paper on the latest IAEA REPORT regarding Iran's nuclear program. Bin Alawi acknowledged U.S. concerns over Tehran's nuclear activities and agreed that the Iranian government needed to "do more" in working with the IAEA. He cautioned, however, against reading too much into recent statements by Ali Larijani, current speaker of Iran's Majlis and former chief nuclear negotiator, explaining that his belligerent comments were "domestic political posturing," and not intended as a statement of foreign policy. The Minister stated that Larijani could not afford to be seen as "soft" on the nuclear issue given his well known ambitions for the presidency of Iran in 2009 and accordingly needed to take a "hard-line" position in public. ¶2. (C) Bin Alawi noted that EU High Representative Javier Solana would soon be traveling to Tehran and opined that he would receive a cordial welcome. While hopeful that Solana would be able to accomplish something "on the margins" of the most contentious issues, he was downbeat on the prospects for a comprehensive agreement due to the intense focus among Iranian leaders on the presidential elections. "No one" in Tehran, bin Alawi stated, wanted to appear to be "caving in" to Western pressure in the run-up to the 2009 polls. ¶3. (C) Comment: Bin Alawi's comments on the recent IAEA findings are consistent with the generally generous and accommodating line Oman has been taking regarding Iranian words and deeds of late. While he has made numerous visits to Iran over the last year to meet with Iranian officials, he reportedly had no individual meetings with senior Iranians during his most recent trip to Tehran in early May 2008 for the annual Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IORARC) conference. Bin Alawi remarked that he did not anticipate visiting Iran again for at least several months. End Comment. GRAPPO