ECUADOR DEMARCHE RESPONSE: IRAN AND THE NAM

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000777

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2016
TAGS: KNNP MNUC PARM TRGY IAEA PERL UR EC
SUBJECT: ECUADOR DEMARCHE RESPONSE: IRAN AND THE NAM

REF: A. STATE 74879

B. 07 QUITO 2691

C. QUITO 301

Classified By: Ambassador Heather Hodges for Reasons 1.4 (b&d)


1. (SBU) Poloff delivered Ref A points on July 14 to the
MFA's Directorate General of Multilateral Affairs and
followed up with Director General of Multilateral Affairs
Lourdes Puma on August 8.


2. (C) Puma said that the GOE supported the passage of the
Statement on Iran's Nuclear Issue adopted by the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) Foreign Ministers meeting July 27-30. Puma
added that the GOE is an active member of the NAM, and that
the GOE considers the NAM to be playing an important
consultative and conciliatory role in the UN and other
multilateral fora. PolOff countered that the NAM statement,
with its heavy emphasis on Iran and language referencing the
UN Security Council (UNSC),actually appeared to call into
question the legitimacy of the UNSC. Puma reiterated that
the GOE maintains its position of supporting the UNSC and
non-proliferation but that continued dialogue with Iran would
have the most positive results. PolOff restated points from
previous demarches (Refs B and C) that international
pressure, including the UNSC sanctions, had helped produce
some results, but that full cooperation with the IAEA is
still necessary. He pointed out that these resolutions
demanded that Iran suspend enrichment (not its weapons
program),and that the May 26 IAEA report demonstrated that
Iran has not provided the cooperation or transparency
necessary to address its nuclear enrichment and weaponization
activities.


3. (C) After attending the NAM meeting on July 30, Foreign
Minister Maria Isabel Salvador inaugurated the opening of an
Ecuadorian commercial office in Teheran and held a bilateral
meeting with Iran Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
President Correa announced in his July 19 radio address that
Ecuador would open an embassy in Iran in 2009 and that the
Iranians were interested in Ecuador's oil refinery projects.
Although Puma had asserted in previous meetings that the GOE
was not planning to open an Embassy in Teheran, Puma defended
the announcement, saying that it represented a continuation
of the same policy by the GOE to pursue commercial and
economic ties with Iran. PolOff questioned whether the GOE
would continue to implement UNSC resolutions 1737, 1747 and
1803 if it plans to trade with Iran. Puma said that Ecuador
would continue to implement the sanctions as required under
these resolutions, and the Ecuadorian Energy Commission is
specifically charged with ensuring compliance.
Hodges