TALKING POINTS: U/S BURNS TO ATTEND P5+1

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 076649 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PARM IR SUBJECT: TALKING POINTS: U/S BURNS TO ATTEND P5+1 MEETING IN GENEVA ¶1. (SBU) Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Bill Burns will join EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana and P5+1 Political Directors in a meeting with Iranian Nuclear Negotiator Saeed Jalili in Geneva on July 19. This cable provides talking points Posts may use to respond to inquiries from host governments and local media. ¶2. (SBU) BEGIN TALKING POINTS: - Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Bill Burns will join EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana and P5+1 Political Directors in a meeting with Iranian Nuclear Negotiator Saeed Jalili in Geneva on July 19. Ambassador Burns will be in Geneva to receive Iran's response to the P5+1 offer delivered in Tehran last month. - This will be a one-time U.S. participation to demonstrate P5+1 unity behind our offer to Iran and to reinforce the Secretary's signature on the P5+1 letter to the Iranians. We will be there to listen, not negotiate. He will not meet separately with Mr. Jalili. - While in Geneva, Ambassador Burns will also reiterate that our terms for negotiation remain the same - Iran must fully and verifiably suspend its enrichment- related and reprocessing activities. Secretary Rice will meet with the Iranians anytime, any place to discuss any topic should they take this single step. - Iran should recognize the opportunity now before it and take advantage of the readiness of the international community, as reflected in the updated package of incentives recently provided by the P5+1, to help Iran in all areas outlined in the offer. - The means by which Iran would be able to secure the active support of the international community is the offer from the P5+1 that is now on the table. The United States is fully associated with that offer, as evidenced by the signature of Secretary of State Rice on the accompanying letter. - The United States hopes Iran will recognize the benefits contained in the offer and enter into serious negotiations on its terms. - The United States also hopes Iran recognizes the risks and costs inherent in ignoring the offer or in failing to treat it seriously. - The increasing economic and political isolation Iran is now experiencing--the result of steadily eroding international confidence in its true intentions with respect to its nuclear program--will only increase. - The United States hopes Iran understands the choices before it. The only damage to Iran has come from the decisions Iran's leaders themselves have made. IF ASKED: What is "freeze for freeze" and how would it be STATE 00076649 002 OF 002 - Freeze for freeze is a creative idea that the P5+1 developed to attract Iran to the negotiating table. If Iran agrees to stop all new nuclear activity, the P5+1 will also halt consideration of new UNSC measures during a time-limited period of six weeks in order to get Iran to the negotiating table. This is a short-term, interim step intended to get Iran to a suspension. END TALKING POINTS. ¶3. (SBU) Posts requesting additional information should contact the Office of Iranian Affairs at 202-647-2520 or NEA-IRAN-DL. ¶4. (U) Minimize considered. RICE