SYRIA AND IAEA DEMARCHE

C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000844 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2018 TAGS: KNNP MNUC PARM IAEA TRGY SY SW SUBJECT: SYRIA AND IAEA DEMARCHE REF: STATE 127578 Classified By: POL Counselor Marc Koehler, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) On December 18, Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Asa Gustaffson, Deputy Director in the MFA Department for Disarmament and Nonproliferation. Gustaffson said Sweden is concerned about Syria's lack of cooperation with the IAEA and shared "the general sense in the EU that we must move slowly" with respect to Syria's request for a feasibility study for a nuclear reactor. Saying she was playing a broken record, Gustaffson noted Sweden must coordinate with the EU on this issue, adding that she would fly to Brussels December 19 for expert discussions on a range of topics, including Syria. She also stated that there was "a lot of uncertainty and rumor" and "few facts" available to EU members states about what the Syrians had actually built at Al Kibar. Poloff replied that the best way to determine the facts would be to push Syria to cooperate fully with the IAEA. SILVERMAN