ISRAELI MFA OFFERS MIXED REACTION TO UNSCR 1803,

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEL AVIV 000611

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2018
TAGS: KNNP MNUC PARM IR IAEA
SUBJECT: ISRAELI MFA OFFERS MIXED REACTION TO UNSCR 1803,
ANTICIPATES NEED FOR STRONGER MEASURES

REF: A. A) SECSTATE 19694


B. B) SECSTATE 21770

Classified By: POL/C Marc Sievers, Reason 1.4(B) AND (D)


1. (C) On March 13, Polcouns and Poloff met with MFA Deputy
Director General for Strategic Affairs Miriam Ziv and aide
Jonathan Miller to discuss reftel points regarding UNSCR 1803
and the preceding IAEA briefing on Iran non-compliance, which
we had passed to her last week. Ziv welcomed the passage of
1803, but also noted that it was "not a strong resolution."
She speculated with regret that many of the nuclear
enrichment practices reported by IAEA DG Olli Heinonen in his
25 February briefing to IAEA Member States (reftel A) would
continue unabated. She emphasized that the IAEA must
continue its investigation and not allow a long time to
elapse in so doing.


2. (C) Ziv noted with some displeasure that the 1803 preamble
language articulating the goal of securing "a Middle East
free of weapons of mass destruction..." had been included
despite the Israeli Mission to the UN's request to USUN that
this language only be included if it was necessary to achieve
consensus. Ziv said she understood that similar language had
appeared in UNSCR 1737, and could therefore be considered a
normal part of the preambular text. She nonetheless said she
wanted to convey Israeli disappointment that it had appeared
again in 1803 even though Indonesia abstained, and that the
Israelis were not apprised that it would be included.
Nonetheless, Ziv thought it was significant that Libya and
South Africa had voted for 1803.


3. (C) Ziv further commented that 1803's language was not as
strong as Israel had hoped regarding the need to prevent
banking transactions with Iranian banks Melli and Saderat.
She noted that the EU is not unified in its effort to halt
Iranian nuclear efforts and that several states, including
Italy, have pushed back on proposals to pass domestic
legislation prohibiting financial transactions with Iran.
Further to this point, Miller highlighted a recent statement
by Romano Prodi that Europe should avoid making Iran feel
isolated. Ziv argued that "stronger measures" are needed to
stem Iranian nuclear efforts, and suggested that gas and oil
embargoes would be particularly effective in this regard.
She observed that nearly all of Iran's imported gasoline
comes from the West, and asserted that "the West can do
more."


4. (C) In closing, Ziv noted reports that the EU-3 were
preparing for a new round of negotiations with Iran and asked
rhetorically what carrots the Europeans might be planning to
offer. Noting that Israelis were following the U.S.
presidential election campaign closely, Ziv queried whether
President Bush was under growing pressure to drop the U.S.
insistence on Iran's suspension of enrichment as a condition
for the U.S. to join the negotiations. Pol Couns assured Ziv
that the U.S. commitment to Iranian suspension of enrichment
remained firm.

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