IAEA TECHNICAL COOPERATION: IRAN, SYRIA, BURMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L UNVIE VIENNA 000584

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (PARA 3 CLASSIFICATION)

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2018
TAGS: KNNP IAEA ENRG TRGY AORC IR SY BM
SUBJECT: IAEA TECHNICAL COOPERATION: IRAN, SYRIA, BURMA

REF: A. UNVIE VIENNA 000569

B. UNVIE VIENNA 000540

C. STATE 097067

D. PAPPAS-NEPHEW-VON BEHREN EMAILS

Classified By: Ambassador Gregory L. Schulte, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) On October 28, the IAEA officially released the
documentation for the 2009-2011 Technical Cooperation cycle
in advance of the November Technical Assistance Cooperation
Committee (TACC) and Board of Governors meetings. All
documentation released on the IAEA's GOVATOM restricted
distribution website has been transmitted via email for USG
review (ref D). While the projects proposed for Iran and
Syria were anticipated based on Mission's earlier discussions
with Secretariat officials as reported in ref B, Mission had
hoped the Secretariat would channel away from active
consideration at the TACC a Syrian proposal for "Conducting a
Technical and Economic Feasibility Study and Site Selection
for a Nuclear Power Plant" (ref A). Mission had strongly
urged the Secretariat against pursuing this project. Given
the extreme unlikelihood at this point of successfully
killing the project, Mission recommends we protest with the
EU and others the inclusion of this item in the TC cycle
list, including in our National Statements at TACC and at the
subsequent (November 27-28) IAEA Board meeting. End Summary.

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SYRIA
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2. (C) Syria requested nine Technical Cooperation projects
for the 2009-2011 TC cycle, which Mission preliminarily
assesses to be of little or no direct nonproliferation
concern (i.e., they will not transfer sensitive items or
know-how). Syrian project proposals are as follows:

-- Conducting a Technical and Economic Feasibility Study and
Site Selection for a Nuclear Power Plant
-- Enhancing the Analytical Capabilities of the Ion Beam
Accelerator
-- Developing Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals
-- Establishing a Specialized Dosimetry Laboratory for Medium
and High Dose Measurements
-- Establishing Quality Control Methods and Procedures for
the Electron Beam Irradiation Facility at the Syrian Atomic
Energy Commission
-- Enhancing the Analytical Capabilities of the Ion Beam
Accelerator (Footnote A)
-- Improving the Management of Soil and Water in the in the
Coastal Basin of Tartous Province, Using Nuclear and Isotopic
Techniques (Footnote A)
-- Promoting the Sterile Insect Technique as Part of Area
Wide Management of Codling Moth (Footnote A)
-- Upgrading the Early Warning Environmental Radiation
Monitoring System (Footnote A)


3. (C) The new project for feasibility and "site selection"
for a nuclear power plant is highly inappropriate in light of
the ongoing IAEA safeguards investigation in Syria. The
inclusion of "site selection" would also seem to pre-judge
the outcome of any feasibility study. Finally, we have heard
from Secretariat contacts that the project contains a
procurement component that includes "instrumentation,"
presumably for a prospective reactor. Mission believes it
would be highly inappropriate for the Agency to assist Syria
in procuring any equipment for a reactor when Syria is under
suspicion of efforts to build such a facility without
submitting it to IAEA inspection, as Syria is required.


4. (C) Mission has lobbied Secretariat interlocutors
strongly, but ultimately unsuccessfully, against the
inclusion of this project in the proposed TC cycle. In a
recent conversation with Graham Andrew, Special Assistant to
the Director General, DCM learned that DG ElBaradei
personally made the decision to ignore suggestions from
France, Australia and the U.S. that a nuclear power
feasibility TC project would be inappropriate for Syria.
Andrew underlined that for the DG this is a matter of "due
process," and since Syria has not been found "guilty" by the
Board or Secretariat, he believes it would be inappropriate
at this stage to pull back any TC project otherwise
considered legitimate by the Secretariat. EXPO Director
Vilmos Czerveny claimed further that the overall amount of
funding for Syria this time is less than previous cycles. We
are seeking to confirm this assertion.


5. (C) Comment: Given the DG's posture and the strong
support he would receive from the G-77/NAM, this project will
be exceedingly difficult to block, and is generally regarded
in the Secretariat and among member states as technically
within the range of TC projects available to Syria in the
absence of a relevant Board resolution to restrict such
activities. Mission recalls the difficulty during the 2006
TC cycle with regard to killing an Arak heavy-water-related
project in Iran, a country that had already been the subject
of Board resolutions calling on Iran to set aside heavy
water-related projects. In light of these considerations,
Mission recommends joining consensus on the new TC cycle,
while we and other like-minded states make clear in our
national statements at the TACC meeting and subsequent Board
meeting that we think Agency resources could be far better
spent than on reactor feasibility studies in States who have
attempted to build covert reactors. Attempting to block the
project now would verylikely deplete our chances of achieving
a subsequent resolution in support of the IAEA safeguards
investigation in Syria at the Board meeting immediately
following the TACC. Mission assumes maximizing the chances
for such a Board resolution is our top Syria-related priority
for the November meetings. End comment.

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IRAN
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6. (C) Iran requested six Technical Cooperation projects for
the 2009-2011 TC cycle, which Mission assess to be of little
direct nonproliferation concern. Iranian project proposals
are as follows:

-- Supporting the Development of Radiopharmaceuticals for
Diagnosis and Therapy of Cancer and the Manufacture of
Radioactive Sources for Brachytherapy (New Project)
-- Supporting the Application of Therapeutic
Radiopharmaceuticals in the Nuclear Medicine Centers and the
Development of QA/Qc and QMS in Therapeutic
Radiopharmaceutical Applications (New Project)
-- Strengthening Owner's Capabilities for Commissioning and
Start-up of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (Ongoing Project)
--Upgrading NPPD's Safety and Engineering Infrastructure for
Planning and Construction of Two NPP Units with Pressurized
Light Water Reactors (PWR) in Bushehr (New Project)
--Regulatory Infrastructure for Licensing and Control of
Nuclear and Radiation Facilities in Iran (Ongoing Project)
-- Strengthening Owner's Capabilities for Construction,
Commissioning and Licensing Activities of Low and
Intermediate Level Waste Disposal Facility (New Project)


7. (C) Proposed TC projects for Iran match closely with
Mission's previous understanding based on conversations with
Secretariat officials, and appear to be in conformity with
UNSCRs 137, 1747, and 1803 (ref B). Mission assesses these
proposals are within the guidelines of Iran's obligations and
relevant UNSCR restrictions, and would not be easily blocked
in the Board or TACC.


8. (C) As it has done since the imposition of UNSC sanctions,
the Agency released the TC project proposals with an
Iran-specific matrix entitled "Evaluation of Technical
Cooperation to be provided to Iran during TC Cycle
2009-2011." The matrix provides the Secretariat's judgment
on Iranian eligibility for participation in both national and
regional projects on a ""yes," "no," or "case-by-case" basis
based on conformity with the requirements of UNSCRs 1737,
1747, and 1803. The Secretariat determined that Iran is
eligible to receive all six of the national projects listed
above, noting that they are aimed entirely for medical or
safety purposes, or directly related to safety of light water
reactors. The Secretariat also determined that Iran is
eligible to participate in twenty-five of the thirty-seven
regional and interregional projects of the Asia and Pacific
TC division. The Secretariat however determined that Iran is
not/not eligible to participate in eight specific regional
projects, and may only participate in four others on a
case-by-case basis if it specifically requests to do so (and
will only be permitted to participate in those case-by-case
project activities that conform to UNSCR requirements).


9. (C) Comment: Mission recommends our statement at the TACC
call on the Secretariat to maintain a rigorous review of
implementation of all/all IAEA interactions with Iran.
Mission also notes that the TC projects matrix does not
include technical assistance provided to Iran outside of the
TC program. The Agency has previously relayed general
information on the number of assistance requests it has
rejected or accepted to the 1737 Sanctions Committee. The
U.S. statement in the TACC and November Board should also
urge full transparency on the part of the Secretariat with
regard to all forms of technical assistance provided Iran.
End comment.

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BURMA
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10. (C) Burma requested seven Technical Cooperation projects
for the 2009-2011 TC cycle, which Mission assess to be of
little direct nonproliferation concern. Mission will
continue to closely monitor IAEA interaction with Burma to
ensure appropriate implementation. Burma project proposals
are as follows:

-- Development of Rice Varieties with Improved Iron
Content/Bioavailability through Nuclear Techniques (Ongoing
Project)
-- Improvement of Quality Assurance in Brachytherapy for
Cervical Cancer (Ongoing Project)
-- Studying Yield Improvement of Local Rice Varieties through
Induced Mutation (New Project)
-- Enhancing the Lifetime Health and Performance of Offspring
and Improving the Profitability of Livestock Production
Systems (New Project)
-- Enhancing the Capacity of the Nuclear Instrument
Laboratory at the Department of Atomic Energy (New Project)
-- Developing Thermo-Insensitive (Cold-Tolerant) Green Gram
Genotypes, Using Mutation Techniques (New Project)
-- Assessing Risk Factors Associated with Obesity in Women
-- Supporting an Feasibility Study for the Establishment of
an Irradiation Facility for Gemstone Treatment (New Project)
SCHULTE