"EXPANDING CHORUS ON IRAN" DEMARCHE DELIVERED TO UAE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 000916 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: 09/16/2019 TAGS: PREL KNNP MNUC PARM IAEA AORC GCC MU QA IQ IR AE SUBJECT: "EXPANDING CHORUS ON IRAN" DEMARCHE DELIVERED TO UAE REF: STATE 95073 ¶1. (C) DCM delivered reftel demarche to Emirati MFA Assistant Minister for Political Affairs Tariq Haidan. He urged the UAE to encourage Iran to engage in meaningful discussions with the P5+1 and respond to U.S. offers of engagement on its nuclear program. After discussing reftel points for GCC governments, DCM stressed that the UAE was a key player due to its influence in the region and its proximity to Iran; applying maximum diplomatic pressure on Iran should include public statements by the UAE and the GCC in upcoming UNGA and related meetings recognizing the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program to UAE national and regional security. ¶2. (C) Haidan replied "we are completely with you," and agreed that there needs to be a "good statement" from the GCC. He reported that the UAE had attempted to achieve GCC unity behind the USG position at the GCC Ministerial in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (September 2). According to Haidan, Oman and Qatar were not totally on board and they still need to be convinced that the Iranian nuclear program is a threat. He urged the USG to focus more on dialogue with those two regional states. ¶3. (C) Referring to the need for public statements to Tehran, Haidan said that any statement from the region should be clear; Iran has the right to pursue a nuclear energy program but it "must be acceptable to the international community." Any statement should also make clear to both Tehran and to those in the region who are still wavering on Iran that, "if something happens in the region" due to Iran's nuclear ambitions, "it will be a disaster." ¶4. (C) Hamdan warned against getting stuck in talks leading to nowhere. The Iranians think they can get to the U.S. by offering to talk on other issues they deem as critical to American interests: combating Al-Qaida, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Hamdan advised that to prevent Tehran from diverting talks from the main issue, negotiations should include a timetable for progress on the nuclear issue. DCM assured Hamdan that the USG was not interested in talks that were less than meaningful or that failed to address Iran's nuclear program. OLSON