IAEA ELECTION OF DIRECTOR GENERAL: GERMANY STILL

S E C R E T BERLIN 000662 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/2019 TAGS: AORC KNNP IAEA PREL GM SUBJECT: IAEA ELECTION OF DIRECTOR GENERAL: GERMANY STILL WEIGHING ALTERNATIVES REF: A. STATE 56783 ¶B. BERLIN 565 Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES JOHN M. KOENIG. REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (S) Unable to reach Foreign Minister Steinmeier, Charge delivered the points in ref A to MFA State Secretary Peter Ammon on June 3, urging Germany to continue supporting Yukiya Amano in the next round of voting for Director General of the IAEA. Ammon took the points on board, but deferred a substantive response to MFA Arms Control Director General Peter Gottwald. ¶2. (S) In a subsequent conversation, Gottwald told the Charge that Germany is being lobbied heavily by other EU members states that have put forward their own candidates. As a result, Germany is still weighing the various possibilities. He said that Germany plans to participate in the informal straw poll on June 9 and will need to have reached a decision on its preferred candidate by then. He promised to call the Charge back ahead of the straw poll and let him know what Germany decides. Gottwald noted that his sources in Vienna are "not 100%" sure that a definitive decision will emerge from the next round of voting. ¶3. (SBU) Post will report septel any further information on the German position we receive prior to the June 9 straw poll. Koenig