BELGIUM: U.S. POSTURE ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 001596 SIPDIS NEA/FO FOR ECATALANO, ISN/RA FOR RNEPHEW E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/2019 TAGS: KNNP IR PREL IR BE SUBJECT: BELGIUM: U.S. POSTURE ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM AND NEXT STEPS REF: STATE 120288 Classified By: Classified by CDA Richard Eason for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Poloff met on November 24 with the Belgian Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Werner Bauwens, before Bauwens left for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting on Iran. Bauwens harbors little hope that Iran will cooperate with the IAEA and said that the Government of Belgium (GOB) would back timely deeper sanctions. Bauwens said the GOB will take a leadership role in the second half of 2010, when it will be both European Union (EU) president and back on the IAEA Board of Governors (BOG). Bauwens requests early cooperation with the U.S. on sanctions on Iran. END SUMMARY ¶2. (C) Poloff delivered reftel demarche on November 24 to Werner Bauwens, Special Envoy for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, and Arnout Pauwels, Attach in the Middle East Department, who are both from the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Bauwens will be observing the IAEA BOG meeting on Iran in Vienna on November 26 and 27. ¶3. (C) Bauwens harbors little hope that Iran will cooperate with the IAEA. Bauwens is familiar with the recent events leading up to the BOG meeting on Iran and said that the "final phase of negotiations" with Iran is starting now. He stated that the international community has "shown patience," but Iran has "not grasped the chance to engage in meaningful dialogue". Moreover, he said that last week's IAEA report on Iran was a "negative assessment" and that Iran "played tricks" on the inspectors during their recent visit to the Qom facility. ¶4. (C) Bauwens said that the GOB was willing to advocate timely deeper sanctions. Bauwens said that it is now time to start thinking about additional measures or sanctions in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). While he agrees that the wording of any measures against Iran will be important to avoid vetoes from Russia and China, Bauwens is cautiously optimistic about obtaining their support. Bauwens cautioned that it could take one year to build consensus and implement coherent sanctions on Iran. ¶5. (C) Bauwens stated that Belgium will be able to be more active in the second half of 2010, when it will have the EU presidency and have re-entered the IAEA BOG. According to Bauwens, "until then we do not plan to intervene" and will follow rather than lead within the EU on this issue. ¶6. (C) Bauwens requested close cooperation with the U.S. to form a coherent strategy to apply pressure on Iran through deeper sanctions. Pauwels said that the GOB's objective with Iran was non-proliferation and not the introduction of democracy. EASON .