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
.