ROMANIA REACTION TO IAEA REQUEST

UNCLAS BUCHAREST 000613 UNCLASSIFIED DEPT FOR ISN/RA - MICHAEL BEDKE, AND JODY DANIEL, AND EUR/CE ASCHEIBE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KNNP PARM IAEA MNUC TRGY PREL IR SY RO SUBJECT: ROMANIA REACTION TO IAEA REQUEST REF: STATE 91633 Sensitive But Unclassified; not for Internet distribution. ¶1. (SBU) POLOFF delivered REF comments September 3 to Nineta Barbalescu, Director of the MFA Directorate for OCSE, Asymmetric Threats and Nonproliferation. Barbalescu said Romania agreed that Iran, and to some extent Syria, would attempt to use procedural issues to prolong debates and in effect filibuster the IAEA Board of Governors meeting. Romania was in the process of preparing remarks regarding the last several DG reports, and all EU member states supported a firm approach. While some concern was expressed within the EU that antagonizing Iran without a clear endgame would only lead Iran to withdraw completely from the IAEA, Barbalescu agreed that Iran had played this game for years and was unlikely to take so dramatic a step. ¶2. (SBU) Barbalescu asked POLOFF whether the U.S. language would be even stronger than in the past. POLOFF responded that our demarche to IAEA partners reflected both U.S. intent to deliver a strong message at the Board of Governors meeting and our commitment to hold Iran and Syria to their IAEA obligations. Barbelescu also inquired as to the level and composition of the U.S. delegation to the meeting. GITENSTEIN