EL SALVADOR SUPPORTIVE OF P5+1 PROCESS; NO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SAN SALVADOR 000960 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KNNP MNUC PARM IR ES SUBJECT: EL SALVADOR SUPPORTIVE OF P5+1 PROCESS; NO RELATIONS WITH TEHRAN REF: A. STATE 103218 ¶B. SAN SALVADOR 885 ¶C. STATE 95073 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: MFA DG for Foreign Policy welcomed our briefing on the outcome of October 1 P5 1 talks with Iran. El Salvador is supportive of the process. The Israeli Ambassador reported separately that FM Martinez told the American Jewish Committee in New York that El Salvador would not establish diplomatic relations with Iran. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Joaquin Maza Martelli, FMA Director General for Foreign Policy, told PolCouns he welcomed Ref (A) update on the outcome of October 1 P5 1 talks with Iran in Geneva. Maza agreed with the U.S. assessment that the start of talks on the nuclear issue was encouraging, but that Iran would have to fulfill promises of cooperation. He said the GOES would likely make public statements in support of the P5 1 process in the context of UN discussions on disarmament. He said both French and German diplomats had mentioned Iran in the same context and that the Israeli Ambassador had demarched MFA on Israel's entire set of concerns about Iran in September. ¶3. (C) Separately, Israeli Ambassador told Charge October 2 that during FM Hugo Martinez,s trip to New York he met with a senior representative of the American Jewish Committee, who urged that the GOES not establish relations with Iran. Martinez reportedly told the AJC the GOES would not establish diplomatic relations with Iran, an answer consistent with what the GOES has told us here. ¶4. (C) Comment: The GOES is supportive of the P5 1 process with Iran, but its geographic separation from Iran makes this a second-tier priority. A USUN approach to the Salvadorans in New York could help convince them to make a public statement in support of these negotiations. BLAU