Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09UNVIEVIENNA90
2009-03-05 13:43:00
CONFIDENTIAL
UNVIE
Cable title:  

NEW RUSSIAN MOOD MUSIC AT IAEA BOARD MEETING

Tags:  PREL KNNP IAEA SY IR RU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUNV #0090 0641343
ZNY CCCCC ZZH (CCY AD3A8C3B AMG6359-695)
P 051343Z MAR 09 ZDS
FM USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9074
INFO RUEHII/VIENNA IAEA POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L UNVIE VIENNA 000090 

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (CAPTION)

OPS PLEASE PASS A/S FRIED

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2019
TAGS: PREL KNNP IAEA SY IR RU
SUBJECT: NEW RUSSIAN MOOD MUSIC AT IAEA BOARD MEETING

Classified By: Ambassador Gregory Schulte Reasons 1.5 (B and D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L UNVIE VIENNA 000090

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (CAPTION)

OPS PLEASE PASS A/S FRIED

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/05/2019
TAGS: PREL KNNP IAEA SY IR RU
SUBJECT: NEW RUSSIAN MOOD MUSIC AT IAEA BOARD MEETING

Classified By: Ambassador Gregory Schulte Reasons 1.5 (B and D)


1. (C) The just-concluded March 2 - 5 meeting of the IAEA
Board of Governors saw a striking improvement in the tone and
content of US-Russian cooperation on our nonproliferation
agenda. The most important result of this was the joint
statement of the P5 1 delegations on Iran -- the first such
statement by our six governments in Vienna. In negotiating
this agreement, Mission officers from the Ambassador on down
collaborated closely with Russian counterparts -- all of whom
were focused on the need to think creatively about finding a
set of words that would work for all our capitals and would
keep the pressure on Iran to change its approach to the IAEA.


2. (C) The Iran statement was not the only element of
US-Russian collaboration in Vienna this month. We also
worked closely to bring to the IAEA Board the Russian and
"Nuclear Threat Initiative" proposal for the creation of an
international mechanism for reliable access to nuclear fuel
(RANF). After months of seeming ambivalence, the Russian
Mission in Vienna is now running with the RANF proposal, to
the point that other missions are saying that it is the
Russians (and not us for a change) who are in a rush to get
this done. The Russians here were also increasingly
comfortable working together to advance this agenda. The
Russian DCM, for instance, readily joined his American
counterpart to lean on the Indians, urging them not to join
others in the G-77 in seeking to block a debate on these fuel
proposals.


3. (C) Even on issues where we differ, such a term limits for
the IAEA Director General (which Moscow opposes on grounds
that it could be read as a criticism of El Baradei) our
Russian counterparts have been apologetic about having to
part ways.


4. (C) On our two other safeguards verification cases, Syria
and the DPRK, Russia hewed close to its traditional lines.
The Russian statement on Syria joined the NAM and Arab group
in regretting the destruction of the Al Kibar facility that
impeded the IAEA's verification mission and commended the
IAEA for steering clear of "politicization" -- when in fact
the Director General's role in this matter has been highly
politicized. On North Korea, the Russians echoed earlier
comments about the need to "make active use of the IAEA" in
the disablement process. Septels will report in detail on
the Board proceedings, but as viewed from Vienna, one new
element was a notably improved US-Russia dynamic that
hopefully will last as we head into contentious debates over
the IAEA Director General election, the budget, and
verification issues in the Middle East.
SCHULTE