ACTION REQUEST II: PRESSURING IRAN ON HUMAN RIGHTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000160 SIPDIS FOR NEA/IR, ALSO FOR DRL AND P E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2020 TAGS: IR PHUM PREF SP SUBJECT: ACTION REQUEST II: PRESSURING IRAN ON HUMAN RIGHTS REF: A. STATE 21208 ¶B. MADRID 119 ¶C. MADRID 69 ¶D. MADRID 59 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Arnold A. Chacon, Reasons 1.4(b) ,(d). ¶1. (C) Polcouns met February 8, 2010, with Spanish MFA Sub-DG for the Near East Alberto Ucelay to deliver ref a points. Ucelay was joined by Beatriz Lorenzo from the MFA's Human Rights Office. Ucelay said Spain shared U.S. worries over the human rights violations occurring in Iran. He said that since June the GOI had clearly begun taking a much harder line against political opponents and defenders of human rights. He said this was a topic of conversation both within the GOS and between the GOS and the EU. He said the question was how the EU could most effectively make its concerns known, both privately and publicly. Ucelay said the human rights concerns clearly related to issues of Iran's nuclear ambitions and its attempts to exercise influence in other countries, but he said Spain believed that in public at least, it was important to separate the issues. He said the Spanish EU presidency was working closely with HR Ashton on the human rights issue and wanted her to speak out. Ucelay said Spain wanted the issue of human rights in Iran to stay high on the EU agenda throughout its presidency and beyond. He also stressed Spain's appreciation for U.S. efforts to coordinate closely on Iran (refs b-d) and emphasized Spain's desire to continue working closely with the U.S. bilaterally as well as in Geneva and New York. ¶2. (C) Ucelay agreed that Iran was sensitive to diplomatic isolation and high-level statements. He noted that in mid-January, Spain had supported an EU demarche to the GOI complaining about recent acts of political repression. When the GOI proved indifferent to the message delivered in Teheran, a decision was made to repeat the message to Iranian ambassadors in all 27 EU member states (he said the Iranian ambassador in Madrid was called in). Ucelay and Lorenzo also shared U.S. concerns over Iran's candidacy for the Human Rights Council and gratitude for U.S. consultations on that issue. Lorenzo said it would be important for like-minded countries to continue working together as the question of tactics for blocking Iran was key. SOLOMONT