IAEA AMANO TRANSITION SITREP 3

C O N F I D E N T I A L UNVIE VIENNA 000015 NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR T, IO, ISN DOE FOR NA-20, NA-24, NE-1, NE-6 NRC FOR OIP DOANE, HENDERSON, SCHWARTZMAN NSC FOR SCHEINMAN, HOLGATE, CONNERY E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2020 TAGS: AORC KNNP PINR IAEA SUBJECT: IAEA AMANO TRANSITION SITREP 3 REF: UNVIE 000002 (NOTAL) Classified By: Ambassador Glyn T. Davies for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) SUCCESSION IN SAFETY AND SECURITY ... -------------- ¶1. (SBU) On January 8, Mission staff consulted with IAEA Deputy Director General for Nuclear Safety and Security (DDG/NS) Taniguchi on his plans. Taniguchi was very forthcoming and stated that he planned to stay as DDG until his contract runs out in August 2010. He said he did not think he was going to get another assignment (read: go up to the DG's office as a special advisor) as was reportedly under consideration prior to Amano's assumption of office. Taniguchi also stated that he has considerable unused leave time and would most likely be taking off a great deal of July, and would therefore be effectively leaving at the end of June. ¶2. (SBU) When asked about his possible successor, Taniguchi did not offer any names but did state that China had been lobbying for his position. After some discussion, he acknowledged this could cause some issues with geographic distribution and might be seen to make the department too Asia-focused. ¶3. (SBU) When asked about the timing of his replacement, he stated he thought there would be some overlap, if only of a few days. He had had an overlap with his predecessor and he felt that same thing was likely this time too. When asked about the process for appointing an acting DDG if there were no overlap, Taniguchi reiterated that he felt that would not be needed. ¶4. (C/NF) Separately in discussion with NS staff, MSNOFF heard that former Canadian Ambassador Marie Gervais-Vidricaire might again be in the running for a senior position if Amano turns to her. PLEASE PROTECT FOLLOWING: Our own reliable information is that Gervais-Vidricaire is under consideration in Ottawa for a Washington posting and is not lobbying in Vienna, but is prepared to be recruited as DDG for Safety and Security. Married to fellow Canadian diplomat Marc Vidricaire, who is detailed as director of the IAEA,s Division of Public Information, the former permrep currently represents Canada in a NATO high-level review body chaired by former Secretary of State Albright. Unknown to her government, Gervais-Vidricaire indicated to Amano prior to his assumption of office as DG that she would like to be considered a candidate to serve under him. Amano subsequently extended her the courtesy of letting her know he was opting for someone else (Argentine diplomat Rafael Grossi) for the job of chef de cabinet, in which she had also expressed interest. UNVIE has high regard for Gervais-Vidricaire and recommends we keep her interest in mind should no other compelling candidate with regulatory experience emerge. ... AND IN TECHNICAL COOPERATION -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In a January 19 conversation with Chinese DCM Huang Wei and colleagues, MSNOFFs heard that China may indeed be interested in the Safety and Security position. Our interlocutors focused on the field of candidates we expect and on Amano's plans and timeline for identifying Taniguchi's successor. The Chinese were more animated on this issue than on our query about Asia Division Director for Technical Cooperation (TC) Dazhu Yang, currently the highest-ranking Chinese national in the Secretariat, as a potential candidate for DDG/TC. DCM Huang also made clear that China would like to increase its leadership role beyond its current two D-level officials in the Agency (the other beside the TC Asia Director is FAO employee Qu Liang, who is Director of the FAO-IAEA Joint Division). ¶6. (SBU) The Chinese related that the current Algerian Ambassador and recent Board of Governors Chairwoman, Taous Feroukhi, was interested in the TC position. MSNOFFs heard this same assertion recently from an Egyptian colleague. Feroukhi has been Algeria's PermRep since November 2001 and is currently beginning a one-year rotation as Vienna G-77 chairperson. The same Egyptian source also reported that the current Secretary of the Policy-Making Organs Kwaku Aning (Ghana) might put himself forward for DDG TC. We will quietly seek confirmation of Aning's potential interest in the position; heretofore we have expected Aning to retire in Ghana upon expiration of his current IAEA contract. Based on personality, management skills, and attitude towards the U.S., we believe Aning (with one daughter living in Los Angeles) would be a much stronger candidate for TC DDG. FIELDS GETTING CROWDED, BUT NOT OFFICIALLY -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) COMMENT: China's limited domestic experience in nuclear safety and security could draw a question over the suitability of a PRC national to lead the relevant department of the IAEA. We cannot predict if Amano would be persuaded that China, in this area, meets his criterion of a "responsible developed country" from which to fill Taniguchi's position. Turning to TC, Taous Feroukhi in her tenure as Board Chair exhibited a commitment to the IAEA as an institution and to its then-Director General, along with a sense of the chair's prerogative, that sometimes cut to our advantage. Winning her over as a teammate would be valuable for DG Amano in his outreach to the G-77, but her weak management skills would not make her a good candidate, overall, to head the TC Department. ¶8. (SBU) Kwaku Aning's passion for the Agency's peaceful uses mandate as seen by developing countries paired with his long experience in international civil service make him an interesting alternative for DDG/TC. We commiserated a bit with our Chinese counterparts, who admitted to trying to decode how the competition for DDG positions will be conducted in the absence of formal job advertisements or criteria or published timelines. Regarding positions at the director level and just below, we shared with them our sense that Amano will move deliberately and feels somewhat constrained. ¶9. (SBU) Although the details remain obscure, the IAEA is awash with rumors of the extensions and promotions that ElBaradei signed off on at the D2, D1, and P5 levels in his last weeks in office. When the EU troika ambassadors tried to pitch more hiring of EU nationals, we are told, Amano disappointed them by observing that his predecessor had granted so many contract extensions that hardly any senior positions would be immediately in play. Secretariat staff and we avidly await the annual release of the IAEA staff directory to learn just how many promotions in personal rank or contract extensions ElBaradei gave as parting gifts. END COMMENT. DAVIES