US embassy cable - 04ABUDHABI3078

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 003078 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IO/UNP, NP, AND NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/07/2014 
TAGS: KNNP, IAEA, IR, TC 
SUBJECT: UAE press on El Baradei, Iran nukes 
 
Classified by Ambassador Michele Sison, reasons 1.4 
(d). 
 
1. (C) Summary: Iran's nuclear program received an 
unusual amount of attention in the press this week, 
with an exclusive interview with IAEA Chief Dr. 
Mohamed El Baradei in one newspaper, and a strong 
editorial endorsement of Iran's decision to go on a 
diplomatic offensive about its nuclear intentions in 
another.  Absent from this coverage is the official 
voice of the UAEG, although we know from private 
discussions with senior Emirati officials that they 
view Iran's nuclear program with deep concern and have 
consistently supported a tough approach by the IAEA. 
End Summary. 
 
El Baradei assesses Iran's case 
------------------------------- 
 
2. (U) In an exclusive interview with the Arabic 
language, Dubai-based "Al Bayan" newspaper on 
September 7, IAEA Chief Mohamed El Baradei compared 
Iran's failure to submit to the agency sufficient 
information about its nuclear program to the IAEA's 
earlier experience with Iraq.  This raised doubts 
about Iran's credibility and intentions, he said. 
Iran felt it was justified in not complying with the 
IAEA because it feared sanctions against it, El 
Baradei said, adding that the IAEA wanted to verify 
that Iran's activities were for peaceful purposes. 
Iran subsequently decided to cooperate fully with the 
IAEA and entered into an agreement with the UK, France 
and Germany, which had demanded greater transparency 
on the Iranians' part. 
 
3. (U) El Baradei said IAEA and Iran want to solve the 
crisis over Iran's nuclear program, especially in 
light of information the agency has about Iran, and he 
predicted a normalization of relations between Iran, 
the IAEA, and the Europeans.  He told "Al Bayan," a 
business-oriented publication, that he hopes Iran will 
continue to cooperate in a transparent fashion, and 
that that will in turn build trust and allow the IAEA 
to declare that the Iranian nuclear program is 
intended for peaceful purposes. 
 
El Baradei's meetings in Washington 
----------------------------------- 
 
4. (U) El Baradei also talked about his meetings in 
Washington that included the President and NSA Rice, 
and said there is still a conviction in the 
Administration that Iran's program includes a military 
component.  He said the IAEA does not have any 
evidence to support this.  "We cannot confirm or deny 
that," he said. 
 
Inspections need time, patience 
------------------------------- 
 
5. (U) El Baradei told "Al Bayan" that his agency 
learned from the Iraq case that inspections operations 
need time and patience.  "We should not be hasty in 
our conclusions," he said.  The IAEA cares that its 
reports are based on facts only and not rely on 
assumptions because the issue involves war or peace. 
 
Iran wins praise for diplomacy 
------------------------------ 
6. (U) Meanwhile, a Dubai-based newspaper praised 
Iran's diplomatic decision to go to European capitals 
to defend its nuclear program.  Iran's diplomatic 
"offensive" is a "welcome change" that deserves 
support, according to an editorial on September 7 in 
the privately owned "Khaleej Times."  The editorial 
called the development "a clear break from the past 
when Iran cared little about its image and did little 
to fight back when attacked in Western media." 
However, the newspaper still gave Iran low marks 
overall, noting that the Islamic republic "is still 
run in a totalitarian fashion and continues to be 
hopelessly backward.  Its leaders live in a world of 
their own without the faintest idea how the rest of 
the world views them and their country." 
 
Comment: 
-------- 
 
7. (C) We do not believe that the editorial on Iran in 
the "Khaleej Times" with its bold mix of praise and 
criticism reflects official UAEG opinion.  The UAEG's 
practice is to levy criticism against Iran in private. 
(End Comment.) 
SISON