US embassy cable - 05PARIS1834

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001834 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EUR/WE, NP/RA, AND NEA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PARM, MNUC, IR, FR 
SUBJECT: IRAN HOSTS CONFERENCE MARCH 5-6 TO SHOW ITS 
NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS IRREVERSIBLE 
 
 
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, Reason 1 
.4 (b and d) 
 
1. (C) MFA Deputy Director for Policy Planning Philippe 
Errera (please protect) provided us with a brief readout of 
Iran's March 5-6 conference entitled "Nuclear Technology and 
Sustainable Development," sponsored by the Iranian Center for 
Strategic Research (CSR), the Foreign Ministry, the Atomic 
Energy organization of Iran, and the Ministry of Science, 
Research and Technology.  In addition to the Iranian 
participants, researchers and academics from Europe, Canada 
and the U.S. also attended.  There was extensive Iranian 
press and television coverage.  Copy of the program with a 
listing of the various discussion panels has been faxed to 
NP/RA.  At the end of the conference, the Iranians arranged 
visits to Isfahan/UCF and a Zirconium production plant, which 
Errera declined to attend in order to avoid potential 
propaganda misuse of his presence, given that he was the only 
government employee from an EU country. 
 
2. (C) According to Errera, the declared purpose of the 
conference was to highlight the indispensability of nuclear 
energy and its importance to sustainable development, and to 
demonstrate the openness of Iran's nuclear facilities.  The 
underlying objective, he added, was clearly to make the point 
that Iran had a right to pursue its nuclear energy program -- 
in the words of one Iranian, "the cow is out of the barn." 
Many at the conference were receptive to the message as they 
appeared to have been invited, in part, for their openness to 
the Iranian perspective, Errera noted.  To reinforce Iran's 
message to the world, the opening and closing speeches very 
much laid down Iran's redlines against cessation of its 
nuclear activities.  Several key Iranians, such Hossein 
Moussavian and Hassan Rohani, met in private with some of the 
European and the American participants.  According to Errera, 
he reiterated in his meetings the importance of Iranian 
compliance with its Safeguards Agreement. At the conference, 
Errera delivered remarks expanding on Iran's violations, the 
importance of its compliance, and the adverse effect that 
Iranian noncompliance would have on the credibility of the 
nuclear non-proliferation regime.  (Note: while his views 
were his own, Errera cleared his remarks with the MFA's 
Strategic Affairs and Disarmament Directorate.) 
 
3. (C) Errera said the general message from the Iranians was 
that it would not negotiate an end to its enrichment 
activities, and that Iran was not afraid of a UNSC referral. 
Cheginizadeh of CSR stated that Iran, like Japan, could 
develop a nuclear bomb within six months.  Most of the 
Iranian commentators expressed the belief that Iranian 
possession of a nuclear bomb would have a moderating and 
stabilizing influence in the region.  Dr. Tajik (sp?), 
President of a research center linked to President Khatami, 
took note of the new U.S. approach and said that U.S. 
participation in the EU negotiations would help; however, 
most other Iranians emphasized that the U.S. position would 
not alter the Iranian position.  In a different vein, Rohani 
said that even if the EU were to prevail with its 
nonproliferation approach, the South would not support it at 
the IAEA or elsewhere.  He noted that Algeria, and other 
countries in the South, were opposed to the West's 
anti-nuclear proliferation policies.  Rohani opined that 
discussions with the EU would fail and that the EU would be 
found responsible for the failure. 
 
4. (C) In terms of atmospherics, Errera said he found Iranian 
society to be dynamic and relatively open.  The Iranians he 
met through the French Embassy during his short stay were not 
afraid to express criticism in public and via interpreters. 
Traveling through the city, he took extensive photos of a 
variety of sites without any visible restrictions.  The 
anti-Americanism he encountered was only visible at our 
former embassy, which has been festooned with innumerable 
paintings/graffiti depicting the evil nature of the "U.S. 
empire."  Debriefing some of the conference participants who 
went on the tour of Iran's facilities, he was told that the 
general impression was that they were unsophisticated, 
inefficient, and relatively ancient. 
 
5. (C) Comment: Despite Errera's disclaimer that the views he 
presented at the conference were his own, an approach often 
taken by the MFA's Policy Planning Staff, the Iranians 
clearly saw him as a French Government representative and 
identified him as such in the conference program.  We note 
that Errera is but the latest in a series of French 
officials, academics, and one French Senator, welcomed by the 
Iranians in an effort to influence opinions of Iran.  End 
comment. 
 
 
Leach