US embassy cable - 05MUSCAT687

S E C R E T MUSCAT 000687 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NP/CBM, EUR/PRA, NEA/ARPI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/26/2015 
TAGS: ETTC, PARM, PREL, IR, GM, MU, NO, International Relations 
SUBJECT: PSI: GERMAN CRANE SHIPMENT - NO ACTION EXPECTED IN 
MUSCAT 
 
REF: A. STATE 75880 AND PREVIOUS 
 
     B. OSLO 607 AND PREVIOUS 
     C. MUSCAT 679 AND PREVIOUS 
     D. RICHELSON-SNOWDEN E-MAILS 4-26-05 
     E. BERLIN 1388 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard L. Baltimore III. 
Reason: 1.4 (b, d, e). 
 
1. (S) Begin Summary: The German Ambassador as of COB April 
26 has received no instruction from Berlin to take any action 
with the Omani government to halt a questionable crane 
shipment to Iran, necessitating the postponing of our 
scheduled meeting with the Foreign Minister.  He indicated 
that Berlin may not yet have decided that any action, in 
fact, is warranted.  As Embassy Oslo reports that the vessel 
will arrive and depart Muscat now on April 27, it appears 
highly unlikely that any action to intercept the cargo will 
be made in Oman.  End summary. 
 
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No Word From Germany 
-------------------- 
 
2. (S) As of the German Embassy's close of business April 26, 
they had received no/no further instruction from Berlin to 
take action in Muscat to interdict the crane shipment bound 
for Iran.  Based on ref D e-mails, we informed Ambassador 
Helmut Blankenstein that time is running short, as the 
Norwegian ship is now scheduled to arrive and depart from 
Muscat's Port Sultan Qaboos on April 27.  Per ref B, we 
apprised him that the shipping company appears willing to 
either debark the cranes or at least delay its arrival in 
Iran for up to a week by calling on other Gulf ports first, 
but not without guidance from Berlin.  (Note: Ref E indicates 
the German government is now well aware of this.  End note.) 
 
---------------- 
Passing the Buck 
---------------- 
 
3. (S) Ambassador Blankenstein expressed frustration that 
Norway is unwilling to take action independently, pointing 
out that the German government was not involved in the sale 
of the equipment and has no authority over the shipping 
company.  No party seems willing to take financial 
responsibility to prevent the delivery of the equipment to 
Iran.  He noted that Omani MFA Under Secretary Sayyid Badr 
was likewise offended by the thought that Oman would be asked 
to take on a financial responsibility that nobody else would. 
 Blankenstein opined further reasons for possible German 
ambivalence about the shipment.  First, the suspected real 
end-user in Iran was only identified through intelligence 
reports that may or may not be accurate.  Secondly, any goods 
sold to Iranian consumers, no matter how legitimate, are 
always subject to re-sale after one year.  In other words, 
the Iranian government would have little difficulty acquiring 
the cranes through other means. 
 
-------------------- 
Too Late for Action? 
-------------------- 
 
4. (S) As a practical measure, Ambassador Blankenstein said 
any instructions he might receive overnight now from Berlin 
would be of little value.  It would take some hours on April 
27 to be received by the Foreign Minister (who is involved in 
the visit of the Thai Prime Minister); the Minister would 
likely seek clarifications or need to coordinate with other 
agencies; at the end of which time the ship would have long 
sailed out of Omani waters. 
 
5. (S) Per ref A, in the absence of German action in Muscat, 
and in order to avoid getting out ahead of Berlin, the 
Ambassador postponed his meeting today with Minister 
Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi.  We have a 
place-holder for a meeting on Wednesday, though the 
Minister's office pointed out schedule difficulties in light 
of the Thai visit.  Given the ship's arrival sooner than 
previously expected, and the growing unlikelihood of a German 
demarche, it appears exceedingly unlikely that any actions 
will be taken in Oman to halt the cargo.  The ship may call 
on other Gulf Arab ports in the coming days before heading to 
Iran, however, should an agreement to that effect be reached 
between Oslo and Berlin. 
BALTIMORE