US embassy cable - 05PRETORIA4297

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRETORIA 004297 
 
SIPDIS 
 
ABUJA PLEASE PASS TO A/S FRAZER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/21/2015 
TAGS: PARM, PREL, KNNP, IR, SF, IAEA 
SUBJECT: SAG MAKES NO PROGRESS ON STALEMATE WITH IRAN 
DURING OCTOBER 19 LARIJANI VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 00578 
     B. PRETORIA 03814 
     C. PRETORIA 03791 
     D. PRETORIA 03267 
     E. PRETORIA 2984 
     F. PRETORIA 2963 
 
Classified By: CDA Don Teitelbaum.  Reasons:  1.4 (B&D). 
 
1. (C) Ali Larijani, Iranian Secretary  of Supreme National 
Security Council (SNSC), visited South Africa October 19 for 
consultations on Iran's nuclear dossier with President Mbeki 
and Abdul Minty, DFA Deputy Director General and SAG 
Representative on the IAEA Board of Governors.   Minty told 
A/DCM October 21 that bilateral discussions during the 
October 19 visit to Pretoria brought no progress on resolving 
the impasse over Iran's nuclear program.  Minty said Larijani 
reiterated Iran's desire to resolve the issue diplomatically, 
but  claimed the EU had broken off the negotiations.  He 
added that the EU and Iran were continuing to search for a 
resolution through informal talks but that he understands 
they had made no progress.  Minty noted that the SAG and the 
EU were maintaining close contacts on the state of the 
EU-Iran talks.  He described the Iranian officials handling 
the issue as new and said they were simply rehashing old 
positions: nothing new was being put forward.  Expressing a 
bit of exasperation, Minty said the two year dialogue was a 
"stand-off."  A/DCM inquired about a press report that South 
Africa had repeated its offer to store Iranian uranium (Ref 
D, E, F).  Minty explained that this offer was originally an 
IAEA proposal, and noted that the press reports were wrong, 
as was often the case.  (Comment:  In fact, the proposal was 
an Iranian initiative, see Ref F.) 
 
2. (U)  Press reports noted the SAG's abstention September 19 
in Vienna at the IAEA Board meeting on a US/EU-3 resolution 
referring Iran to the UN Security Council because of 
noncompliance with the NPT and pursuit of a nuclear program 
not exclusively for peaceful purposes.  Larijani reportedly 
thanked South Africa for its position in September and hoped 
that Pretoria would maintain its current approach at the next 
Board session in November. 
 
3. (C)  Ambassador Martin Slabben, DFA Director for Gulf 
States, told PolCouns October 20 that Minty alone had handled 
the "multilateral" aspects of Larijani's visit.  On the 
bilateral side, Slabben was thrilled by an Iranian government 
decision to award a multimillion dollar cellular contract to 
MTN, bumping a previously selected bidder.  Notwithstanding a 
potential court challenge by the dismissed bidder, Slabben 
said that Iran will issue the requisite license to MTN, which 
he said cost Euros 300 million.  Iran's market includes 70 
million people wait listed for land lines and an additional 7 
million for cell phones, according to Slabben. 
 
4. (C) Comment:   Handling of Larijani's visit confirmed 
Minty's strong influence over the SAG's relationship with 
Iran on the latter's nuclear program and the likelihood of 
continued SAG willingness to give Iran the benefit of the 
doubt regarding Iran's development of nuclear technology for 
"peaceful" purposes. 
TEITELBAUM