US embassy cable - 05ALGIERS2317

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ALGIERS 002317 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2015 
TAGS: PARM, PREL, KNNP, IR, EU, AG, Algerian Views on Iran 
SUBJECT: IRAN-RELATED BRIEFING DELIVERED TO MFA SECRETARY 
GENERAL 
 
REF: A. STATE 202164 
 
     B. STATE 199225 
     C. STATE 199863 
     D. ALGIERS 2247 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR RICHARD W. ERDMAN, 
FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
1.  (S) AMBASSADOR, ACCOMPANIED BY POLEC CHIEF AND ACTING 
SIMO, CALLED NOVEMBER 16 ON MFA SECRETARY GENERAL LAMAMRA TO 
DELIVER REF A TALKING POINTS AND INTRODUCE SENSITIVE SIMO 
BRIEFING ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR WEAPONIZATION EFFORTS. 
AMBASSADOR NOTED THAT DUE TO LAMAMRA'S ABSENCE ABROAD THE 
PREVIOUS WEEK, WE DELIVERED THE SAME DEMARCHE PREVIOUSLY TO 
MINISTER OF ENERGY AND MINES KHELIL (REF D) ON NOVEMBER 7 IN 
HIS CAPACITY AS HEAD OF THE INTERMINISTERIAL COMMITTEE THAT 
HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL 
NUCLEAR ISSUES AND THAT REPRESENTS ALGERIA AT IAEA BOARD 
MEETINGS IN VIENNA. 
 
2. (S) AMBASSADOR EXPLAINED THAT WE HAD ACQUIRED SERIOUS 
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE INDICATING THAT IRAN, DESPITE ITS CLAIMS 
TO THE CONTRARY, WAS IN FACT PURSUING A NUCLEAR WEAPONIZATION 
PROGRAM UNDER THE GUISE OF A CIVILIAN NUCLEAR ENERGY PROGRAM. 
 WHILE WE DID NOT HAVE EVIDENCE THAT IRAN HAS ACTUALLY 
ACQUIRED A NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY, THE DOCUMENTS MADE 
CLEAR THAT IRAN HAS BEEN CONDUCTING EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND 
HAS ENGAGED IN LONG-RANGE PLANNING TO THIS END.  AMBASSADOR 
STRESSED THAT ACQUISITION BY IRAN OF A NUCLEAR WEAPONS 
CAPABILITY WOULD BE EXTREMELY DESTABILIZING FOR THE REGION. 
THERE WAS NO MARGIN FOR ERROR ON THIS QUESTION.   IRANIAN 
PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD'S RECENT DECLARATION CALLING FOR ISRAEL 
TO BE "WIPED OFF THE MAP" UNDERSCORED THE DESTABILIZING 
POTENTIAL OF A NUCLEAR-CAPABLE IRAN.  IN THIS REGARD, WE 
HOPED ALGERIA WOULD PUBLICLY MAKE CLEAR THAT THIS KIND OF 
STATEMENT WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE. 
 
3. (S)  AMBASSADOR SAID THE INFORMATION IN THE BRIEFING 
NEEDED TO VIEWED IN THE CONTEXT OF IRAN'S TWO DECADES OF 
PURSUING UNDECLARED NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING PLUTONIUM 
SEPARATION, URANIUM ENRICHMENT, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES AT 
UNDECLARED FACILITIES.  THIS DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE SHOULD ALSO 
BE VIEWED IN THE CONTEXT OF THE HISTORY OF OTHER COUNTRIES -- 
LIKE IRAQ, LIBYA, AND NORTH KOREA -- WHOSE EFFORTS TO MASTER 
THE FUEL CYCLE WERE EXPLICITLY LINKED TO EFFORTS TO DEVELOP 
NUCLEAR WEAPONS.  GIVEN IRAN'S ABUNDANT ENERGY RESOURCES, 
RUSSIA'S LIFETIME OFFER OF ENRICHED URANIUM, AND IRAN'S 
LIMITED NEED FOR  THIS KIND OF MATERIAL, IRAN'S INSISTENCE ON 
MASTERING THE FULL NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE ONLY MADE SENSE IN THE 
CONTEXT OF A NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM.   IN ORDER TO AVOID 
SUCH A DESTABILIZING DEVELOPMENT, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY 
NEEDED TO BE VERY FIRM IN MAKING CLEAR TO IRAN THAT ITS 
PURSUIT OF A NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY WAS UNACCEPTABLE, 
THAT IT MUST ABANDON PURSUIT OF THE FULL NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE, 
AND THAT IT MUST RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE.   THE 
UNITED STATES STRONGLY SUPPORTED THE EU-3 EFFORTS AND WANTED 
TO SEE A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION.  WE HOPED WE WOULD HAVE 
ALGERIA'S SUPPORT FOR SUCH AN OUTCOME AT THE IAEA BOARD 
MEETING LATER IN THE MONTH. 
 
4. (S)  AFTER ACTING SIMO MADE HIS PRESENTATION, LAMAMRA 
THANKED U.S. SIDE FOR ITS PRESENTATION, EXPRESSING AGREEMENT 
THAT IRAN SHOULD NOT HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS.  WHILE HE WAS NO 
EXPERT, PAST EXPERIENCE (IN REFERENCE TO PRE-WAR INTELLIGENCE 
ON IRAQ) DEMONSTRATED THE NEED FOR CAUTION.  MAINTAINING 
CONSENSUS IN THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND IAEA  PRESSURE WAS 
IMPORTANT, SAID LAMAMRA.   BUT, NOTING THAT ALGERIA HAD 
ABSTAINED DURING THE LAST IAEA BOARD MEETING, HE ARGUED IT 
WAS ALSO IMPORTANT TO UNITE THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ON 
"SOLID GROUND."   WITH REGARD TO AHMADINEJAD'S CALL FOR THE 
DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL, HE READILY AGREED THIS WAS 
UNACCEPTABLE.  ALGERIA HAD MADE ITS POSITION ON THIS ISSUE 
CLEAR, HE MAINTAINED, WHEN PRESIDENT BOUTEFLIKA ISSUED 
INSTRUCTIONS ON A FRIDAY DURING RAMADAN FOR ALGERIA TO 
SUPPORT A RESOLUTION AGAINST IRAN UNDER DISCUSSION THAT DAY 
IN THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL.  (COMMENT:  WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT 
"RESOLUTION" LAMAMRA WAS REFERRING TO, SUSPECT HE WAS 
CONFUSING IT WITH THE MEHLIS REPORT RESOLUTION, AND WOULD 
WELCOME ANY CLARIFICATION FROM USUN AS TO WHETHER THERE WAS 
SOME CONSIDERATION OF A SECURITY COUNCIL RESPONSE TO THE 
AHMADINEJAD STATEMENT.) 
5. (S)  AMBASSADOR REPEATED THAT WE WANTED TO SEE A 
DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION AND WERE PREPARED FOR IRAN TO HAVE A 
PEACEFUL NUCLEAR ENERGY PROGRAM ALONG THE LINES PROPOSED BY 
THE EUROPEANS.  BUT CONVINCING IRAN TO ABANDON THE 
DESTABILIZING PURSUIT OF FULL NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE WOULD 
REQUIRE THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TAKING A CLEAR AND STRONG 
STAND.  LAMAMRA ASKED IF IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT IRAN REALLY HAD 
NO NUCLEAR WEAPONIZATION INTENTIONS BUT HAD DEVELOPED THE 
DOCUMENTATION -- AND THEN ARRANGED FOR IT TO BE LEAKED -- AS 
PART OF AN ELABORATE SCHEME TO INCREASE ITS NEGOTIATING HAND. 
 AMBASSADOR REPEATED HIS EARLIER CAUTION THAT WE HAD NO 
MARGIN FOR ERROR HERE.   IRAN'S CURRENT ACTIVITIES HAD TO BE 
LOOKED AT IN THE CONTEXT OF ITS TWO DECADES OF DECEPTION IN 
COVERTLY PURSUING NUCLEAR PROGRAMS, ITS LACK OF ANY 
DEMONSTRABLE NEED FOR MASTERY OF THE FULL NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE, 
ITS CONTINUING LACK OF FULL COOPERATION WITH THE IAEA, AND 
THE FACT THAT ITS NUCLEAR PURSUITS ONLY MADE SENSE IN THE 
CONTEXT OF A NUCLEAR WEAPONIZATION PROGRAM. 
 
SIEVERS