US embassy cable - 05PRETORIA4618

UNCLAS PRETORIA 004618 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PD - TROOKARD; AF/S - MTABLER-STONE; VIENNA FOR 
MBOLAND 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, EAGR, ETRD, KPAO, SF 
SUBJECT: RESULTS REPORT: DVC WITH U.S. PERMANENT 
REPRESENTATIVE TO UN MISSION TO INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 
AMB GREGORY SCHULTE; MPP GOAL - REGIONAL STABILITY 
 
 
1.  Activity: On November 16, PAS hosted a DVC featuring 
U.S. Perm Rep to the UN Mission to International 
Organizations Ambassador Gregory Schulte.  The focus of the 
program was U.S. perspectives on Iran's nuclear aspirations, 
and targeted a media audience.  The program resulted in 
print and broadcast coverage of the U.S. views in media with 
nationwide coverage. 
 
2.  Ambassador Schulte spoke for an hour with four of the 
most senior international affairs journalists in South 
Africa, and framed his comments within the context of next 
week's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of 
Governor's meeting.  The Ambassador underscored the U.S. 
view that a diplomatic solution to the question of Iran's 
nuclear development program must be found, and that 
international consensus was the best way forward. 
 
3. Elaborating on U.S. skepticism regarding Iran's nuclear 
program, the Ambassador noted that South Africa had 
experience with the question of nuclear processing that 
might be of utility in the discussions, but reiterated that 
the U.S. was seeking combined international pressure on the 
Iranian government. 
 
4. Coverage resulting from this program reached all corners 
of South Africa.  On November 16 and 17, Radio 702 (approx. 
audience 300,000) aired news segments detailing the U.S. 
position and suggesting that the South African government 
had a positive role to play.  The same news segments ran on 
SAfm (approx. audience 600,000) on November 17. The program 
also resulted in two prominent print articles, one in 
Business Day (circ. 40,000) and the other in the Independent 
newspapers, including the Pretoria News (circ. 28,000). 
Both articles focused on the importance of the upcoming 
meeting in light of U.S. concerns about Iranian intent. 
 
5.  Results: Very good.  The journalists present for this 
program were among the most influential in the country, and 
the resulting coverage was significant given the relatively 
low profile the issue had previously assumed.  It is safe to 
say that the U.S. message imparted by Ambassador Schulte 
reached the decision-making elite in South Africa.  Pretoria 
appreciates the considerable effort made by the Ambassador 
and his staff to make this program happen. 
 
TEITELBAUM