US embassy cable - 05LJUBLJANA808

S E C R E T LJUBLJANA 000808 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/23/2015 
TAGS: KNNP, PARM, PREL, AORC, SI 
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA ON IRAN RELATED BRIEFING 
 
REF: SECSTATE 209598 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Thomas B. Robertson for Reasons 1.4(B,D) 
 
1. (S) On November 23, DCM, C/SIMO, and PolMiloff delivered 
reftel demarche and presentation to MFA Director for Policy 
Planning and Multilateral Policy (A/S equivalent) Stanislav 
Rascan, Security Department Head Stanislav Vidovic, and 
Security Department staffer Rina Pavlin Gnidovec.  During the 
course of C/SIMO's presentation, Vidovic asked whether the 
documents shown in the PowerPoint were from Iran, whether the 
test facility pictured in the diagram was a detonation site 
or a monitoring facility, and whether IC projections included 
a timeline for completion of a usable nuclear weapon.  C/SIMO 
responded by noting the documents were from Iran, the diagram 
featured in the presentation depicted a monitoring facility 
10 km removed from the detonation site, and that no known 
concrete timeline for weaponization existed.  Vidovic also 
asked whether it is the U.S. assessment that Iran is building 
a nuclear weapon for defensive purposes or whether it has 
aggressive intentions.  C/SIMO underscored the possibility 
that Iran could use a nuclear weapon preemptively, though it 
might choose to do so through another state or non-state 
organization. 
 
2. (S) After the presentation, Rascan told us he had recently 
returned from Brussels, where he had participated in a 
discussion of Iran with other EU Political Directors.  Rascan 
noted that Slovenia does not have very deep knowledge about 
what is happening inside Iran today, although it does 
maintain a Mission in Tehran and is engaged in a political 
dialogue at the level of State Secretary (NOTE: Due to a 
recent reorganization of the Slovenian MFA, the State 
Secretary position is now the equivalent of a Deputy FoMin. 
 
SIPDIS 
Rascan indicated the GOS was waiting to see whether political 
consultations with Iran would now be elevated to the Deputy 
FoMin level.  He also noted that the current consultations 
were mostly of an economic nature.  END NOTE.)  Rascan also 
noted he had briefly served as Charge d'Affaires in Tehran in 
2002, and had toured the country, including the towns of 
Isfahan and Persepolis.  Rascan noted that Iran's sheer size 
and mountainous terrain made it easy to hide military 
facilities and covert military operations. 
 
3. (S) Rascan told us that Slovenia was being pushed by the 
EU to take over chairmanship of the IAEA in 2005-06, to 
represent the East European states.  Rascan noted that the 
only other contender for the position from Eastern Europe was 
Belarus, which the EU would like to prevent from becoming 
Chair.  Finally, Vidovic asked a question from Security 
Department staffer Bostjan Jerman (not present at the 
meeting) about whether the U.S. was engaged in dialogue with 
Russia on its "joint venture" proposal to conduct Iran's 
nuclear reprocessing activities inside Russia.  PolMiloff 
noted that the USG was in close consultations with the EU-3 
and Russia on that issue but that the Secretary was 
determined that Iran give up its nuclear ambitions and that 
the IAEA Board take the necessary actions toward that end at 
the time of our choosing. 
ROBERTSON 
 
 
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