US embassy cable - 03OTTAWA1556

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 001556 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2013 
TAGS: PREL, PARM, KNNP, IR, CA, Iran 
SUBJECT: IRANIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM: CANADA PUSHING HARD 
 
REF: ATHENS 1834 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Brian Flora, 
Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
SEE ACTION REQUEST PARA 5. 
 
1. (C) Canadian Foreign Minister Graham met with Iranian FM 
Kharazzi May 24 in Paris, and stressed Canada's strong 
concerns over the Iranian nuclear program.  Terry Wood, 
Foreign Affairs Deputy Director for Non-Proliferation, said 
Graham told Kharazzi that Iran's May 6 presentation at the 
IAEA gave the impression that Iran was being unhelpful and 
non-transparent.  Graham gave Kharazzi a paper (faxed to 
NEA/NGA) urging Iranian cooperation with the IAEA and 
adoption of the additional protocol, and posing a number of 
questions about the Iranian program.  Kharazzi responded that 
the GoI was being as transparent as possible and would have 
no problem "in principle" signing the additional protocol, 
but that the additional protocol was controversial in Tehran. 
 Kharazzi gave Graham the same paper on Iranian "Peaceful 
Nuclear Activities" that he presented to Greek FM Papandreou 
(reftel) and others. 
 
2. (C) In addition to Graham's meeting with Kharazzi, Wood 
told us that senior Canadian officials have demarched Iranian 
counterparts three other times during the past two weeks. 
Deputy Foreign Minister Lavertu met with Iranian Deputy 
Foreign Minister Ahani (Europe and America) on May 24 in 
Tehran; Director General for International Security Jill 
Sinclair called in Iranian Ambassador Mousavi for a meeting 
on May 28 in Ottawa; and Canadian Ambassador McKinnon met 
with Iranian Director General Ziamaninia 
(Political/International Affairs) on May 18 in Tehran.  The 
Iranian MFA took three weeks before agreeing to the meeting 
with Ziamaninia. 
 
3. (C) The Iranian response in all meetings was that they are 
being open and doing nothing to violate their safeguards 
obligations.  But DG Ziamaninia admitted that they had not 
declared their heavy water enrichment facility sooner because 
they did not want to come under increased scrutiny. 
Ziamaninia said that Kharazzi and the head of the Iranian 
Atomic Energy Organization had been tasked to identify 
measures, including the additional protocol, that would 
address international concerns.  Deputy Minister Ahani 
repeated an Iranian offer, made after the El-Baradei visit to 
Tehran, to develop an action plan with the IAEA to 
demonstrate their cooperation and transparency. 
 
4. (C) The Iranian officials tried to portray the U.S. as the 
problem, calling the U.S. questions at the May 6 IAEA session 
"sensational."  They told the Canadians that even if they 
were to sign the additional protocol, the U.S. would not be 
satisfied.  Ahani stressed that there was much debate over 
the additional protocol, including among National Assembly 
members, and that Iran would only sign the additional 
protocol if doing so would relieve international pressure. 
 
5. (C) ACTION REQUEST: Wood told us that Canada was eager to 
hear what our Iran strategy will be for the June 16 IAEA 
Board of Governors meeting, and then for the IAEA General 
Conference in September (including the possibility of a 
resolution).  Please advise. 
CELLUCCI