This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001722 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/IPA (MAHER) 
STATE FOR ISN/NESS (DELABARRE) 
DEPT OF ENERGY FOR DOE/NNSA/NA-242 (GOOREVICH) 
UNVIE FOR LISA HILLIARD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2016 
TAGS: PREL MNUC PINS PINR PGOV KNNP PARM IR IS UN UNSC GOI EXTERNAL
SUBJECT: FM LIVNI TELLS VISITING NSG TROIKA NUCLEAR-ARMED 
IRAN IS GREATEST THREAT TO ISRAEL 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones.  Reasons: 1.4 (b, d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  Israeli FM Livni told representatives of the 
visiting Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) Troika and U.S. 
Consultative Group Chairman Richard Goorevich April 27 that a 
nuclear-armed Iran represents "the greatest threat to Israel 
since the Holocaust."  She also stressed that Israel supports 
the NSG because it believes it is the right thing to do, and 
hopes the NSG will recognize Israel's effort by formally 
according it "adherent status."  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) FM Livni's half-hour meeting with NSG Troika 
representatives Ambassador Roald Naess (Norway), Ambassador 
Richard Ekwall (Sweden) and U.S. Consultative Group Chairman 
Richard Goorevich was frequently interrupted with status 
reports to FM Livni by her staff about ongoing negotiations 
to form a new coalition government.  Israeli Atomic Energy 
Commission (IAEC) Director General Gideon Frank participated 
in the meeting. 
 
¶3. (C) Raising the NSG's treatment of Iran, Livni said that 
the NSG must do more to combat the threat to Israel that Iran 
poses, and that Israel is waiting for the UNSC to take 
action.  She stressed that a nuclear-armed Iran would be "the 
greatest threat to Israel since the Holocaust."  In response, 
the troika representatives said that the NSG, at this time, 
is limited in its options to deal with Iran, as the five 
permanent UNSC members are also NSG members and do not 
necessarily agree with each other on the way ahead in dealing 
with Iran.  If no consensus emerges among the P-5 in New 
York, it will be difficult to forge a consensus at the NSG 
plenary in Rio de Janeiro in June.  The troika 
representatives noted, however, that the group can take some 
helpful steps, such as share information among members to 
deny Iran the supplies it needs for its nuclear program, and 
pointed to the key role that the NSG played in spurring the 
IAEA to action on Iran in 2002.  At this point, in a dramatic 
way, FM Livni looked Norwegian Ambassador Naess in the eye 
and asked him twice, "Do you understand the threat to Israel 
that is posed by Iran?"  He said "yes," and the other troika 
members joined him.  IAEC DG Gideon Frank then asked the 
troika representatives whether they understood the danger 
that Iran's access to sensitive nuclear technology poses to 
Israel, to which they responded affirmatively.  The troika 
representatives replied that the NSG's ongoing discussion of 
criteria for allowing technology transfers is built around 
the Iranian case, adding that most of the NSG's 45 members 
agree on the danger that a nuclear armed Iran poses to 
regional and international security.  They noted, however, 
that the U.S. and like-minded members start to lose support 
from NSG members when they call for a ban on transferring 
"any and all nuclear technology" to Iran. 
 
¶4. (C) FM Livni told the troika representatives that Israel 
is adhering to the NSG's guidelines -- even though it is not 
a formal member -- "because it is the right thing to do," and 
because Israel views nuclear nonproliferation as a priority. 
Like IAEC Director General Gideon Frank earlier in the day 
(septel), she noted that Israel had requested formal 
recognition of its status as an "adherent" in a letter to the 
NSG in late 2004, and wondered why the NSG had not yet 
responded.  Ambassador Naess replied that the issue was 
already under NSG consideration and would be reviewed at the 
NSG plenary in Rio de Janeiro.  He explained that the NSG 
operates on consensus, and that it takes time to get all 45 
members of the group to agree.  Goorevich added that the 
incoming NSG chairman, Ambassador Medeiros (Brazil), said 
that it will be one of his priorities at the Rio plenary to 
get the NSG to agree on some kind of formal status (either 
adherent or associate) for Israel and other similarly 
qualified non-members.  He cautioned that Medeiros could not 
promise results.  During the remaining time in the meeting, 
IAEC DG Gideon Frank reviewed positively the NSG's outreach 
to Israel and other NSG non-members in front of FM Livni and 
the troika representatives. 
 
¶5. (U) U.S. Consultative Group Chairman Richard Goorevich 
cleared on this cable. 
 
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