VZCZCXRO1429
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHBS #0139 0251637
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 251637Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6935
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0106

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 000139 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL PARM BE IR
SUBJECT: Jalili's Press Appearances in Belgium Countered by former 
IAEA Official 
 
REF:  Brussels 125 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  Iranian NSA Said Jalili's stop in Brussels included 
several press sessions and an appearance at the MFA-affiliated 
Egmont Institute of International Relations.  The Iranian 
unsurprisingly used both occasions to peddle the standard "not a 
delinquent/just misunderstood" line.  The local press found a good 
way to undercut several of Jalili's extravagant claims by drawing on 
the expertise of Pierre Goldschmidt, a former senior IAEA official 
of Belgian origin.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Jalili spouted one consistent line in a series of press 
interviews.  As he told the francophone daily Le Soir on January 25, 
"Iran has always met its NPT obligations."  He added that Iran has 
implemented a number of confidence-building measures, had suspended 
uranium enrichment for two years, had freely observed the NPT 
additional protocol, and had allowed IAEA inspections to do their 
work unhindered.   As a result of these actions, Jalili claimed that 
IAEA Director El Baradei had made clear in his recent reports that 
Iran was indeed limiting itself to peaceful nuclear activities. 
 
¶3. (U) The local press offered an informed critic of Jalili by 
quoting Belgium's Pierre Goldschmidt, who until recently was IAEA 
deputy-director.  Goldschmidt said that Jalili had made erroneous 
statements, adding that Iran had imported nuclear material, well 
ahead of declaring them, and that the material was used in the 
Kalaye Electric Company three years ahead of being discovered by the 
IAEA.  Goldschmidt added that the IAEA had recently found documents 
detailing production of enriched uranium hemispheres, which only 
have military usage.  Moreover, after four and a half year 
investigating, the IAEA has not yet been able to establish that Iran 
has no hidden nuclear activities.  Iran failed last November to 
produce the sort of information it had supplied in the past. 
 
¶4. (U) Jalili attempted in a separate press comment to make much out 
of what he described as the "disunity" of the UNSC P-5.  The recent 
Berlin meeting was an example of this disunity, he claimed.  Jalili 
repeated that the IAEA's November report demonstrated that the 
accusations leveled against Iran were baseless.  In addition, the 
recent U.S. intelligence report allegedly showed Iran's present 
nuclear activities were "peaceful." 
 
¶5. (U) Comment:  the careful (and welcome) effort to refute Jalili 
with Goldschmidt's expertise provides strong evidence of the 
widespread skepticism here about Iran's nuclear claims.  The Belgian 
government, which consistently has followed the lead of the U.S., 
Britain, France, and Germany on this issue, can count on broad 
public support.  End comment. 
BUSH