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C O N F I D E N T I A L UNVIE VIENNA 000545 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR IO/T, ISN/MNSA, ISN/RA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2018 
TAGS: AORC IAEA KNPP MNUC PREL UN
SUBJECT: IAEA/BOG: OCTOBER SESSION APPROVES DG ELECTION 
PROCEDURES 
 
REF: UNVIE 534 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Gregory L. Schulte for reasons 1.4 b and d 
 
1.(SBU) At a pro forma session following the IAEA General 
Conference, the Board of Governors on October 6 welcomed new 
Board members Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Egypt, 
Malaysia, New Zealand, Romania, Spain, Turkey and Uruguay 
elected for 2008-2010.  The new Board approved by acclamation 
the Africa Group's selection of Algerian Ambassador Taos 
Feroukhi as the new Board Chair for 2008-2009.  Ambassador 
Kristi Kauppi of Finland and Ambassador Cornel Feruta of 
Romania will serve as Vice Chairs.  In the wake of its 
hard-fought electoral battle against Syria for the MESA seat 
(reftel), Afghanistan delivered a statement heralding its 
return to the Board after a 44-year absence.  Afghanistan 
conveyed its deep commitment to the Agency and positioned 
itself as a unifying voice bridging East and West, North and 
South.  Afghan Charge Monawar also noted the value of IAEA 
Technical Cooperation and safety programs for the removal of 
radioactive contamination from his country. Syria was notably 
absent from the room. 
 
2.(C) The only substantive order of business entailed the 
Board's approval of the Procedures for Appointment of the 
Director General (GOV/2008/4), which had first been adopted 
in 1997.  Board Chair Feroukhi simply noted, as indicated in 
this Secretariat document, that the Director General was not 
available for another term of office.  Although present at 
the Board session, DG ElBaradei did not make a statement, and 
absented himself during the treatment of this agenda item. 
The Board also set the closing date for nominations as 
December 31, 2008.  Japanese Governor Amano immediately 
requested the floor and proceeded to deliver a campaign 
speech in English and French.  Amano noted his Government's 
announcement of his candidacy at the UNGA and IAEA General 
Conference and extolled his own resume, including as a former 
Chairman of the Board and NPT Prepcom.  He also referred to 
Japan's unique history as the only country to have suffered 
nuclear devastation and its commitment to disarmament, 
non-proliferation, nuclear energy and technical cooperation. 
Board member Albania and Colombia, under Rule 50, seconded 
Amano's nomination.  Uruguayan and UK Ambassadors sitting to 
either side of Ambassador Schulte commented to him, as the 
Algerian and Chilean Ambassadors did later, on the 
unseemliness of Amano's campaign pitch, which apparently had 
the opposite of its desired effect. 
 
3.(C) Also present at the Board session, the other declared 
candidate for DG, South African Governor Minty remained 
silent.  Chairwoman Feroukhi advised that she would begin 
informal consultations with the Board early in the New Year 
on the DG election in the hopes of reaching agreement on a 
single candidate and avoiding "cumbersome procedures." 
(Comment:  Not known for her management and organizational 
skills, Feroukhi will need all the help she can get 
overseeing the electoral process in addition to a Board 
calendar already overladen with 20/20, Reliable Access and 
nuclear verification issues. End Comment.) 
 
4.(SBU) Speaking under Any Other Business, Ambassador Schulte 
raised the anomalous situation that a few Member States do 
not belong to any regional group and are consequently 
disenfranchised from representation on the Board of 
Governors, as we learned during the heated campaign for the 
MESA seat was the case of Kazakhstan and other Central Asian 
states (reftel).  (Note: All of those disenfranchised, 
including Israel, should nominally belong to MESA. End Note.) 
 The U.S. intervention prompted an unscripted exchange among 
MESA members that highlighted divisions in the group.  Indian 
MESA Chair Kumar noted that MESA had advised the Secretariat 
of Kazakhstan's situation as requiring the attention of all 
Member States and requested that this note be circulated.  He 
later clarified that MESA did not view Kazakhstan as a member 
since it had not participated in the group, and he continued 
to insist that MESA was a Statutory area not a regional 
group.  Iran, seconded by Cuba, bemoaned MESA's 
under-representation and called for ratification of the 
 
amendment to Article VI expanding the Board, which led France 
to comment on the authority of the existing Statute.  Iran 
and Cuba also took the U.S. to task for meddling in the 
affairs of a regional group.  Saudi Arabia, contradicting the 
Indian Chair, identified this as an internal matter for the 
group and noted that MESA would soon consult on the issue. 
For its part, Israel contrasted its case with that of 
Kazakhstan as a country firmly in the geographic area that 
was unwelcome in the group.  Chairman Feroukhi took note of 
the Board discussion as something to be deferred for a future 
date with appropriate preparation. 
 
5.(C) Ambassador will conduct a first consultation with Board 
Chairwoman Feroukhi on October 9 to lay markers on U.S. 
priorities over the coming twelve months, starting with an 
early decision on Reliable Access to Nuclear Fuel (RANF), a 
thorough report on Syria at the November Board, and further 
pressure on Iran.  At least for now, Feroukhi is disinclined 
to engage on 20/20, deferring to the strongly expressed 
concern of the G-77 that 20/20 could distort the IAEA's 
traditional balance. 
SCHULTE