VZCZCXYZ0002
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUNV #0584/01 3080652
ZNY CCCCC ZZH (CCY AD0F3FFEE WSC7864 611)
O 030652Z NOV 08
FM USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8632
INFO RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS IMMEDIATE 0086
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON IMMEDIATE 0021

C O N F I D E N T I A L UNVIE VIENNA 000584 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y (PARA 3 CLASSIFICATION) 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2018 
TAGS: KNNP IAEA ENRG TRGY AORC IR SY BM
SUBJECT: IAEA TECHNICAL COOPERATION: IRAN, SYRIA, BURMA 
 
REF: A. UNVIE VIENNA 000569 
     ¶B. UNVIE VIENNA 000540 
     ¶C. STATE 097067 
     ¶D. PAPPAS-NEPHEW-VON BEHREN EMAILS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Gregory L. Schulte, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (C) On October 28, the IAEA officially released the 
documentation for the 2009-2011 Technical Cooperation cycle 
in advance of the November Technical Assistance Cooperation 
Committee (TACC) and Board of Governors meetings.  All 
documentation released on the IAEA's GOVATOM restricted 
distribution website has been transmitted via email for USG 
review (ref D).  While the projects proposed for Iran and 
Syria were anticipated based on Mission's earlier discussions 
with Secretariat officials as reported in ref B, Mission had 
hoped the Secretariat would channel away from active 
consideration at the TACC a Syrian proposal for "Conducting a 
Technical and Economic Feasibility Study and Site Selection 
for a Nuclear Power Plant" (ref A).  Mission had strongly 
urged the Secretariat against pursuing this project.  Given 
the extreme unlikelihood at this point of successfully 
killing the project, Mission recommends we protest with the 
EU and others the inclusion of this item in the TC cycle 
list, including in our National Statements at TACC and at the 
subsequent (November 27-28) IAEA Board meeting.  End Summary. 
 
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SYRIA 
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¶2. (C) Syria requested nine Technical Cooperation projects 
for the 2009-2011 TC cycle, which Mission preliminarily 
assesses to be of little or no direct nonproliferation 
concern (i.e., they will not transfer sensitive items or 
know-how).  Syrian project proposals are as follows: 
 
-- Conducting a Technical and Economic Feasibility Study and 
Site Selection for a Nuclear Power Plant 
-- Enhancing the Analytical Capabilities of the Ion Beam 
Accelerator 
-- Developing Therapeutic Radiopharmaceuticals 
-- Establishing a Specialized Dosimetry Laboratory for Medium 
and High Dose Measurements 
-- Establishing Quality Control Methods and Procedures for 
the Electron Beam Irradiation Facility at the Syrian Atomic 
Energy Commission 
-- Enhancing the Analytical Capabilities of the Ion Beam 
Accelerator (Footnote A) 
-- Improving the Management of Soil and Water in the in the 
Coastal Basin of Tartous Province, Using Nuclear and Isotopic 
Techniques (Footnote A) 
-- Promoting the Sterile Insect Technique as Part of Area 
Wide Management of Codling Moth (Footnote A) 
-- Upgrading the Early Warning Environmental Radiation 
Monitoring System (Footnote A) 
 
¶3. (C) The new project for feasibility and "site selection" 
for a nuclear power plant is highly inappropriate in light of 
the ongoing IAEA safeguards investigation in Syria.  The 
inclusion of "site selection" would also seem to pre-judge 
the outcome of any feasibility study.  Finally, we have heard 
from Secretariat contacts that the project contains a 
procurement component that includes "instrumentation," 
presumably for a prospective reactor.  Mission believes it 
would be highly inappropriate for the Agency to assist Syria 
in procuring any equipment for a reactor when Syria is under 
suspicion of efforts to build such a facility without 
submitting it to IAEA inspection, as Syria is required. 
 
¶4. (C) Mission has lobbied Secretariat interlocutors 
strongly, but ultimately unsuccessfully, against the 
inclusion of this project in the proposed TC cycle.  In a 
recent conversation with Graham Andrew, Special Assistant to 
the Director General, DCM learned that DG ElBaradei 
personally made the decision to ignore suggestions from 
France, Australia and the U.S. that a nuclear power 
feasibility TC project would be inappropriate for Syria. 
Andrew underlined that for the DG this is a matter of "due 
process," and since Syria has not been found "guilty" by the 
Board or Secretariat, he believes it would be inappropriate 
at this stage to pull back any TC project otherwise 
considered legitimate by the Secretariat.  EXPO Director 
Vilmos Czerveny claimed further that the overall amount of 
funding for Syria this time is less than previous cycles.  We 
are seeking to confirm this assertion. 
 
¶5. (C) Comment:  Given the DG's posture and the strong 
support he would receive from the G-77/NAM, this project will 
be exceedingly difficult to block, and is generally regarded 
in the Secretariat and among member states as technically 
within the range of TC projects available to Syria in the 
absence of a relevant Board resolution to restrict such 
activities.  Mission recalls the difficulty during the 2006 
TC cycle with regard to killing an Arak heavy-water-related 
project in Iran, a country that had already been the subject 
of Board resolutions calling on Iran to set aside heavy 
water-related projects.  In light of these considerations, 
Mission recommends joining consensus on the new TC cycle, 
while we and other like-minded states make clear in our 
national statements at the TACC meeting and subsequent Board 
meeting that we think Agency resources could be far better 
spent than on reactor feasibility studies in States who have 
attempted to build covert reactors.  Attempting to block the 
project now would verylikely deplete our chances of achieving 
a subsequent resolution in support of the IAEA safeguards 
investigation in Syria at the Board meeting immediately 
following the TACC.  Mission assumes maximizing the chances 
for such a Board resolution is our top Syria-related priority 
for the November meetings.  End comment. 
 
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IRAN 
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¶6. (C) Iran requested six Technical Cooperation projects for 
the 2009-2011 TC cycle, which Mission assess to be of little 
direct nonproliferation concern.  Iranian project proposals 
are as follows: 
 
-- Supporting the Development of Radiopharmaceuticals for 
Diagnosis and Therapy of Cancer and the Manufacture of 
Radioactive Sources for Brachytherapy (New Project) 
-- Supporting the Application of Therapeutic 
Radiopharmaceuticals in the Nuclear Medicine Centers and the 
Development of QA/Qc and QMS in Therapeutic 
Radiopharmaceutical Applications (New Project) 
-- Strengthening Owner's Capabilities for Commissioning and 
Start-up of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (Ongoing Project) 
--Upgrading NPPD's Safety and Engineering Infrastructure for 
Planning and Construction of Two NPP Units with Pressurized 
Light Water Reactors (PWR) in Bushehr (New Project) 
--Regulatory Infrastructure for Licensing and Control of 
Nuclear and Radiation Facilities in Iran (Ongoing Project) 
-- Strengthening Owner's Capabilities for Construction, 
Commissioning and Licensing Activities of Low and 
Intermediate Level Waste Disposal Facility (New Project) 
 
¶7. (C) Proposed TC projects for Iran match closely with 
Mission's previous understanding based on conversations with 
Secretariat officials, and appear to be in conformity with 
UNSCRs 137, 1747, and 1803 (ref B).  Mission assesses these 
proposals are within the guidelines of Iran's obligations and 
relevant UNSCR restrictions, and would not be easily blocked 
in the Board or TACC. 
 
¶8. (C) As it has done since the imposition of UNSC sanctions, 
the Agency released the TC project proposals with an 
Iran-specific matrix entitled "Evaluation of Technical 
Cooperation to be provided to Iran during TC Cycle 
2009-2011."  The matrix provides the Secretariat's judgment 
on Iranian eligibility for participation in both national and 
regional projects on a ""yes," "no," or "case-by-case" basis 
based on conformity with the requirements of UNSCRs 1737, 
1747, and 1803.  The Secretariat determined that Iran is 
eligible to receive all six of the national projects listed 
above, noting that they are aimed entirely for medical or 
safety purposes, or directly related to safety of light water 
reactors.  The Secretariat also determined that Iran is 
eligible to participate in twenty-five of the thirty-seven 
regional and interregional projects of the Asia and Pacific 
TC division.  The Secretariat however determined that Iran is 
not/not eligible to participate in eight specific regional 
projects, and may only participate in four others on a 
case-by-case basis if it specifically requests to do so (and 
will only be permitted to participate in those case-by-case 
project activities that conform to UNSCR requirements). 
 
¶9. (C) Comment: Mission recommends our statement at the TACC 
call on the Secretariat to maintain a rigorous review of 
implementation of all/all IAEA interactions with Iran. 
Mission also notes that the TC projects matrix does not 
include technical assistance provided to Iran outside of the 
TC program.  The Agency has previously relayed general 
information on the number of assistance requests it has 
rejected or accepted to the 1737 Sanctions Committee.   The 
U.S. statement in the TACC and November Board should also 
urge full transparency on the part of the Secretariat with 
regard to all forms of technical assistance provided Iran. 
End comment. 
 
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BURMA 
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¶10. (C) Burma requested seven Technical Cooperation projects 
for the 2009-2011 TC cycle, which Mission assess to be of 
little direct nonproliferation concern.  Mission will 
continue to closely monitor IAEA interaction with Burma to 
ensure appropriate implementation.  Burma project proposals 
are as follows: 
 
-- Development of Rice Varieties with Improved Iron 
Content/Bioavailability through Nuclear Techniques (Ongoing 
Project) 
-- Improvement of Quality Assurance in Brachytherapy for 
Cervical Cancer (Ongoing Project) 
-- Studying Yield Improvement of Local Rice Varieties through 
Induced Mutation (New Project) 
-- Enhancing the Lifetime Health and Performance of Offspring 
and Improving the Profitability of Livestock Production 
Systems (New Project) 
-- Enhancing the Capacity of the Nuclear Instrument 
Laboratory at the Department of Atomic Energy (New Project) 
-- Developing Thermo-Insensitive (Cold-Tolerant) Green Gram 
Genotypes, Using Mutation Techniques (New Project) 
-- Assessing Risk Factors Associated with Obesity in Women 
-- Supporting an Feasibility Study for the Establishment of 
an Irradiation Facility for Gemstone Treatment (New Project) 
SCHULTE