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RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHAM #1480/01 1821105
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011105Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5419
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0195
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0226
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 0089
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0268
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0079
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 0370
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0300
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0056
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 001480 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ELA, ISN/NESS, ISN/RA 
VIENNA FOR US MISSION TO IAEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG ECON TRGY KNNP PARM JO XF
SUBJECT: CONFERENCE ADDRESSES NUCLEAR ENERGY AND NON-PROLIFERATION 
ISSUES IN THE MIDDLE EAST 
 
REF:  Amman 825 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Not for internet distribution. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Nuclear energy and non-proliferation experts 
discussed security challenges in the Middle East during the 
conference "Nuclear Proliferation and Nuclear Energy Security, 
Political and Economic Implications" held in Amman from June 22-24. 
Participants welcomed the call by President Obama in Prague last 
April to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.  Various proposals 
were presented for creating regional, international, and 
multinational fuel banks or centers that would allow countries to 
enjoy the benefits of nuclear power and ensure fuel supplies while 
limiting the spread of sensitive nuclear technologies.  Many were 
concerned about the lack of transparency in Iran's nuclear program 
and perceived intentions to build nuclear weapons capability, which 
an Iranian participant attempted to discredit.  In contrast to the 
Iranian program, one speaker highlighted the U.S.-UAE Nuclear 
Cooperation Agreement as a fully transparent model for the region 
that would ultimately attract more foreign investment and support. 
Panelists also described the roles and programs of international 
organizations and governments, including USG non-proliferation 
programs.  Some argued that other alternative energy programs, such 
as solar, might be a better choice than nuclear in the Middle East. 
End Summary. 
 
Opening Remarks: Calls for a Nuclear Free Middle East 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶2.  (U)  The June 22-24 Conference on Nuclear Proliferation and 
Nuclear Energy in Amman, Jordan was co-organized by the Arab 
Institute for Security Studies (ACSIS) and the Arab League, and 
co-sponsored by the Partnership for Global Security and British, 
Dutch, and Norwegian governments.  Panelists and participants came 
largely from universities and think tanks, making the event academic 
in nature. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) All opening speakers welcomed President Obama's call for a 
world free of nuclear weapons made during his Prague speech in April 
2009 and hoped to see action taken towards achieving that vision, a 
sentiment that was echoed throughout the conference.  Wael Al Assad, 
head of the Arab League's Department of Disarmament, commented it 
was the first time that nuclear states were using a different 
discourse.  He highlighted the Arab League's call for a Middle East 
nuclear free zone but lamented that there had been no serious 
movement towards implementing it, noting that non-proliferation 
needed a comprehensive approach.  Saudi Arabia's Prince Turki Al 
Feisal underlined global and regional efforts to tackle nuclear 
proliferation issues, stating that the call for a Middle East free 
of weapons of mass destruction made Arabs "trendsetters rather than 
global followers."  He proposed that the United Nations pass a 
Security Council Resolution that would provide economic incentives 
and security guarantees to countries which sign onto the effort and 
impose strict economic sanctions, backed up by the use of force, on 
those which refuse to join such a movement. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Jordan Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Khaled Toukan 
highlighted the role of nuclear power for Jordan's energy needs, 
noting that affordable natural gas imported from Egypt "cannot be 
relied upon in the long term" and that renewable energies, though 
promising, have "well-known limitations."  He said the pursuit of 
nuclear energy in the region was "misunderstood" by developed 
countries, due to the abundance of natural resources in Arab Gulf 
countries, but that developing countries such as Jordan suffer from 
high oil prices.  He highlighted Jordan's Nuclear Cooperation 
Agreements with France, China, Korea, Canada, and Russia, and noted 
that Jordan had signed a Nuclear Cooperation Agreement with the U.K. 
that same day of June 22 (reftel).  Toukan called for nuclear power 
to be regarded as a clean energy source and included in the Clean 
Development Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol and future climate 
change agreements.  Noting that President Obama's Prague speech 
provided a "glimmer of hope" for moving towards a world free of 
nuclear weapons, he urged more progress on nuclear disarmament and 
implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in a 
holistic and non-discriminatory manner in which member states fully 
retain their rights under the NPT. 
 
AMMAN 00001480  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
Regionalization or Internationalization of Fuel Supply 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Various panelists presented proposals for international 
fuel banks, regional fuel banks, and multinational enrichment 
centers.  Mohammed Shaker, Vice Chairman of the Egyptian Council for 
Foreign Affairs, argued that the establishment of an Arab fuel cycle 
would improve Arab economies, avoid creating fuel cycles in each 
state, better guarantee against fuel shortages for political 
reasons, and strengthen the role of the International Atomic Energy 
Agency (IAEA) in promoting regional cooperation.  Several speakers 
highlighted the benefits of a holding company model in which 
countries would set policy and leverage the advanced technology of 
developed countries but leave operations to a management company. 
Although there seemed to be general support for regionalization or 
internationalization of fuel cycles that limits the spread of 
sensitive technologies, there did not seem to be any consensus on 
which model was the best. 
 
U.S.-UAE Agreement: Transparent Model for the Region 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Mark Fitzpatrick, Senior Fellow for Non-Proliferation at 
the International Institute for Strategic Studies and former acting 
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Non-Proliferation, argued 
that there was reason for concern that Iran's pursuit of uranium 
enrichment could lead it to becoming nuclear-armed and sparking a 
regional proliferation cascade.  He advocated diplomacy, 
containment, and deterrence strategies as ways to keep Iran from 
crossing the line from latent capability to weapons production.  He 
added that the U.S.-UAE 123 Agreement could serve as a fully 
transparent model for other countries in the region, in stark 
contrast to the Iranian program.  He opined that by agreeing not to 
enrich or reprocess on its territory, the UAE would most likely be 
the first in the region to get state-of-the-art nuclear technology, 
and other countries would also find it easier to attract foreign 
support and financing for nuclear power projects if they turned to 
the international market for enriched reactor fuel rather than 
developing indigenous facilities. 
 
Defense of Iranian Nuclear Program 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Several panelists made similar arguments that Iran's 
nuclear program and its lack of transparency had increased 
suspicions that it intends to develop a nuclear weapons capability. 
Assad of the Arab League said, "We in the region are concerned about 
Iran" and its potential threat because of so many "strangely 
unsubstantiated facts," but qualified that 90% of the experts in the 
region see Israel as the main, existing threat.  After a 
presentation by Sergio Catignani from the University of Leiden on 
how Israel would react to (and strike) a nuclear-armed Iran, Nasser 
Saghfi-Amiri, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic Research in 
Tehran and former diplomat, replied that he found the discussion a 
bit surprising given that Iran has not historically been an 
aggressor state.  He quoted, however, one Iranian Revolutionary 
Guard Commander's statement that if Israel did attack Iran's nuclear 
energy infrastructure, Iran would hit Israel's nuclear plant with 
missiles, and Israel would have to take responsibility for starting 
that war. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) In defense of Iran's nuclear program, Saghfi noted that 
the Iranian nuclear program went back half a century, and Iran is 
now being proven correct in deciding to pursue nuclear power for 
peaceful purposes, as other countries in the region are currently 
doing to meet energy needs.  According to Saghfi, Iran's goal is to 
have 20 nuclear power plants, and its first 40MW heavy water reactor 
in Arak should be operational in three years.  Saghfi added that a 
tender has been issued for a nuclear plant in Darkhoyen.  He 
explained that the purpose of the Iranian enrichment program is to 
guarantee the fuel supply for the country's nuclear reactors, 
especially if Iran is sanctioned or embargoed.  He indicated that 
Iran would be open to a multilateral enrichment arrangement, but 
suggested that such a fuel center would need to be in Iran.  He 
added that Iran did in the past try a multilateral approach by 
 
AMMAN 00001480  003 OF 003 
 
 
engaging U.S. and French companies to build nuclear reactors but 
those companies ended up abandoning their commitments. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Saghfi disputed the perception that Iran is pursuing 
nuclear energy to acquire nuclear weapons.  He distinguished between 
having nuclear capability and having nuclear weapons, saying that 
"just because you have the capability does not mean you're after the 
weapons."  Following that logic, he questioned whether countries 
should not be allowed to have fertilizer plants because the 
chemicals used to produce fertilizer could also be used to 
manufacture chemical weapons.  He stated that Iran now has the 
capability to build nuclear weapons but has not done so. 
Furthermore, he added that it is not in Iran's defense policy to use 
weapons of mass destruction, as evidenced during the Iran-Iraq war 
when Iraq used chemical weapons on Iran but Iran did not retaliate 
with a chemical attack. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Responding to criticism of Iran's denial of IAEA 
inspections of its heavy water plant in Arak, he said that there is 
no obligation under the NPT Safeguards Agreement to open facilities 
to inspection until nuclear materials are introduced.  He conceded 
that such an obligation exists under the Additional Protocol but 
said Iran is not implementing that agreement.  Emphasizing Iran's 
cooperation, he underscored that the IAEA has done 21 undeclared 
inspections in Iran - an unprecedented number in his view - and that 
there is 24-hour camera monitoring in facilities such as Natanz, so 
"there is no reason for concern about diversion."  He also suggested 
that the IAEA is leaking sensitive confidential information to the 
outside world, which Iran has officially protested. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Saghi said that while everyone talks about Iran's program 
as the only nuclear threat in the region, such a focus is 
distracting attention from dangerous trends elsewhere, pointing to 
the recent nuclear test in North Korea.  He highlighted Pakistan as 
an unstable state with nuclear weapons and noted that Israel has 
threatened to use nuclear weapons.  He argued that the U.S. and 
Russia need to change their "Cold War mindsets," which were likely a 
result of the U.S. trying to "keep alive its nuclear industry" and 
Russia trying to maintain strategic power. 
 
Role of International Organizations and Governments 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶12.  (U) There were various presentations on the role of the EU, 
NATO, and other international organizations in non-proliferation. 
Raphael Della Ratta of the Partnership for Global Security gave a 
broad overview of U.S. Department of State, Department of Defense, 
and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) programs in 
non-proliferation, such as the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, 
NNSA Second Line of Defense program, NNSA Global Threat Reduction 
Initiative, and the Megaports initiative.  He noted that while many 
of these programs initially focused on Russia and the former Soviet 
states, they have begun to deal with proliferation threats 
globally. 
 
Nuclear Energy - the Right Solution for the Region? 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶13.  (SBU) One panel addressed whether nuclear energy was the right 
choice for the Middle East.  While a speaker from Canada essentially 
made a sales pitch for the CANDU reactor, the Director of the 
Nuclear Program at the U.S. Natural Resources Defense Council, 
Christopher Paine, weighed the pros and cons of nuclear energy.  In 
addition to steep up-front costs, he noted some of the nuclear 
energy challenges for desert nations, such as potential damage to 
water aquifers during in-situ solution mining of low-grade uranium 
and seismic concerns increasing costs, as demonstrated by the 
billions of dollars that Japan had to invest after one of its plants 
was damaged by an earthquake.  He argued that solar energy might be 
a better option for the region, noting that 3% of the land area of 
Morocco could fuel the entire European grid. 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Website at: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman 
 
Beecroft