93. Telegram 212234 From the Department of State to Certain Diplomatic Posts, August 26, 1976, 1756Z.1 2
TELEGRAM
Department of State
212234
P R 261756Z AUG 76
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY BERN PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY
BOGOTA PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY BONN
PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY DUBLIN
PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
PRIORITY
USMISSION IAEA VIENNA
PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY LUXEMBOURG
PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM PRIORITY
AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY
USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY
INFO AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
USMISSION
USUN NEW YORK
AMEMBASSY CAIRO
AMEMBASSY JIDDA
AMEMBASSY RABAT
AMEMBASSY TUNIS
AMEMBASSY AMMAN
USERDA HQ WASHDC
USERDA HQ GERMANTOWN
STATE 212234
E.O. 11652: GDS
TAGS: IAEA, AORG, OCON
SUBJECT: THE PLO IN THE IAEA
REF:
IAEA 6689 (NOTAL)
1. AT THE INITIATIVE OF IRAQ (REFTEL), THE IAEA GENERAL CONFERENCE WHICH WILL MEET IN RIO DE JANEIRO FROM SEPTEMBER 21 TO 28 WILL CONSIDER EXTENDING AN INVITATION TO “PLO, AS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE” TO ATTEND AS OBSERVER. AS JUSTIFICATION, THE INVITATION CITES THE NEED OR PALESTINIAN KNOWLEDGE OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE OF “AGGRESSIVE DESIGNS OF ISRAEL.” THE INVITATION HAS BEEN CIRCULATED AS A CONFERENCE DOCUMENT AND HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE PROVISIONAL AGENDA.
2. WE STRONGLY OPPOSE EXTENDING SUCH AN INVITATION TO THE PLO AND PLAN VIGOROUSLY TO CONTEST THE ISSUE AT THE GENERAL CONFERENCE ON THE FOLLOWING GROUNDS:
-- CONSTITUTIONALLY, THE IAEA RULES OF PROCEDURE DO NOT PROVIDE FOR OBSERVER STATUS FOR ENTITIES SUCH AS THE PLO;
-- THE MOVE IS STRICTLY POLITICAL IN NATURE. IT IS DESIGNED TO ENHANCE THE POLITICAL STATURE OF THE PLO. THE PLO HAS NOTHING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE IAEA NOR CAN THE IAEA CONTRIBUTE IN ANY WAY TO THE PLO.
-- IN THE CASE OF THE IAEA, SUCH AN ACT OF POLITICIZATION IS ESPECIALLY REGRETTABLE. IT INEVITABLY WILL DIMINISH CONFIDENCE IN THE IAEA AS A TECHNICAL BODY IN THE SAFEGUARDS FIELD. EXTENDING OBSERVER STATUS TO THE PLO WILL, IN OUR VIEW, ADD AN ADDITIONAL COMPLICATION TO EFFORTS AT EMPLOYING THE IAEA AS ONE OF THE MAJOR GUARANTORS OF NON-PROLIFERATION.
3. FOR THE HAGUE: EMBASSY SHOULD BRIEF THE DUTCH, IN THEIR CAPACITY AS PRESIDENT OF THE EC-9, ON OUR POSITION (DRAWING ON PARAS 1 AND 2 ABOVE). YOU SHOULD ASK THE DUTCH TO BRING THE ISSUE TO THE ATTENTION OF THEIR COLLEAGUES IN THE NINE. YOU SHOULD URGE THE STRONG SUPPORT OF THE NINE AND STATE THAT WE REMAIN PREPARED TO COORDINATE OUR EFFORTS WITH THEIRS.
4. FOR BONN, BRUSSELS, COPENHAGEN, LONDON, LUXEMBOURG, OSLO, PARIS, ROME: EMBASSIES SHOULD BRIEF FOREIGN MINISTRIES ON THE PROBLEM AS WE FORESEE IT AND ON OUR INTENTION TO OPPOSE THE ADMISSION OF THE PLO AS OBSERVER. EMBASSIES SHOULD ADD THAT WE WISH TO COORDINATE OUR EFFORTS WITH THOSE OF THE NINE AND WE HAVE ASKED THE DUTCH, AS CURRENT PRESIDENT OF THE NINE, TO RAISE THE MATTER ON OUR BEHALF.
5. FOR BERN, BOGOTA, BANGKOK, CANBERRA, DUBLIN, HELSINKI, MADRID, MONTEVIDEO, OTTAWA, SAN JOSE, SANTIAGO, STOCKHOLM, WELLINGTON, USMISSION GENEVA: EMBASSIES SHOULD APPROACH FOREIGN MINISTRIES, BRIEF THEM ON ISSUE AS WE ASSESS IT AND, DRAWING ON PARAS 1 AND 2 ABOVE, URGE THEIR SUPPORT OF OUR EFFORTS IN THE FORTHCOMING GENERAL CONFERENCE.
6. FOR USMISSION IAEA: AT YOUR DISCRETION, WE SUGGEST THAT YOU BRIEF THE IAEA SECRETARIAT OF OUR CONCERN. WITHOUT GOING INTO ANY DETAILS ON WHAT WE PROPOSE IN THE WAY OF DIPLOMATIC INITIATIVE, YOU MAY INFORM THE SECRETARIAT THAT WE DO INTEND TO MAKE AN ISSUE OF THE MATTER; THAT WE ARE SEEKING WIDE SUPPORT IN OPPOSITION TO THE IRAQI INITIATIVE; AND THAT WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY COUNSEL OR ADVICE THEY MIGHT FEEL FREE TO GIVE US ON HOW MOST EFFECTIVELY TO PROCEED. AT THE IAEA SECRETARIAT, YOU MIGHT STRESS OUR CONCERN THAT TO ADMIT THE PLO AS AN OBSERVER INEVITABLY WOULD DIMINISH PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE IAEA AS AN INSTITUTION WHICH CAN OBJECTIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO THE CAUSE OF NON-PROLIFERATION.
7. FOR TEL AVIV: YOU SHOULD BRIEF GOI ON THE EFFORT WE ARE MAKING. YOU SHOULD ASK THEIR VIEWS ON HOW WE MIGHT MOST PERSUASIVELY PRESS OUR CASE AND ASK WHAT COUNTRIES MIGHT MOST READILY BE WILLING TO JOIN US IN THE EFFORT. KISSINGER
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy Files. Confidential. Drafted by Helman; cleared by Lewis, Atherton, and in S/S; and approved by Kissinger. Pages 4–8 of this telegram, not published, repeated the text verbatim to Brasilia and for information to the consul in Rio de Janeiro. On September 23 the IAEA General Conference invited the PLO to participate in its sessions. The U.S. voted against the resolution.↩
- The Department instructed posts to oppose efforts to grant the Palestine Liberation Organization observer status at the International Atomic Energy Agency.↩