UNCLASSIFIED E52 'SECRET RELEASED IN PART PAGE 01 STATE 159555 TOSEC 040293 ORIGIN NODS-00 INFO OCT-00 ADS-00 000 R DRAFTED BY NEA IAI JLHIRSCH MGK APPROVED BY NEA NAVELIOTES S S-0 DASANDBERG INR RSPIERS S S LPBREMER III Bl 1 4 B 1 4 D ------------------073650 180231Z 60 0 180210Z JUN 81 ZFF6 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV IJ vIMEDIATE INFO USDEL SECRETARY IMMEDIATE S E C R E T STATE 159555 TOSEC 040293 DECAPTIONED NOD IS E O 12065 RDS 1 3 6 16 11 STOESSEL WALTER TAGS PEPR US IS SUBJECT EVRON-VELIOTES DISCUSSION OF IRAQI NUCLEAR ISSUE 1 SECRET ENTIRE TEXT 2 SUMMARY FOLLOWING THE DELIVERY TO THE WHITE HOUSE OF BEGIN'S LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT EVRON ACCOMPANIED BY NEHUSHTAN AND BENTSUR MET WITH VELIOTES AND HIRSCH ON JUNE 16 AT 5 30 P M MAIN TOPIC OF THE MEETING WAS ISRAELI PERCEPTION OF HOW THE U S MEDIA WAS PLAYING THE U S AND ISRAELI EVALUATIONS OF THE IRAQI NUCLEAR FACILITY IAND STRESSED THAT OUR DECEMBER 17 1980 ASSESS- '-- -- - MENT RELATED TO ONGOING ACTIVITIES AT THE IRAQI FACILITY AND CONCERN ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF THE PROGRAM BUT NOT TO UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY CHARLES L DARIS CLASSIFICATION SECRET REASON 25X6 DECLASSIFY AFTER 17 JUN 2011 DATE CASE ID 23 JAN 2006 200304282 UNCLASSIFIED Bl UNCLASSIFIED ANY DEFINITIVE FINDING ON LONG TERM IRAQI INTENTIONS THESE EXCHANGES COULD NOT BE USED TO JUSTIFY ISRAEL'S ACTION END SUMMARY 5 VELIOTES SAID THAT EVRON'S IMPRESSION OF THE MEDIA COVERAGE DID NOT CORRESPOND WITH OUR OWN WE HAD MADE CLEAR BOTH IN THE DEPART MENT SPOKESMAN'S STATE MENTS AND IN OUR BRIEFINGS TO THE CONGRESS THAT WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE IRAQI PROGRAM IN THE CONTEXT OF OUR GLOBAL NON PROLIFERATION POLICY IT IS SIMPLY UNTRUE TO SAY THAT WE HAVE TRIED TO HIDE OR DISTORT OUR CONCERNS UNCLASSIFIED Bl Bl 6 VELIOTES THEN TURNED TO SIGNIFICANCE OF LEWIS' STATE MENT TO BEGIN LAST DECEMBER 17 THAT OUR ASSESSMENTS OF THE IRAQI PROGRAM ARE VERY CLOSE LEWIS HAD INDICATED THAT OUR ASSESSMENT OF WHAT WAS ACTUALLY HAPPENING AT THE PRESENT TIME AT THE REACTOR SITE WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE ISRAELI ONE WE ALSO HAD EXPRESSED OUR CONCERNS ABOUT - THE POTENTIAL OF THE IRAQI PROGRAM BUT WE HAD NEVER REACHED A DEFINITIVE CONCLUSION ABOUT IRAQ'S LONG TERM INTENTIONS THESE EXCHANGES THEREFORE COULD NOT BE USED TO JUSTIFY THE ISRAELI ACTION INEARLIERMEETING WITH NEHUSHTAN SPIERS MADE SAME POINTS 7 VELIOTES CONTINUED THAT ISRAEL HAD TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE WAS HIGH-LEVEL CONCERN IN WASHINGTON AT THE ISRAELI SURPRISE ACTION IN DESTROYING THE NUCLEAR FACILITY -- --- SECRET SECRET PAGE 04 STATE 159555 TOSEC 040293 8 EVRON ASKED FOR A READOUT ON THE SITUATION IN THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND HOW THE U S WOULD VOTE VELIOTES SAID THAT A NON-ALIGNED DRAFT WAS UNDER REVIEW IN WASHINGTON AT THE SAME TIME WE UNDERSTOOD THAT NEGO TIATIONS WERE CONTINUING IN NEW YORK ON THE TEXT WE HAD MADE OUR POSITION CLEAR WE WOULD VETO ANY RESOLUTION SEEKING TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS BUT WE WOULD BE PREPARED TO VOTE FOR A RESOLUTION CONDEMNING THE ISRAELI ATTACK 9 BEFORE GETTING INTO THE DISCUSSION ON THE NUCLEAR ISSUE EVRON ASKED FOR OUR ASSESSMENT OF THE SAUDI ATTITUDE TOWARD THE HABIB MISSION AND ITS PROSPECTS NEHUSHTAN COMMENTED THAT HE HAD SEEN A SAUDI EDITORIAL UNCLASSIFIED Bl UNCLASSIFIED SAYING THAT THE MISSION'WAS NOW USELESS VELIOTES SAID THAT WAS NOT AT ALL THE SAUDI ATTITUDE THE SAUDIS HAD TOLD HABIB THAT THEY SHARED OUR GOAL OF FINDING A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION AND WANTED THE MISSION TO CONTINUE AT THE SAME TIME THEY MADE CLEAR THAT THE ISRAELI STRIKE ON THE IRAQI FACILITY HAS COMPLI CATED THE SITUATION VELIOTES SAID WE DID NOT YET HAVE A REPORT OF HABIB'S DISCUSSIONS IN DAMASCUS HE WOULD-BE MEETING WITH BEGIN EITHER JUNE 17 OR 18 WE CONTINUE TO ATTACH GREAT IMPORTANCE TO HABIB'S SECRET SECRET PAGE 05 STATE 159555 TOSEC 040293 EFFORTS TO FIND A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION TO THE LEBANON PROBLEM STOESSEL UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED SECRET N VVZCZ UNCLASSIFIED