From: Aftenposten
Date: 26.4.2005
S E C R E T MUSCAT 000687
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NP/CBM, EUR/PRA, NEA/ARPI
E.O. 12958:
DECL: 04/26/2015
TAGS: ETTC, PARM, PREL, IR, GM, MU, NO, International Relations
SUBJECT: PSI: GERMAN CRANE SHIPMENT - NO ACTION EXPECTED IN MUSCAT
REF:
A. STATE 75880 AND PREVIOUS
B. OSLO 607 AND PREVIOUS
C. MUSCAT 679 AND PREVIOUS
D. RICHELSON-SNOWDEN E-MAILS 4-26-05
E. BERLIN 1388
Classified By: Ambassador Richard L. Baltimore III. Reason: 1.4 (b, d, e).
1. (S)
Begin Summary: The German Ambassador as of COB April 26 has
received no instruction from Berlin to take any action with
the Omani government to halt a questionable crane shipment to
Iran, necessitating the postponing of our scheduled meeting
with the Foreign Minister. He indicated that Berlin may not
yet have decided that any action, in fact, is warranted. As
Embassy Oslo reports that the vessel will arrive and depart
Muscat now on April 27, it appears highly unlikely that any
action to intercept the cargo will be made in Oman. End
summary.
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No Word From Germany
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2. (S)
As of the German Embassy's close of business April 26, they
had received no/no further instruction from Berlin to take
action in Muscat to interdict the crane shipment bound for
Iran. Based on ref D e-mails, we informed Ambassador Helmut
Blankenstein that time is running short, as the Norwegian ship
is now scheduled to arrive and depart from Muscat's Port
Sultan Qaboos on April 27. Per ref B, we apprised him that the
shipping company appears willing to either debark the cranes
or at least delay its arrival in Iran for up to a week by
calling on other Gulf ports first, but not without guidance
from Berlin. (Note: Ref E indicates the German government is
now well aware of this. End note.)
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Passing the Buck
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3. (S)
Ambassador Blankenstein expressed frustration that Norway is
unwilling to take action independently, pointing out that the
German government was not involved in the sale of the
equipment and has no authority over the shipping company. No
party seems willing to take financial responsibility to
prevent the delivery of the equipment to Iran. He noted that
Omani MFA Under Secretary Sayyid Badr was likewise offended by
the thought that Oman would be asked to take on a financial
responsibility that nobody else would. Blankenstein opined
further reasons for possible German ambivalence about the
shipment. First, the suspected real end-user in Iran was only
identified through intelligence reports that may or may not be
accurate. Secondly, any goods sold to Iranian consumers, no
matter how legitimate, are always subject to re-sale after one
year. In other words, the Iranian government would have little
difficulty acquiring the cranes through other means.
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Too Late for Action?
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4. (S)
As a practical measure, Ambassador Blankenstein said any
instructions he might receive overnight now from Berlin would
be of little value. It would take some hours on April 27 to be
received by the Foreign Minister (who is involved in the visit
of the Thai Prime Minister); the Minister would likely seek
clarifications or need to coordinate with other agencies; at
the end of which time the ship would have long sailed out of
Omani waters.
5. (S)
Per ref A, in the absence of German action in Muscat, and in
order to avoid getting out ahead of Berlin, the Ambassador
postponed his meeting today with Minister Responsible for
Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi. We have a place-holder for a
meeting on Wednesday, though the Minister's office pointed out
schedule difficulties in light of the Thai visit. Given the
ship's arrival sooner than previously expected, and the
growing unlikelihood of a German demarche, it appears
exceedingly unlikely that any actions will be taken in Oman to
halt the cargo. The ship may call on other Gulf Arab ports in
the coming days before heading to Iran, however, should an
agreement to that effect be reached between Oslo and Berlin.
BALTIMORE