FOLLOWING UP WITH THE GOS ON SPANISH FIRM'S TRANSFER OF CNC MILLING MACHINES TO IRAN (S)

SECRET S E C R E T MADRID 000095 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR ISN/MTR (JOHN PAUL HERRMAN), EUR/WE, AND EUR/PRA; DEPARTMENT PLEASE ALSO PASS TO MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME COLLECTIVE E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2017 TAGS: MTCRE, PARM, PREL, ETTC, MNUC, TSPA, SP SUBJECT: FOLLOWING UP WITH THE GOS ON SPANISH FIRM'S TRANSFER OF CNC MILLING MACHINES TO IRAN (S) REF: A. STATE 9995 B. 06 MADRID 182 C. 05 MADRID 3754 D. 05 STATE 191240 Classified By: DCM Hugo Llorens per 1.4 (B/D) 1. (S) ESTHOFF passed Ref A points January 12 to MFA Disarmament Affairs Deputy Director General Ignacio Sanchez, strongly urging Spain to address U.S. concerns regarding the sale by the Spanish firm Maquinaria CME, S.A. of computer numerical controlled (CNC) milling machines to Iran. Sanchez noted that our earlier contact on this issue had been with his predecessor, Marcos Rodriguez Cantero. That said, he was vaguely aware of the issue and thought that the Spanish answer had already been prepared and delivered. He speculated that Spain might have slipped up in delivering the answer or that the answer might have been passed through intelligence channels. Sanchez said he would investigate and would raise our concerns at the next meeting of the GOS inter-ministerial export control working group. This meeting will take place January 18 or 19. Sanchez said he would be back in touch with the results of his inquiries within a few weeks. 2. (S) Subsequent checks at Post ascertained that the Spanish answer was not/not passed back to Washington through intelligence channels. Aguirre