Merkley Makes an Appearance in Leaked Cables

A story in last week’s WW, â€œCablegate,” mentions Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) as the only member of Oregon’s congressional delegation mentioned up to that point in the cables leaked to Wikileaks.

So far Wikileaks has published only about 2,000 out of a total of 250,000 cables in its possession. But the latest batch has another Oregon connection.

If you’re expecting a blockbuster, prepare to be disappointed. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)—the past president of the World Affairs Council—makes an appearance in the context of a February meeting with a national security adviser, Shivshankar Menon, on Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.

“Menon agreed with Senator Jeff MERKLEY’s (D-OR) assertion that a nuclear Iran would be bad for everyone,” the cable reads. “MERKLEY had supported the Obama Administration’s efforts to seek dialogue with Iran, but it was now clear the Islamic Republic was not open to dialogue. Menon replied that ‘the last thing we want is another nuclear power in our neighborhood.’”

Also: “MERKLEY praised Menon’s role in helping to conclude the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, and inquired about progress on implementation. Menon mentioned planned Reprocessing Consultations March 2-4 in Delhi, adding, ‘If we could accomplish the 123 Agreement, I don’t see how this can stop us.” Menon said unequivocally, “We’re introducing liability legislation to the next Parliament.’”