AUSTRIA-IRAN: NO FORMAL INVESTIGATION YET INTO

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 002270

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA AND EUR/AGS - VIKMANIS-KELLER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR AU
SUBJECT: AUSTRIA-IRAN: NO FORMAL INVESTIGATION YET INTO
IRANIAN PRESIDENT'S INVOLVEMENT IN 1989 MURDERS

REF: VIENNA 2254

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Carol van Voorst. Reasons: 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (C) Spokespersons for the Vienna State Prosecutor's
Office and for the Austrian Justice Ministry have told us
that no/no investigation is yet open into the alleged
involvement of Iranian president-elect Mahmoud Ahmedinejad in
the 1989 murders of three Kurdish leaders in Vienna. This
contradicts reports in the Reuters wire service and in
Vienna's "Der Standard" newspaper, which say Austrian
spokespersons have "confirmed" that an investigation is
underway. State Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Ernst
Kloiber and Justice Ministry spokesperson Poechinger
(strictly protect both) have told us that the press
"misquoted" them on this point.


2. (C) Kloiber and Poechinger told us that what happened was
a follow up to the information which Greens parliamentarian
Peter Pilz had provided, citing a man he called "Witness D."
The spokespersons told us separately that authorities have
asked the Austrian Federal Office for the Protection of the
Constitution and Against Terrorism (BVT) to "inquire whether
and under which circumstances" "Witness D" would come from
France to Vienna to provide further information. According
to Kloiber, the matter is complicated because "Witness D"
does not want to speak to French authorities. He is
apparently living in France illegally, and he also fears that
France would deport him back to Iran in the spirit of "good
French-Iranian relations."


3. (C) Kloiber also told us that the 1989 murder case is not
closed. Therefore, there would be no need to "re-open" the
case if authorities believed there were sufficient reason to
pursue further leads. (Note: According to press reports, in
1989, the murder suspects took refuge in the Iranian Embassy
in Vienna. After a long standoff, Austrian police withdrew
from the vicinity of the Embassy, and the suspects left
Austria. Iran reportedly achieved this with implicit threats
of retaliation, saying it was afraid the Iranian public would
take reprisals against Austrian citizens in Iran if the
Iranian "diplomats" were not permitted to return to Iran.
End note.)


4. (C) Kloiber expressed personal skepticism about the
usefulness of the evidence Pilz has presented. Rather than
being an eyewitness himself, "Witness D" is actually an
intermediate source, who received the information himself
from an Iranian general -- who is now dead.


5. (C) Austrians have expressed some bemusement at the
Iranian reaction to reports that the prosecutors have opened
an investigation. The Austrian and Iranian press is
reporting that the Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned
Austrian Ambassador Michael Stigelbauer to explain Austria's
handling of the situation. According to Reuters, the Iranian
Foreign Ministry said the accusation against Ahmedinejad came
from "Zionist circles," and said, "it would be better if
Austrian authorities thought about the two countries' good
relations instead of becoming a tool in the hands of those
who want to create tension." Susanne Gaugl, Director of the
Office of President Heinz Fischer, noted that the group with
whom Austria had made such efforts were now out of office,
and the new team felt no compunctions about flaunting
Austria's "constructive engagement."
Brown