DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA ON IRANIAN PRESIDENT'S

UNCLAS VIENNA 003487 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR EUR/AGS - VIKMANIS-KELLER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER PHUM IR AU SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA ON IRANIAN PRESIDENT'S INCREASING EXTREMISM REF: STATE 199225 This message is SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. Please treat accordingly. ¶1. (U) EconPolCouns and visiting EUR/ERA director Chase discussed reftel points on October 28 with Austrian Foreign Ministry political director Thomas Mayr-Harting and MFA Middle East director Ralph Scheide. We also passed reftel points to Austrian MFA EU correspondent Andreas Riecken. ¶2. (SBU) Mayr-Harting and Scheide had summoned the Iranian Charge d'Affaires to the Foreign Ministry to convey "in no uncertain terms" that Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad's October 25 statements calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map" were entirely unacceptable. Scheide told us that the Iranian tried to explain Ahmadi-Nejad's comments in the context of the internal Iranian political situation, pointing to the particular October 25 event as one which tends to be the scene of such statements. However, Scheide noted, Ahmadi-Nejad had then confirmed what he had said. ¶3. (SBU) hase pointed out that a regime which made statements such as that which Ahmadi-Nejad had made should not be allowed to achieve a nuclear weapons capability. Scheide said he fully agreed. Scheide noted that one of the most important outcomes from the Ahmadi-Nejad statement was a change in the Russian position on referring the nuclear dispute with Iran to the United Nations Security Council. That should "teach a lesson" to Iran, Scheide noted. ¶4. (U) On October 27, Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik commented at a press conference that she was "very concerned" by Ahmadi-Nejad's statements. She said the statements were "definitely to be rejected," and said she would consult with Austria's EU partners on a common response. van Voorst