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

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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