IRANIAN DIPLOMAT CONFRONTS CONOFF AT JEDDAH

C O N F I D E N T I A L JEDDAH 000271

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

RIYADH, PLEASE PASS TO DHAHRAN; PARIS FOR ZEYA; LONDON FOR
TSO; DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARPI AND IPA

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/06/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL SA IR IS KPAL KWBG
SUBJECT: IRANIAN DIPLOMAT CONFRONTS CONOFF AT JEDDAH
GATHERING

REF: JEDDAH 000211

Classified By: Tatiana C. Gfoeller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: During a recent gathering at the home of a
prominent Saudi businessman, the Iranian ambassador to the
Organization of the Islamic Conference, Mohammed Kazem
Khawansari, confronted Conoff after he was seated near him by
the host. Khawansari discussed the recent publication of an
academic paper from Harvard University criticizing the
influence of the Israel lobby on US foreign policy, and when
prodded to shake Conoff's hand and "be friends" by the
event's host, began railing against his perception of the
USG's bellicose stance toward his country. END SUMMARY


2. (C) Construction magnate Abdelmaksoud Khojah hosted one
of his weekly "Ithnainiyas" (salons) on March 27 attended by
Conoff and approximately 150 businessmen, intellectuals, and
civil servants from Jeddah (see reftel). Following the
conclusion of the formal part of the event, Khojah insisted
that Conoff eat dinner at the head table and seated him to
the right of the Consul General of Morocco, Mohamed Abdouh
Aimane. After chatting for several minutes, Aimane turned to
the gentleman to his left, who was dressed in the traditional
robe and headdress of a Shi'a cleric. Assuming he was Saudi,
numerous attendees had remarked earlier in the evening that
the gentleman's presence illustrated the cautious tolerance
growing in the Kingdom since King Abdullah ascended to the
throne in 2005. However, as the Moroccan CG drew Conoff into
his conversation, he was introduced as the Iranian ambassador
to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC),Mohammed
Kazem Khawansari.


3. (C) Refusing to address Conoff directly and instead
referring to him in the third-person while shooting the
occasional angry glance, Khawansari began describing an
academic paper recently released at Harvard University that
criticized the disproportionate influence of the Israel lobby
in the US foreign policy process. (NOTE: The paper, "The
Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy," was published on March
16 as part of the Kennedy School of Government's faculty
working paper series. It was written by Harvard's Stephen
Walt and the University of Chicago's John Mearsheimer.)
According to Khawansari, the paper described the lobby's
influence as "dangerous" to US security. When Aimane asked
Khawansari if he could speak English to facilitate
conversation with Conoff, Khawansari replied simply in
Arabic, "I do, but I won't." Conoff's only participation in
the conversation was to say that the publication of the
working paper demonstrated the diversity of opinion and the
protection of free expression in the US.


4. (C) As Conoff was leaving the dinner and saying good-bye
to the host, Khojah pulled him and Khawansari together a
second time to walk them to their cars. Approaching the
Iranian envoy's vehicle, Khojah, who was standing between
both men, put his arm around them and said in Arabic, "Why
don't you shake hands and be friends?" The already agitated
Khawansari then became enraged and immediately launched into
an assault on US policy in the region (including references
to a US invasion of Iran),not all of which Conoff was able
to understand. The ever-jovial Khojah simply chuckled as
Khawansari stormed off to his car.
Gfoeller