C O N F I D E N T I A L CANBERRA 000519

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE ALSO FOR EAP, EUR, NEA AND P

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/03/2017
TAGS: MOPS PREL PTER INRA IR IQ AS
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN FM DOWNER URGES IRANIAN FM MOTTAKI TO
RELEASE UK DETAINEES

Classified By: Political Counselor James F. Cole for reasons 1.4 (b) an
d (d).


1. (C) On April 3, Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs and
Trade David J. Ritchie gave the DCM a readout of Foreign
Minister Downer's March 29 telephone conversation with
Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki regarding the 15 British
naval personnel seized by Iran.


2. (C) According to Ritchie, Downer called Mottaki at the
request of UK FCO Minister of State Kim Howell. Downer
opened the conversation by noting Australia's special
interest in the incident arose because an Australian ship had
been scheduled to replace the HMS Cornwall. He repeated the
United Kingdom's strong denial that it had intruded or had
intended to enter Iranian waters. It was essential for Iran
to resolve this issue before it blew up to a dangerous level,
Downer told him.


3. (C) Mottaki responded that this was no longer just a legal
matter but had become a political matter. He insisted that
the UK was well aware it had entered Iranian territory. If
the United Kingdom could accept the truth of the matter, he
told Downer, then the two sides could resolve the issue.
Downer reiterated the UK believed its personnel were in Iraqi
waters, and warned Mottaki again that the matter could get
out of control in the absence of a solution, with the
potential for enormous repercussions. He reminded the
Iranian Foreign Minister that the 15 British detainees were
ordinary sailors, not spies. If Iran was angry over the
intrusion, it should protest the matter but release the
sailors. Iran would find a big diplomatic coalition building
if it did not do so.


4. (C) Mottaki maintained it was up to the United Kingdom to
resolve the impasse. Downer countered that the Iranian
response was not proportionate to the incident. If Australia
were to encounter foreign nationals in its waters, he said,
it would simply deport them, not drag them to Canberra to
parade them before the TV cameras.


5. (C) Ritchie told me the tone of the conversation had been
good. He said it was clear, however, that the Iranian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs was out of the picture; the
Revolutionary Guards and others were calling the shots.
Ritchie added that he planned to summon the newly arrived
Iranian envoy to Australia, Ambassador Mahmoud Movahhedi, to
convey a similar message on the need to release the
detainees. Movahhedi, he added, was not from the Foreign
Affairs Ministry but had been a senior assistant to Ali Akbar
Velayati, Adviser on International Affairs to Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Kahmenei.

MCCALLUM