IRAN/TURKMENISTAN: PRESIDENT'S CAIRO SPEECH SPARKS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 001547 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2019 TAGS: IR PGOV PHUM PREL TX SUBJECT: IRAN/TURKMENISTAN: PRESIDENT'S CAIRO SPEECH SPARKS TRUCK-STOP BRAWL Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Peter Eckstrom. Reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) During a trip to the Farap (Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan) border area on November 29-30, Iran Watcher stopped in at "Cafe Zaineb," a truck-stop/cafe frequented by transiting truck drivers from Iran and Turkey. There were few truckers, and no Iranians, present, due to the fact that the main road leading to the border had been blocked off for repavement in preparation for President Berdimuhamedov's visit to the area in mid-December. Drivers heading north had to detour over dirt roads that were impassable to trucks. Zaineb, the cafe's friendly Turkmen proprietor, explained that she was also having to reroof the small structure that houses her cafe and that she had been instructed to paint it red, "the President's favorite color." DISAGREEMENT OVER SPEECH PROVOKES FRACAS ¶2. (C) Zaineb told us about an incident that occurred after our last visit to the truck-stop in late July. At the time, Iran Watcher had given out copies of President Obama's Cairo Speech in Farsi to interested truck drivers from Iran. As there were several copies of the speech remaining at the end of that visit, Zaineb had offered to keep them and pass them later to other interested truckers who might be passing through. Not long afterwards, 8-10 Iranians were eating dinner at the cafe, and she decided to offer them copies of the speech. Apparently, one of them read the speech and then remarked enthusiastically, "I like Obama. He is a real friend of Iran and of Muslims," to which a trucker at a nearby table responded angrily that the first trucker, "must be crazy. America is no friend of Iran -- they just want to do to us what they did in Iraq." According to Zaineb, a heated argument ensued between the two truckers, to which several of the companions of each joined in, resulting in a brawl. One member of the second group then threatened Zaineb, "I'll call the Iranian consulate and get your place shut down." ¶3. (C) COMMENT: In our conversations with transiting truckers from Iran, we continually find divergent attitudes towards the U.S. In general, older drivers -- i.e. those over 50 -- are usually favorably disposed to us and to talking about Iran. The younger truckers, however, tend to be more reticent, and those who talk to us frequently express negative views towards the U.S. or what they perceive as its intentions in the region. One Mashhad driver we met further down the road that day, perhaps 30 years old, expressed strong skepticism about the U.S. Without specifically mentioning Iraq, he said with considerable hostility, "If someone has harmed our own neighbor, why would we ever trust them? Why?" ¶4. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: Zaineb told us that in all the years she has been running her cafe, this was the first serious altercation between truckers. We expressed our profound regret for any inconvenience the incident had caused (half wondering whether we would be welcomed back in the future). She responded happily, "Come back after the 14th, after the President's visit. There will be lots of Iranians here again!" END COMMENT. ECKSTROM