Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ASHGABAT897
2009-07-17 12:35:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ashgabat
Cable title:
IRAN/TURKMENISTAN: IRANIAN COMPANY MANAGER SAYS
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000897
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2019
TAGS: IR PGOV PHUM PREL TX
SUBJECT: IRAN/TURKMENISTAN: IRANIAN COMPANY MANAGER SAYS
"REACH OUT TO THE OPPOSITION"
ASHGABAT 00000897 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: Charge Richard Miles. Reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000897
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2019
TAGS: IR PGOV PHUM PREL TX
SUBJECT: IRAN/TURKMENISTAN: IRANIAN COMPANY MANAGER SAYS
"REACH OUT TO THE OPPOSITION"
ASHGABAT 00000897 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: Charge Richard Miles. Reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
1. (C) In a July 14 conversation with Iran Watcher, the
general manager of the Ashgabat branch of Iran Samen said
that the U.S. needs to focus on reaching out to the "more
than 20 million Iranians who voted for Mir-Hussein Mousavi."
Gholamreza Gieahpour, who has headed the office since 1996.
He also said that "there is nothing that Ahmadinejad would
love more" than for the Obama administration to initiate
talks with him, now that the Iranian authorities have
declared him the victor following Iran's June 12 presidential
election. He called Ahmadinejad "untrustworthy", opining
that he cannot be relied upon to stand by any commitments he
might make in future bilateral talks with the United States.
VISA TROUBLES
2. (C) Gieahpour said that he has renewed his visa yearly
since he began working out of Ashgabat 14 years ago, each
time receiving a 12-month extension. Last week, however,
when he submitted a visa renewal application to the State
Migration Service, he was told that, "given the circumstances
and instability in your country," his visa would be for only
six months this time. It was unclear how long the visa
renewal will take this time, so Gieahpour is unable to travel
to Iran to visit his family until the process is completed.
PEOPLE WANT A REVOTE
3. (C) He said that, "like so many others," he is
"indescribably disappointed" with the way the election
occurred in Iran: "I cannot bear to turn on the Iranian
(state) news channels anymore. I used to rely on VOA's
Persian service, but that is now inaccessible here. (NOTE:
Iranians and other FARSI-speakers in Turkmenistan report that
they, too, are currently unable to receive VOA's Persian
service here. END NOTE). Lately, he said, he relies only on
foreign websites in Persian, such as BBC's, for news from
home. He said that in conversations with other expat
Iranians in Turkmenistan, as well as friends from Tehran who
visited recently, Iranians who voted for Mousavi are "not
about" to give in to what they view as the "hijacking" of
their votes in the election. He said that they will accept
nothing less than the invalidation of the election results
and a revote. Others, he said, have resigned themselves to
believing that "foreign intervention" is their only hope for
achieving democracy in Iran. "They believe the leadership
will never relinquish power and have to be removed by force,
just like Saddam was," he explained.
POLITICAL SANCTIONS
4. (C) Gieahpour said that, in his view, the international
community, including both Russia and China, need to exert
pressure on the Iranian government to respect the "will of
the people," and that absent that, European and other
diplomatic missions need to impose "political sanctions" by
scaling back their diplomatic presence in Tehran and
requiring that Iran do the same. He particularly emphasized
that, "As soon as all the Iranian diplomats based in Europe
learn that they will be sent home and that their children can
no longer attend elite schools and colleges in Europe, the
message will get through."
INVITE RECALL NOT WELL-RECEIVED
5. (C) Gieahpour, an acquaintance of Iran's ambassador to
Turkmenistan, Mohamad-Reza Forqani, said that Forqani was
"very disapointed" that the U.S. government had recalled the
invitations that he and other diplomats had previously
received for the Embassy's 4th of July reception. He said
that, regardless of the political considerations that may
have led the United States to retract the invitation, that it
ASHGABAT 00000897 002.2 OF 002
was "particularly insulting," violating traditional and
accepted Iranian notions of politeness and hospitality. He
noted that officials at Forqani's level likely "wouldn't have
a clue" as to how the Iranian authorities allegedly "stole"
the election, that only the highest echelons of the
government would have details about how it was actually
carried out.
6. (C) COMMENT: Our interlocutor, perhaps like so many other
Iranians, has devoted his career to business interests and,
prior to the presidential election, had minimal interest in
Iranian politics. He said that he had very high hopes for
change in Iran before the June election, and described
himself as being almost "despondent" lately. He recounted
how, since he has not been watching any Iranian television
broadcasts, he completely overlooked the feast of Hezrat
Fatima (daughter of the Prophet Mohammed),when Iranians
traditionally buy flowers and celebrate with close female
relatives. This year, For the first time, he forgot to call
his mother to congratulate her. END COMMENT
MILES
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2019
TAGS: IR PGOV PHUM PREL TX
SUBJECT: IRAN/TURKMENISTAN: IRANIAN COMPANY MANAGER SAYS
"REACH OUT TO THE OPPOSITION"
ASHGABAT 00000897 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: Charge Richard Miles. Reasons 1.4(b) and (d)
1. (C) In a July 14 conversation with Iran Watcher, the
general manager of the Ashgabat branch of Iran Samen said
that the U.S. needs to focus on reaching out to the "more
than 20 million Iranians who voted for Mir-Hussein Mousavi."
Gholamreza Gieahpour, who has headed the office since 1996.
He also said that "there is nothing that Ahmadinejad would
love more" than for the Obama administration to initiate
talks with him, now that the Iranian authorities have
declared him the victor following Iran's June 12 presidential
election. He called Ahmadinejad "untrustworthy", opining
that he cannot be relied upon to stand by any commitments he
might make in future bilateral talks with the United States.
VISA TROUBLES
2. (C) Gieahpour said that he has renewed his visa yearly
since he began working out of Ashgabat 14 years ago, each
time receiving a 12-month extension. Last week, however,
when he submitted a visa renewal application to the State
Migration Service, he was told that, "given the circumstances
and instability in your country," his visa would be for only
six months this time. It was unclear how long the visa
renewal will take this time, so Gieahpour is unable to travel
to Iran to visit his family until the process is completed.
PEOPLE WANT A REVOTE
3. (C) He said that, "like so many others," he is
"indescribably disappointed" with the way the election
occurred in Iran: "I cannot bear to turn on the Iranian
(state) news channels anymore. I used to rely on VOA's
Persian service, but that is now inaccessible here. (NOTE:
Iranians and other FARSI-speakers in Turkmenistan report that
they, too, are currently unable to receive VOA's Persian
service here. END NOTE). Lately, he said, he relies only on
foreign websites in Persian, such as BBC's, for news from
home. He said that in conversations with other expat
Iranians in Turkmenistan, as well as friends from Tehran who
visited recently, Iranians who voted for Mousavi are "not
about" to give in to what they view as the "hijacking" of
their votes in the election. He said that they will accept
nothing less than the invalidation of the election results
and a revote. Others, he said, have resigned themselves to
believing that "foreign intervention" is their only hope for
achieving democracy in Iran. "They believe the leadership
will never relinquish power and have to be removed by force,
just like Saddam was," he explained.
POLITICAL SANCTIONS
4. (C) Gieahpour said that, in his view, the international
community, including both Russia and China, need to exert
pressure on the Iranian government to respect the "will of
the people," and that absent that, European and other
diplomatic missions need to impose "political sanctions" by
scaling back their diplomatic presence in Tehran and
requiring that Iran do the same. He particularly emphasized
that, "As soon as all the Iranian diplomats based in Europe
learn that they will be sent home and that their children can
no longer attend elite schools and colleges in Europe, the
message will get through."
INVITE RECALL NOT WELL-RECEIVED
5. (C) Gieahpour, an acquaintance of Iran's ambassador to
Turkmenistan, Mohamad-Reza Forqani, said that Forqani was
"very disapointed" that the U.S. government had recalled the
invitations that he and other diplomats had previously
received for the Embassy's 4th of July reception. He said
that, regardless of the political considerations that may
have led the United States to retract the invitation, that it
ASHGABAT 00000897 002.2 OF 002
was "particularly insulting," violating traditional and
accepted Iranian notions of politeness and hospitality. He
noted that officials at Forqani's level likely "wouldn't have
a clue" as to how the Iranian authorities allegedly "stole"
the election, that only the highest echelons of the
government would have details about how it was actually
carried out.
6. (C) COMMENT: Our interlocutor, perhaps like so many other
Iranians, has devoted his career to business interests and,
prior to the presidential election, had minimal interest in
Iranian politics. He said that he had very high hopes for
change in Iran before the June election, and described
himself as being almost "despondent" lately. He recounted
how, since he has not been watching any Iranian television
broadcasts, he completely overlooked the feast of Hezrat
Fatima (daughter of the Prophet Mohammed),when Iranians
traditionally buy flowers and celebrate with close female
relatives. This year, For the first time, he forgot to call
his mother to congratulate her. END COMMENT
MILES