MEDIA REACTION: IRAN'S TURMOIL

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000520



SIPDIS



STATE FOR SCA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO



STATE FOR SCA/PPD, PA/RRU



E.O. 12958 N/A

TAGS: KMDR, KPAO, PGOV, OPRC, NP

SUBJ: MEDIA REACTION: IRAN'S TURMOIL



1. Republica, a newly launched independent English

daily with an estimated 15,000 circulation ran an

editorial titled "Iran's turmoil" in its June 18

edition. The editorial empathized with the Iranian

people and their demand for fairness in the

election.



2. Full text: "Iran has plunged into its worst

unrest since the triumph of the Islamic Revolution

in 1979. The election results in which incumbent

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed a landslide

victory have been contested by his main presidential

challenger, Mirhossein Mousavi, and protested by

tens of thousands of ordinary Iranians. The West,

which generally dislikes Ahmadinejad, primarily

because of its clash with the Islamic Republic's

nuclear ambitions, has also questioned the election

results. US President Barack Obama urged the Iranian

leadership to "unclench its fist," and said "Iranian

people are not convinced with the legitimacy of the

election." Many other Western leaders have aired

similar concerns.



3. The full story of exactly what happened in the

Iranian election is unlikely to be known because of

the control of hardliners in the establishment over

the flow of information and clampdown against

independent media in the wake of the massive

protests. But the scale of victory claimed even in

areas dominated by reform-minded, middle class

Iranians who generally oppose Ahmadinejad, amply

indicates that all is not right with the poll

result. Ahmadinejad was declared victorious even in

Mousavi's home district, where he is assumed to be

very popular. Likewise, the way Ahmadinejad and the

hard-line clerics have reacted to the growing

protests shows that something could have gone wrong

with the polls, if they were not in fact rigged.



4. The implications of the street protests can

hardly be understated. Look at Iran's profile: It's

a part of ancient civilization; its recent political

history is equally interesting, with the overthrow

of a popularly elected prime minister in the mid-

1950s through American backing, the eventual

overthrow of the America-backed Shah through a

popular uprising during the Islamic Revolution and

also because of the eight-year war with Iraq. Iran's

strong links with Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah

in Lebanon make it an important player in regional

politics. And, finally, never forget that Iran has

the world's fourth largest reserves of oil. When a

country with such interesting history and an

important place in regional politics goes into

turmoil, it naturally catches the world's attention.



5. Nepal, separated by thousands of miles and

connected only by weak diplomatic relations, may be

less interested, and even less impacted by what is

happening in Iran. But as the newest republic and a

country striving to consolidate its democratic

institutions and practices we must show sympathy

toward the Iranian people and support their demand

for fairness in elections. We also hope the protest

rallies called for tomorrow by Mousavi will remain

peaceful and wish that the clerics will refrain from

using force against peaceful protestors." End Text.



MOON