THE MEK'S MARYAM RAJAVI IN ROME

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ROME 000916 C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (added Para 11 classification) SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/06/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV IR PTER SUBJECT: THE MEK'S MARYAM RAJAVI IN ROME REF: A. ROME DAILY REPORT JULY 30 AND AUGUST 4 ¶B. 2009 ROME 00000916 001.3 OF 003 Classified By: A/DCM Barbara A. Leaf ¶1. (C) Summary: In a visit that coincided with violent confrontations at Camp Ashraf, Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) and of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI),made a two-day visit to Rome at the invitation of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Parliamentary Committee for a Free Iran, a committee co-chaired by Radical Party Rep. Elisabetta Zamparutti, and Rep. Carlo Ciccioli, of Berlusconi's People of Liberty (PdL). Rajavi met with Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno, and held a press conference at the Chamber of Deputies. Rajavi showed clips of repression in Tehran and of events in Ashraf, insisting that this was "the beginning of the end" for the Iranian theocracy, and calling on EU governments to break relations with and recall Ambassadors from Tehran. Mayor Alemanno, under strong pressure from Ciccioli to meet with Rajavi, but also wishing to make a statement in support of the Iranian post-election protestors, called on the Italian Government and the West to do more "for Iran because history teaches us that with regimes that adopt violence and repression, caution is a mistaken path." Alemanno's diplomatic advisor, who advised against the meeting with Rajavi, said he was hoping the Embassy would come bearing instructions to desist from future meetings. Rajavi's visit and the events at Camp Ashraf stimulated three days of protests by MEK supporters outside AmEmbassy Rome. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) and of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) arrived in Rome on July 27, at the invitation of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Parliamentary Committee for a Free Iran, a committee co-chaired by Radical Party Rep. Elisabetta Zamparutti, and Rep. Carlo Ciccioli, of PM Berlusconi's People of Liberty (PdL) and one of the founders of the National Alliance (AN) party. On July 28, Rajavi met with Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno, and held a press conference at the Chamber of Deputies. ¶3. (C) Though attendance was thin at the press conference (open only to Parliamentarians and Press),Rajavi received support from members of all political parties represented in the Parliament. She began the conference by showing video clips of the violent repression of protesters in Tehran on July 9 and of the July 13 funeral of Sehrat Arabi, a young man killed during the demonstrations. She then showed a video clip of the Iraqi raids July 28 on the MEK camp in Ashraf, where she said four people were killed, 300 or 400 were wounded, and 30 seized by the police and taken to an unknown destination. ¶4. (C) At her press conference, Rajavi asserted that there was no motivation for the "attack" in Ashraf and that Iraqi PM al-Maliki is responsible for the "crime against humanity," having ordered the attack and having refused to allow medical assistance to the wounded. She charged that the international community and "especially the Americans" have a major responsibility. "High-level international jurists agree that the US must assume its responsibilities for the safety of the residents," she noted: "I ask Obama, what happened to your commitments?" ¶5. (C) Rajavi went on to say that the EU should condemn the crime and make every effort to "end the tragedy." She noted that the camp residents have expressed their willingness to return to Iran and asked to be guaranteed freedom of expression and for an agreement to determine their status in Iran. -------------- Ashraf reflects Iranian Regime's Fears -------------- ¶6. (C) What is happening in Ashraf shows the extent of the Iranian regime's fear, she noted, and claimed that Iranian Revolutionary Guards helped Iraqi police raid the camp. The NCRI, she said, will appeal to the International Court of Justice on this. On Iranian elections, Rajavi said that the Iranian people are ready to pay "any price" for liberty. The post-election uprisings in Iran show the people of Iran are capable of bringing down the regime and "are ready to live in democracy and liberty." "The regime is much more vulnerable than before," she continued, noting that conditions in Iran will never return to what they were before the elections because the crisis has had an influence even on Khamenei's faction. "This is the beginning of the end of Iranian theocracy," she said. "Unfortunately Western compliance toward Ahmadinejad and Khamenei enabled them to ROME 00000916 002.3 OF 003 carry out the repression, export terrorism, and move forward with their nuclear policy." ¶7. (C) Rajavi called on EU countries to discontinue dialogue with Iran, recall their ambassadors and stop the sale of technologies that could be used for repression until the regime stops its repression, releases all political prisoners and accepts free elections under UN auspices. She said she envisions a "democratic regime," with the separation of civilian/religious powers, and no nuclear program. -------------- -------------- Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno's participation in the visit -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C) We met with Consigliere Mario Vattani, diplomatic advisor to Mayor Gianni Alemanno, who told us he thought there was a misunderstanding at the heart of the meeting between Alemanno and Rajavi, and that many Italians do not delve into the past of the MEK but simply want to show they support the Iranian opposition. Vattani said that he had personally advised against Alemanno's meeting, and that he had hoped, prior to our meeting, that the US Embassy would be coming in with instructions advising against future contact. He said the Mayor's meeting with Rajavi was the result of several factors: Alemanno is strongly against the regime in Tehran, and is a strong supporter of "liberty." The PDL youth movement is also keen to support the Iranian protestors in Tehran. In addition and perhaps most importantly, there was a very strong push from Rep. Ciccioli. Vattani did not know why Ciccioli is so keen to support the MEK, but said Alemanno as a person is not afraid to take a stance on issues but did not always want to delve deeply into details. ¶9. (C) Alemanno is very vocal against Ahmadinejad (as evidence by his having turned the lights off at the Colosseum on June 4, 2008, on the occasion of Ahmadinejad's speech at the FAO in Rome). On the occasion of his meeting with Rajavi, he announced he would dedicate a street in Rome to fallen protestor Neda Soltan. In his remarks, he said "We ask the Italian Government and the West to do more on Iran because history teaches us that with regimes that adopt violence and repression, caution is a mistaken path.(Rome, a city connected to the defense of the individual and of the rights of the people, cannot remain silent. Yet cities can in some sense precede governments, but cannot substitute for them." Vattani noted that as Alemanno does not represent the GOI, he can take the positions he wants; he feels cities can take certain liberties and make statements that sometimes governments, having broader considerations, cannot. -------------- -------------- Iranian Embassy and Student Groups Protest Rajavi Visit -------------- -------------- ¶10. (C) Vattani noted that he had been in touch with Iranian student groups in Rome, who deplored the Mayor's decision to meet with Rajavi. Vattani is preparing an event to bring these groups together with the Mayor. Vattani also agreed with the notion that the MEK members, in addition to having a terrorist past, behaved liked cultists. He said prior to Rajavi's meeting with Alemanno, members of her group showed up several times at his office uninvited and unannounced, and he was hard pressed to make them go away. ¶11. (C) In addition, the MFA Iran desk confirmed that the Iranian Embassy had demarched the MFA to prevent the Rajavi visit. Vattani said he had heard from them as well, and that they were particularly neuralgic about it. -------------- Fini avoids a handshake this time -------------- ¶12. (C) Although Senate President Gianfranco Fini (PDL) met with Rajavi during her last visit to the Italian Parliament, in October 2008, Fini's diplomatic advisor, Alessandro Cortese, claims that that meeting occurred in an impromptu fashion ("he was cornered"),and that Fini did not at the time understand who Rajavi was. This time, he avoided all contact with her and with her group. He affirmed that the group was very close to Ciccioli, suggesting that it might reflect an Iranian presence in Ciccioli's district. -------------- -------------- Radical Party Zamparutti on reasons for her support -------------- -------------- ¶13. (C) We spoke with Rep. Zamparutti about her sponsorship of the MEK, noting that given its history, the US still lists the group as a terrorist organization. She said the Radical party no longer considers the MEK a terrorist group, that ROME 00000916 003.2 OF 003 "times change" and that by keeping the MEK on the list, "we are doing the regime in Iran a favor." Zamparutti noted that she does not believe that the MEK "is the future of Iran," but argued that they do not target civilians and that she believes the US should also delist the MEK, following the EU's delisting. She also noted concern for those living in Camp Ashraf as a cause for support. -------------- MEK Demonstrations Outside Embassy -------------- ¶14. (SBU) Coincident with Rajavi's visit, MEK demonstrations occurred outside AmEmbassy Rome on Friday, July 31, Monday, August 03, and Tuesday, August 4, each lasting about two hours. The protests were peaceful, albeit loud, with about 50 demonstrators (one with a megaphone) chanting "justice for Ashraf" and other slogans, and bearing pictures of Rajavi. The police were out in force and no incidents were reported. Through the local guard force, the group attempted to deliver a petition to the Embassy, which the Embassy did not accept. ¶15. (C) COMMENT: The MEK is doing an increasingly effective job at convincing European parliaments that they represent the authentic voice of the Iranian opposition, an assertion that Post is actively working to refute. With the continued turmoil in Iran and the lack of a single clear focus for concerned parties to support opposition movements, the MEK may increasingly raise its profile and apparent legitimacy. Post has been unable to ascertain the motivations (idealogical, financial) that have contributed to Ciccioli in particular becoming the MEK's vocal champion in Parliament. DIBBLE