Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09STATE94757
2009-09-11 18:19:00
SECRET
Secretary of State
Cable title:  

DEMARCHE REQUEST: URGING IRAN TO RESOLVE

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PINR PREL PROP PTER CASC IR 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO3824
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK RUEHTRO
DE RUEHC #4757/01 2541838
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 111819Z SEP 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 5005
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 0017
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 8452
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 3471
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 4142
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 5207
RUEHDO/AMEMBASSY DOHA PRIORITY 1283
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 5099
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 6610
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 4079
RUEHMS/AMEMBASSY MUSCAT PRIORITY 1144
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 6698
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 8583
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 6518
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 6172
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 2230
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM PRIORITY 7980
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 6311
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA PRIORITY 9380
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
INFO IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN PRIORITY 6498
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL PRIORITY 3264
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 094757 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/11/2019
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL PROP PTER CASC IR
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE REQUEST: URGING IRAN TO RESOLVE
MISSING/DETAINED AMCIT CASES

REF: A. 09BAGHDAD2181

B. 09PARIS1046

C. 09ASHGABAT993

Classified By: NEA A/S JEFFREY FELTMAN FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 094757

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/11/2019
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL PROP PTER CASC IR
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE REQUEST: URGING IRAN TO RESOLVE
MISSING/DETAINED AMCIT CASES

REF: A. 09BAGHDAD2181

B. 09PARIS1046

C. 09ASHGABAT993

Classified By: NEA A/S JEFFREY FELTMAN FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (U) This is an action request for Embassies Abu Dhabi,
Ankara, Baghdad, Berlin, Brasilia, Canberra, Doha, Jakarta,
London, Mexico, Muscat, New Dehli, Oslo, Ottawa, Paris, Rome,
Stockholm, The Hague, Vienna, and the U.S. Mission to the
European Union. Please see the action request in paragraph 5.


2. (C) SUMMARY. The Department is closely monitoring the
cases of six American citizens, Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd,
Josh Fattal, Kian Tajbakhsh, Reza Taghavi, and Robert
Levinson, who are missing or unjustly detained in Iran. We
ask action posts to raise these cases with relevant
interlocutors and request their assistance in urging Iran's
leadership - through the local Iranian Embassy and/or the
host country's mission in Tehran - to resolve these six
American cases as a humanitarian gesture. The Secretary
demonstrated the USG's concern in her August 15 statement
calling for the safe return of all missing or unjustly
detained American citizens to the United States as quickly as
possible so that they can be reunited with their families.
END SUMMARY.

--------------
Rationale
--------------


3. (S) The Department is directing selected posts to request
assistance from the host government (and from Brussels in the
case of USEU) in pressing the Government of Iran to resolve
the cases of six American citizens who are missing or
unjustly detained in Iran, namely: Robert Levinson, who
disappeared in March 2007 on Kish Island; Kian Tajbakhsh, who
has been in prison without formal charges since July 9, 2009
(also imprisoned in 2007); Reza Taghavi, who has been in
prison without formal charges since May 26, 2008; and Shane
Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal, who have been detained
since July 31, 2009 when they were hiking near the
Iranian-Iraqi border.



4. (S) The goal of the demarche is to secure support from a
diverse range of diplomatic allies who can positively
influence Iran's decision making on this critical issue, with
arguments solely based on humanitarian grounds rather than
political, to try to take the issue out of the bilateral
context.

--------------
Action Request
--------------


5. (C) Posts are requested to approach appropriate host
government officials as soon as feasible and request
assistance in urging the Iranian government - through the
resident Iranian Embassy and/or the host country's mission in
Tehran - to release the six American citizens as a
humanitarian gesture. Post should draw from the points in
paragraph 7, which may be left as a nonpaper.

--------------
Objectives
--------------

STATE 00094757 002 OF 003



6. (C) Posts should seek to achieve the following:

-- Emphasize the United States' commitment to the protection
of American citizens abroad.

-- Convey that international interest in the six cases will
remain high until a just outcome is reached.

-- Request the host government's assistance in pressing the
Iranians to release the six Americans as a humanitarian
gesture and sending Iran a message not to politicize their
cases.

--------------
Talking Points / Non-paper
--------------


7. (SBU) Begin talking points / nonpaper:

-- Ensuring the safety and security of American citizens
overseas is a priority for the United States. As
demonstrated in Secretary Clinton's August 15 statement, the
United States is deeply concerned about the welfare of our
American citizens who have been detained or are missing in
Iran. We once again urge Iran's leadership to quickly
resolve all outstanding American citizen cases.

-- This includes the case of the American scholar, Kian
Tajbakhsh, who has spent his career working to enhance mutual
understanding between Iran and the United States. The
government of Iran should immediately release Mr. Tajbakhsh
from detention and allow him to depart Iran.

-- Regarding the three American hikers, Joshua Fattal, Shane
Bauer, and Sarah Shourd, who were detained by Iranian
authorities on July 31, we once again call on the Iranian
government to live up to its obligations under the Vienna
Convention by granting consular access and releasing these
three young Americans without further delay.

-- Reza Taghavi was taken into custody on May 26, 2008 and
remains imprisoned without formal charges. The government of
Iran should immediately release Mr. Taghavi from detention
and allow him to depart Iran.

-- We also remain concerned about the case of Robert
Levinson, who has been missing in Iran since March 9, 2007.
We call on the Government of Iran to provide any and all
information it may have on his whereabouts and to assist in
ensuring his prompt return to the United States.

-- Our goal is to ensure the safe return of all our missing
or unjustly detained American citizens to the United States
as quickly as possible so that they can be reunited with
their families.

End points

--------------
Background
--------------


8. (C) The hikers: On July 31, Iranian authorities detained
Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal while hiking near
the Iraq/Iran border. On August 11, the Swiss Ambassador to
Iran received confirmation by phone of the detention of three
American hikers from the Iranian Vice Minister for Europe,
however, repeated requests by the Swiss for consular access
and information on their status have been denied. The Swiss
Ambassador and SPP continue to follow up with the MFA and the

STATE 00094757 003 OF 003


Iranian Mission in Bern with little success. Having given
the Iranian government time to resolve the case quietly, the
families are now publicizing their concerns about their
children's welfare and have enlisted Congressional and other
support. The Secretary released a statement on August 15 on
the five AmCit cases in Iran (the hikers, Tajbakhsh, and
Levinson).


9. (C) Kian Tajbakhsh: Iranian authorities arrested dual
U.S.-Iranian citizen scholar Kian Tajbakhsh in his home in
Tehran on July 9 and he remains in prison. An expert on
urban planning, he used to work in association with the Open
Society Institute. He has not been formally charged nor
granted access to an attorney. In 2007, he was arrested
along with Iranian-American scholar Haleh Esfandiari on
charges of endangering Iran's national security and released
four months later. According to Iranian media, during the
August 1 show trial Tajbakhsh and Iranian-Canadian Newsweek
reporter Maziar Bahari both "confessed" to being part of a
conspiracy funded by Western NGOs and propagated by the media
to bring about a victory for Mousavi. Tajbakhsh's family is
actively raising his case with the media and has consistently
requested USG involvement in doing the same.


10. (C) Reza Taghavi: Iranian authorities arrested dual
U.S.-Iranian citizen Reza Taghavi in his home in Tehran on
May 26, 2008 and he remains in prison. He has been accused
of espionage and fomenting a "velvet" revolution, although no
official charges have been lodged against him. He was
initially held in the political section of Evin Prison, but
has since been moved to the "normal" section of the prison.
The Taghavi family initially did not seek USG involvement,
due to the potential negative affect it could have on his
case. The family changed their minds following the
cancellation of his court hearing on August 10.


11. (C) Robert Levinson: The former FBI agent was last seen
on Kish Island on March 9, 2007. Although the Iranians
consistently deny knowing what happened to Levinson, we have
strong reason to suspect that he is being detained in Iran.
Levinson family members continue to lobby for greater USG
activity and media attention to the case. On March 31, 2009
on the margins of the UN Conference on Afghanistan at The
Hague, Secretary Clinton passed the last official
correspondence on Levinson urging the IRIG to use all of it
facilities to ensure his safe return to the U.S.

--------------
Reporting Requirement
--------------


12. (U) Post is instructed to report the results of its
efforts by September 18.

--------------
Point of Contact
--------------


13. (U) Department POCs for follow-up are: Michael G. Spring,
NEA/IR, 202 647-2513, SpringMG@State.gov; and Brianne
Marwaha, CA/OCS, 202-647-6135, MarwahaBC@State.gov


14. (U) Department thanks posts for its assistance. Please
slug all responses for NEA/IR P, and the NSC.
CLINTON