(C) VATICAN WILL APPEAL TO IRAN TO RELEASE SABERI

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000047 DEPATMENT FOR NEA, S/SAGSWA, AND P E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/31/2029 TAGS: CASC KJUS PREL PHUM KIRF IR VT SUBJECT: (C) VATICAN WILL APPEAL TO IRAN TO RELEASE SABERI REF: STATE 030046 CLASSIFIED BY: Julieta Valls Noyes, CDA, EXEC, State. REASON: 1.4 (b) ¶1. (C) Charge d'Affaires delivered reftel demarche to Monsignor Franco Coppola, Holy See director for the Middle East, on March ¶31. Coppola, who had not previously heard of the case, listened attentively. He asked several questions about the USG interest in the case, including whether the USG might see Saberi's release as a political gesture from Iran in response to President Obama's Nowruz message. (Coppola was very complimentary of that message and lamented that Iranian authorities had not yet responded in kind.) CDA replied that the USG motivation in the Saberi case was to protect an innocent American citizen. ¶2. (C) Coppola committed the Holy See to instruct the Nuncio in Teheran immediately to raise the Saberi case with the Government of Iran. Iran might question the Holy See's "jurisdiction" in making an appeal for a non-Catholic as it has done in other cases, he said. But the Vatican is prepared to make the request both for Saberi and to reduce tensions between the U.S. and Iran. ¶3. (C) Coppola also offered his assessment of the best way to approach Iran. The Vatican had learned lessons from the Nuncio's prior engagement with Iran -- at the behest of the United States and other governments -- in the cases of AmCit Levinson and an unidentified Georgian-Iranian detainee (NFI). Applying public, or even private, "pressure" on Iranian authorities is counter-productive, Coppola said, as they do not want to be seen as making concessions. Instead, Saberi's release should be framed as a favor exchanged between two sovereign states. Coppola added that while he understood the release could be explained by Iran as a humanitarian action, he hoped that USG would also interpret it as a political gesture that could facilitate further overtures to Tehran. ¶4. (C) Comment. Although the Iranians chastised the Holy See for its intercession for missing AmCit Levinson, Coppola agreed to take up the Saberi matter without hesitation or reference to more senior decision-makers. The alacrity of his response underscores the Holy See's continued willingness to do whatever it can to help with a humanitarian appeal. The Vatican may feel an added benefit is that the intercession could also help reduce tensions in the Middle East. Coppola's willingness to assist quickly with this case also signals the Holy See's strong support for the tone and content of President Obama's recent message to Iran. End comment. NOYES