IRANIANS IN DAMASCUS AND NOTES FROM TEHRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 03204

E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PINR PREL IR IZ SY TU UR
SUBJECT: IRANIANS IN DAMASCUS AND NOTES FROM TEHRAN


1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT.


2. A RECENT VISIT OF FAMILY FRIENDS FROM TEHRAN FILLED
IN SOME GAPS IN OUR INFORMATION ON THE STATUS OF IRANIAN
TOURIST-PILGRIM FLIGHTS TO DAMASCUS AND PRODUCED SOME
COMMENTS ON THE SITUATION IN TEHRAN. THE FLIGHTS OF
JUMBO JETS FROM TEHRAN, WHICH USED TO BRING 2,500
IRANIANS TO DAMASCUS EACH WEEK, WERE INTERRUPTED IN
MARCH WHEN IRAQ WARNED AIRLINES TO AVOID IRANIAN
AIRSPACE. FLIGHTS FROM TEHRAN HAVE GRADUALLY RESUMED
DURING THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS AND IT IS EXPECTED THAT
SYRIAN AIR WILL ALSO SOON HAVE PLANES ON THE TEHRAN RUN.
IRANIAN AIR FLIGHTS PROCEED FROM TEHRAN TO MESHED AND
NORTH INTO THE SOVIET UNION AND OVER TURKEY TO
SYRIA -- FOUR HOURS IN ALL. SEATS FROM TEHRAN ARE
NOW EXTREMELY SCARCE WITH FAMILIES OF MARTYRS HAVING
PRIORITY. FOR SOME REASON -- POSSIBLY NEW FLIGHTS --
SEATS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE RETURN FROM DAMASCUS
TO TEHRAN.


3. EACH IRANIAN BEFORE LEAVING IRAN IS ALLOWED TO
EXCHANGE AT THE OFFICIAL RATE THE EQUIVALENT OF $100
FOR WHICH HE RECEIVES CASH THAT MUST BE EXCHANGED
FOR SYRIAN CURRENCY AT THE AIRPORT ON ARRIVAL. HAVING
PAID THE EQUIVALENT IN TEHRAN, HE IS GIVEN A VOUCHER
FOR AN ADDITIONAL $400 AT THE TOURIST RATE, WHICH CAN
BE PICKED UP AT THE SEMIRAMIS HOTEL IN DAMASCUS. BUS
TRANSPORTATION FROM TEHRAN TAKES FOUR DAYS, ONE OF WHICH
IS SPENT ON FRONTIER FORMALITIES.


4. IRANIAN TOURISTS OFTEN SUPPLEMENT THEIR CASH BY BRING-
ING GOODS WITH THEM FROM TEHRAN. THE CAVIAR SUPPLY HAS
BEEN CUT DOWN, HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF RECENT RESTRICTIONS
AT TEHRAN AIRPORT WHERE PURCHASES BY RELIGIOUS PILGRIMS ARE
CONSIDERED INAPPROPRIATE. IRANIAN VISITORS SHOP IN
DAMASCUS FOR SOUVENIRS AND ITEMS NOT AVAILABLE IN
TEHRAN.


5. RELIGIOUS DUTIES CONSIST OF VISITING THE SHRINE IN
THE OMAYYAD MOSQUE IN DAMASCUS WHERE HUSSEIN'S HEAD IS
BURIED. MORE IMPORTANT FOR MOST IS THE VISIT TO THE
DAMASCUS SUBURB WHERE SIT ZAYNAB, SISTER OF HUSSEIN
AND HASSAN, IS BURIED. ACCORDING TO TRADITION, ZAYNAB
WAS BROUGHT TO DAMASCUS AT THE SAME TIME AS HUSSEIN'S
HEAD. HER SHRINE IS SELDOM MENTIONED IN TOURIST
LITERATURE AND WAS, UNTIL THE IRANIAN INFLUX, SCARCELY
EVER VISITED. HOWEVER, SINCE IRAN IS THE RESTING PLACE
OF ONLY ONE OF THE TWELVE IMANS AND IRAQ, RICH IN SHI'A
REMAINS, IS OUT OF BOUNDS, SIT ZAYNAB'S TOMB HAS
ACQUIRED A NEW PROMINENCE.


6. ALTHOUGH A SIMILAR SHRINE IN IRAN OR IRAQ WOULD NOT
BE OPEN TO NON-MOSLEMS, SYRIAN TOLERANCE PREVAILS HERE,
WITH THE ONLY WARNING IN ENGLISH BEING: "MAKE UP LADIES
ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER." BLACK CHADORS ARE AVAILABLE
AT THE OUTER GATE WHERE THERE IS NO ENTRY FEE. THE
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE IS PERSIAN, BUT THE MODERN SQUARE
TILES WILL NEED MANY YEARS TO DEVELOP CHARACTER. THE
INNER SANCTUM IS IN THE IRANIAN TRADITION, HEAVILY
DECORATED WITH MIRRORED CEILING AND SILVER GRILL AROUND
THE TOMB. THE SCENE INSIDE THE ENCLOSURE COULD BE FROM
AN ORIENTALIST PAINTING, WITH WOMEN IN CHADORS AND MEN
IN TURBANS AND LONG GARMENTS. THERE WERE ONLY A FEW
PERSONS WHO LOOKED LIKE REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS IN MILITARY
UNIFORM DURING OUR VISIT ON A SATURDAY DURING NOON
PRAYERS. THERE ARE NO PICTURES OF KHOMEINI ANYWHERE TO
BE SEEN IN THE SHRINE AREA OR THE NEARBY STREETS. THIS
COULD HARDLY BE ACCIDENTAL AND PROBABLY REFLECTS A SYRIAN
REQUIREMENT. (ASAD'S PICTURE IS ALSO ABSENT.)


7. COMMENTS BY OUR PROFESSIONAL AND MERCHANT CLASS
VISITORS ABOUT THE SITUATION IN TEHRAN AGREED WITH OTHER
RECENT REPORTS REGARDING A GROWING MALAISE AS THE PUBLIC
AWAITS THE END OF THE KHOMEINI ERA. WHETHER RUMOR OR
FACT, OUR FRIENDS REPORTED FREQUENT MANIFESTATIONS OF
ANTI-REGIME FEELING, INCLUDING WALL SLOGANS AND BOMBINGS
THAT HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED IN THE MEDIA. THEY ALSO
SPOKE OF CONSIDERABLE USE OF ALCOHOL AMONG THE PUBLIC,
WITH OPIUM THE PREFERRED DRUG OF THE CLERGY. MONTAZERI,
WHO IS REPORTEDLY A HEAVY USER, IS DISMISSED AS A NOBODY.
PREDICTIONS RE KHOMENEI'S SUCCESSOR CENTER ON RAFSANJANI.
OPPOSITION TO THE WAR IS ALSO REPORTEDLY STRONG AND
GROWING STRONGER. THOUGH OUR VISITORS DID NOT SEEM TO
BELIEVE CLERICAL RULE HAD A LONG-TERM FUTURE IN IRAN,
THEY COULD NOT SUGGEST WHEN OR HOW THE RETURN TO A MORE
TRADITIONAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT WOULD OCCUR. THE ONLY
POSITIVE THING THEY HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE KHOMEINI REGIME
WAS THAT IT HAD, FOR THE TIME BEING, SUBDUED THE TUDEH
PARTY.


EAGLETON