RAFSANJANI CONDEMN'S HIJACKINGS AND SUPER-

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 13642 TERREP EXCLUSIVE E.O. 12356:OADR TAGS: PTER PREL SUBJECT: RAFSANJANI CONDEMN'S HIJACKINGS AND SUPER- POWER TERRORISM REF: TOKYO 13620 (NOTAL) ¶1. (CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT). ¶2. ACCORDING TO THE TOKYO PRESS JULY 4, IRANIAN MAJLIS SPEAKER RAFSANJANI TOLD REPORTERS AT A JULY 3 PRESS CONFERENCE THAT IRAN CONDEMNS HIJACKINGS AND ANY OTHER TERRORIST ACTS. AT THE SAME TIME, RAFSANJANI IS QUOTED AS CONDEMNING ABOVE ALL THE ROOT CAUSE OF TERRORISM WHICH, HE SAID, HINGES UPON THE ACTIONS OF THE SUPER- POWERS AND SOME OTHER STATES. RAFSANJANI REPORTEDLY SAID IT WAS WRONG TO CONDEMN THE TWA HIJACKERS WITHOUT CONDEMING ISRAEL FOR DETAINING OVER SEVEN HUNDRED LEBANESE. HE ALSO ACCUSED FRANCE OF SUPPORTING IRANIAN COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY TERRORISTS, WHO HE SAID ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY DEATHS OF IRANIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND OTHERS. RAFSANJANI REPORTEDLY ADDED THAT, IF THESE MAJOR ACTS OF TERRORISM DISAPPEAR, MINOR TERRORISM WILL ALSO END. ¶3. IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE "DAILY YOMIURI" JULY 3, RAFSANJANI REPORTEDLY CLAIMED THAT U.S. EFFORTS TO RETALIATE FOR THE TWA HIJACKING, SUCH AS ACTIONS DIRECTED AGAINST MEA, WOULD NEVER PROVIDE A FUNDAMENTAL SOLUTION TO END TERRORISM. THUS, HE SAID AS LONG AS THE U.S. CARRIES OUT "BIGGER TERRORISM" AGAINST SMALL STATES, SUCH AS LEBANON AND IRAN, OTHER TERRORIST ACTIVITIES COULD NOT BE BROUGHT TO AN END. ¶4. ON IRAN'S RELATIONS WITH THE U.S., RAFSANJANI SAID NO IMPROVEMENT COULD BE POSSIBLE UNTIL THE U.S. "ACKNOWLEDGES ITS PAST MISDEEDS". HE ADDED THAT NO RAPPROCHEMENT BETWEEN IRAN AND THE U.S. WAS POSSIBLE SO LONG AS PRESIDENT REAGAN REMAINS IN OFFICE. ¶5. COMMENT: EMBASSY WILL RECEIVE MOFA READ-OUT ON RAFSANJANI'S DISCUSSIONS HERE FOLLOWING RAFSANJANI'S DEPARTURE JULY 5. MANSFIELD