RAFSANJANI STICKS TO NAMING AGGRESSOR BEFORE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 05528

E.O. 12356: DECL:OADR
TAGS: PREL USUN IZ IR
SUBJECT: RAFSANJANI STICKS TO NAMING AGGRESSOR BEFORE
- CEASEFIRE

REF: BAGHDAD 5515


1. (C) DURING RECENT MEETING, MFA INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS DIRECTOR AL-QAYSI PROVIDED DCM WITH MFA
ARABIC TRANSLATION OF OCTOBER 25 TEHRAN RADIO INTERVIEW
WITH RAFSANJANI IN WHICH RAFSANJANI SAID THAT NAMING THE
AGGRESSOR MUST PRECEDE A CEASEFIRE AND THAO ONLY NAMING
THE AGGRESSOR OR DEFEATING THE AGGRESSOR WILL END THE
WAR. AL-QAYSI ASKED RHETORICALLY WHY IRAQ SHOULD BE
ASKED TO ABANDON THE SEQUENTIAL ORDER OF 598 WHEN IRAN,
AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS, CONTINUES TO INSIST THAT "THE
AGGRESSOR BE NAMED" BEFORE THERE IS EVEN A CEASEFIRE,
MUCH LESS WITHDRAWAL. THAT SAID, HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES
HAVE AVOIDED GIVING ANY HINT OF IRAQ'S POSITION ON
SIMULTANEOUS VS SEQUENTIAL IMPLEMENTATION PENDING
DELIVERY OF IRAQ'S RESPONSE TO THE SYG OCTOBER 30
(REFTEL).


2. (U) FOR THE RECORD, INFORMAL EMBASSY TRANSLATION OF
MFA TRANSLATION OF THE INTERVIEW FOLLOWS. BEGIN TEXT:

INTERVIEW WITH RAFSANJANI
TEHRAN RADIO
2330, OCTOBER 25, 1987


Q. MY QUESTION IS CONNECTED WITH THE GULF WAR. THE
UNSG HAS SUGGESTED A PLAN OF NINE POINTS TO EFFECT A
TEMPORARY CEASEFIRE AND ESTABLISH A COURT TO JUDGE
THE AGGRESSOR. REPORTS INDICATE THAT THE UNSG HAS
PASSED THEIR SUGGESTION TO OFFICIALS OF BOTY COUNTRIES
(IRAN AND IRAQ). WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF THIS AND WHAT
IS THE POSITION OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN?


A. WE HAVE RECEIVED SUCH A THING. ITS CONTENT IS
SIMILAR TO WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED. IT HAS
BEEN AGREED TO ESTABLISH A COMMITTEE TO DETERMINE THE
AGGRESSOR AND THAT IT SHOULD START ITS WORK. IT WAS
ALSO SUGGESTED THAT A CEASEFIRE SHOULD TAKE PLACE, BUT
THE TIMING OF THESE TWO THINGS HAS NOT BEEN FIXED. WE
BELIEVE THAT A CEASEFIRE WILL TAKE PLACE AFTER THE
AGGRESSOR IS NAMED AND, IN THIS CONNECTION, THERE ARE
DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN THE FOREIGN MINISTRY, THE UNSG,
AND OTHERS. WE DO NOT WANT TO USE DELAYING TACTICS
AND PROLONG THE DISCUSSIONS AS SOME PARTIES EXPECT
AND BELIEVE.

FROM THE BEGINNING, WE HAVE SAID OUR LAST WORD. WE
BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE ONLY TWO WAYS TO END THE WAR:

(1) TO NAME THE AGGRESSOR; (2) TO DEFEAT THE AGGRESSOR,
WHICH WILL END THE WAR AUTOMATICALLY.

THE FIRST WILL END THE WAR BY POLITICAL METHODS; THE
SECOND WILL END IT BY MILITARY MEANS. IF THE UNSC
DOES ITS DUTY AND ACCEPTS ITS RESPONSIBILITIES, THE
FIRST (POLITICAL METHOD) WILL PREVAIL AND COULD BE
IMPLEMENTED. END TEXT.

NEWTON