US embassy cable - 87BAGHDAD5528

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