US embassy cable - 05ABUJA70

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000070 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, IR, NI 
SUBJECT: IRANIAN PRESIDENT KHATAMI PASSES UP U.S.- 
BASHING OPPORTUNITY IN NIGERIA 
 
1.  Summary.  On a state visit to Nigeria, Iranian 
President Khatami passed up an opportunity to bash the 
U.S. in public remarks.  Instead, in responding to a 
journalist's leading question during his press 
conference with Nigeria's Foreign Minister, Khatami 
condemned Saddam Hussein and the Taliban, and called 
for self-rule for Iraq and Afghanistan.  The Nigerian 
Foreign Minister also announced a program-sharing 
agreement between the Nigerian and Iranian broadcast 
agencies.  In his lecture, Khatami stressed the need 
for religious tolerance and pledged Iran's support for 
African development.  End Summary. 
 
-------------------------- 
The U.S.:  A Great Nation" 
-------------------------- 
 
2.  On January 12, Iranian President Khatami, on a 
state visit to Abuja, gave a well-received lecture on 
peace and tolerance in a multicultural society.  In the 
question-and-answer session afterwards, a Nigerian 
journalist asked a leading question, alleging that the 
U.S. had rigged elections and backed coups in Iran, 
Central America, and Afghanistan, and was in the 
process of rigging an election in Iraq; how, asked the 
journalist, did Khatami plan to avoid the same fate for 
Iran? 
 
3.  Khatami began by calling Afghanistan's recent 
history a "human tragedy," noting that a small "radical 
hard-line group," which had been supported by the U.S. 
in the fight against Soviet occupation, had overwhelmed 
the country "in the name of Islam."  Make no mistake, 
Khatami said; Iran is firmly against the occupations of 
Afghanistan and Iraq, but "no one is unhappy or sad 
because of the downfall of the Taliban or Saddam 
Hussein."  These "tyrannical" regimes were responsible 
for "conflict, wars, and drug trafficking," he said. 
 
4.  Afghanistan and Iraq must rule themselves, Khatami 
insisted, and this can only happen through democratic 
elections, which cannot take place without the 
withdrawal of the U.S. from both countries.  In a line 
that generally headlined media reports of the event, he 
said that the presence of the U.S. in Iraq continues to 
inflict suffering in the region, and on the U.S. forces 
there.  Khatami said he was against the killing of U.S. 
troops in Iraq, but he was also against the killing of 
innocent Iraqis by U.S. troops "hunting terrorists." 
 
5.  The U.S. is a "great nation," Khatami said, then 
asked rhetorically how many resources it had used to 
"repress liberation movements" around the world. 
Insisting on the right of people to choose their own 
leaders, as they do in the U.S., he said, "Let logic 
and justice always prevail over violence and terror." 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Nigeria and Iran to Exchange TV Programming 
------------------------------------------- 
 
6.  Before the lecture, the Nigerian Foreign Minister 
announced that the Nigerian Television Agency had 
signed an agreement to exchange news, arts, culture, 
and science programming with the Iranian broadcast 
agency, with no fees attached.  The announcement was 
greeted with loud applause from the packed auditorium. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Nigeria Needs Tolerance, and Development 
---------------------------------------- 
 
7.  In his lecture, Khatami, formerly a professor of 
Islamic political thought, stressed that Nigerians 
should learn to emphasize the commonalities of the two 
holy religions and develop tolerance for the believers 
of other religions, those of other persuasions, and 
those with other historical experiences.  This, he said 
would facilitate the acceptance of cultural diversity 
as a foundation and a cause for promoting cooperation 
and coexistence.  This is particularly so because 
cultural diversity is a driving force for development 
as it enhances human resources and national 
resourcefulness. 
 
8.  The other theme of the lecture was NEPAD.  Khatami 
said he believed in the fact that Africa can and must 
be built with the help of the resources of Africans. 
NEPAD, which for him is a comprehensive development 
plan for Africa, is a great step in the right 
direction, which will provide great hope for the 
emancipation of Africa from the evil rule of 
underdevelopment and poverty.  He promised Iran's 
readiness to participate in implementing the various 
projects of NEPAD. 
 
CAMPBELL