US embassy cable - 05VIENNA2270

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 002270 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA AND EUR/AGS - VIKMANIS-KELLER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, IR, AU 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIA-IRAN:  NO FORMAL INVESTIGATION YET INTO 
IRANIAN PRESIDENT'S INVOLVEMENT IN 1989 MURDERS 
 
REF: VIENNA 2254 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Carol van Voorst.  Reasons:  1.4 
 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) Spokespersons for the Vienna State Prosecutor's 
Office and for the Austrian Justice Ministry have told us 
that no/no investigation is yet open into the alleged 
involvement of Iranian president-elect Mahmoud Ahmedinejad in 
the 1989 murders of three Kurdish leaders in Vienna.  This 
contradicts reports in the Reuters wire service and in 
Vienna's "Der Standard" newspaper, which say Austrian 
spokespersons have "confirmed" that an investigation is 
underway.  State Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Ernst 
Kloiber and Justice Ministry spokesperson Poechinger 
(strictly protect both) have told us that the press 
"misquoted" them on this point. 
 
2.  (C) Kloiber and Poechinger told us that what happened was 
a follow up to the information which Greens parliamentarian 
Peter Pilz had provided, citing a man he called "Witness D." 
The spokespersons told us separately that authorities have 
asked the Austrian Federal Office for the Protection of the 
Constitution and Against Terrorism (BVT) to "inquire whether 
and under which circumstances" "Witness D" would come from 
France to Vienna to provide further information.  According 
to Kloiber, the matter is complicated because "Witness D" 
does not want to speak to French authorities.  He is 
apparently living in France illegally, and he also fears that 
France would deport him back to Iran in the spirit of "good 
French-Iranian relations." 
 
3.  (C) Kloiber also told us that the 1989 murder case is not 
closed.  Therefore, there would be no need to "re-open" the 
case if authorities believed there were sufficient reason to 
pursue further leads.  (Note:  According to press reports, in 
1989, the murder suspects took refuge in the Iranian Embassy 
in Vienna.  After a long standoff, Austrian police withdrew 
from the vicinity of the Embassy, and the suspects left 
Austria.  Iran reportedly achieved this with implicit threats 
of retaliation, saying it was afraid the Iranian public would 
take reprisals against Austrian citizens in Iran if the 
Iranian "diplomats" were not permitted to return to Iran. 
End note.) 
 
4.  (C) Kloiber expressed personal skepticism about the 
usefulness of the evidence Pilz has presented.  Rather than 
being an eyewitness himself, "Witness D" is actually an 
intermediate source, who received the information himself 
from an Iranian general -- who is now dead. 
 
5.  (C) Austrians have expressed some bemusement at the 
Iranian reaction to reports that the prosecutors have opened 
an investigation.  The Austrian and Iranian press is 
reporting that the Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned 
Austrian Ambassador Michael Stigelbauer to explain Austria's 
handling of the situation.  According to Reuters, the Iranian 
Foreign Ministry said the accusation against Ahmedinejad came 
from "Zionist circles," and said, "it would be better if 
Austrian authorities thought about the two countries' good 
relations instead of becoming a tool in the hands of those 
who want to create tension."  Susanne Gaugl, Director of the 
Office of President Heinz Fischer, noted that the group with 
whom Austria had made such efforts were now out of office, 
and the new team felt no compunctions about flaunting 
Austria's "constructive engagement." 
Brown