US embassy cable - 94ATHENS4865

UNCLAS ATHENS 004865 
 
 
DEPT FOR S/CT 
 
E.O. 12356: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, IR, LY, UK, EI, GR 
SUBJECT: GREEK PRESS REPORT OF IRANIAN/IRA CONNECTIONS 
 
REF: (A) DUBLIN 2545; (B) ATHENS 4595 
 
1.  AS PER REF A REQUEST, THE FOLLOWING IS EMBASSY 
TRANSLATION OF THE "ELEFTHEROS TYPOS" ARTICLE ON 
IRA/IRANIAN CONNECTIONS.  ALSO SEE PARA 3 FOR AN 
ADDITIONAL MEDIA REPORT ON THIS ISSUE. 
 
2.  BEGIN TEXT: 
 
GREEK AND BRITISH AUTHORITIES SUSPECT THAT A LARGE 
QUANTITY OF HEROIN SMUGGLED TO ENGLAND BY TWO GERMANS 
WHO WERE ARRESTED, WAS INTENDED TO HELP FINANCE IRA 
ACTIVITIES. 
 
ACCORDING TO RELIABLE INFORMATION FROM "ELEFTHEROS 
TYPOS;" A GROUP OF BRITISH INTELLIGENCE AGENTS 
SPECIALIZING IN IRA ACTIVITIES WILL BE VISITING ATHENS 
AND HAVE REQUESTED A BRIEFING FROM GREEK AUTHORITIES ON 
THE EVIDENCE IN THE DRUG SMUGGLING CASE. 
 
THE TWO GERMANS, YURGEN MERX AND HIS WIFE TUNZA-ANNETTE 
MERX, ADMITTED TO SMUGGLING LARGE QUANTITIES OF 
NARCOTICS TO GREAT BRITAIN ON FOUR OCCASIONS.  BRITISH 
AUTHORITIES HAVE TRAVELED TO GREECE IN HOPES OF 
DETERMINING THE BRITISH RECIPIENTS OF THE NARCOTICS. 
THEY HAVE DEDUCED FROM THE GERMANS TESTIMONY THAT THE 
NARCOTICS WERE INTENDED TO FINANCE IRA ACTIVITIES. 
 
ACCORDING TO INFORMATION EXCHANGED BETWEEN RELEVANT 
AGENCIES, THE SECRET IRANIAN SERVICES ARE BEHIND THE 
PREVIOUSLY SMUGGLED A MUCH LARGER AMOUNT. 
 
THE INVESTIGATION FOCUSED ON PATRICK O'BRIAN, A 40 YEAR- 
OLD IRISHMAN FROM LIMERICK, WHO FOLLOWED THE SAME ROUTE 
AS THE GERMANS AND WAS ALSO ARRESTED IN GREECE.  HE HAD 
SMUGGLED NARCOTICS WORTH 500 MILLION DRACHMAS (USD 2 
MILLION) FROM THE MIDDLE EAST AND TURKEY TO GREAT 
BRITAIN.  LAST SEPTEMBER O'BRIAN WAS SENTENCED TO SERVE 
A NINE YEAR PRISON TERM IN GREECE.  BOTH GREEK AND 
BRITISH AUTHORITIES HAVE CONNECTED THE O'BRIAN CASE WITH 
THE RECENT GERMAN ARREST. 
 
ON JANUARY 14, THE ARAB NEWSPAPER "AL WATAN AL ARABI," 
PUBLISHED IN BEIRUT AND PARIS, CONTAINED A DETAILED 
REPORT ON IRA CONTACTS WITH THE IRANIAN SECRET SERVICES. 
THE NEWSPAPER NAMED AMIR HOUSEIN TAGAVI AS HEAD OF THE 
WESTERN EUROPEAN SECTION OF THE IRANIAN SECRET SERVICES, 
AND POSITED THAT TAGAVI COORDINATES CONTACTS BETWEEN THE 
IRA AND (THE GREEK TERRORIST GROUP) "17 NOVEMBER" AND 
THE "REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL" OF ABU NIDAL AND THE 
HEZBOLLAH. 
 
LAST JANUARY THE ITALIAN NEWSPAPER "CORRIERE DE LA 
SERRA" REPORTED THAT 17 NOVEMBER MEMBERS HAD VISITED 
TEHRAN AND HAD CONTACTS WITH THE IRANIAN SECRET 
SERVICES.  IRANIAN OFFICIALS HAVE DENIED ANY 
CONNECTIONS, WHILE THE ITALIAN JOURNALIST INSISTS ON THE 
ACCURACY OF HIS INFORMATION. 
 
END TEXT. 
 
3.  THE FOLLOWING IS EMBASSY TRANSLATION OF A SEPARATE 
MAY 4 STORY BY THE GREEK DAILY "ELEFTHEROTYPIA" ON THIS 
ISSUE: 
 
FROM LONDON, THE NEWSPAPER "INDEPENDENT" PUBLISHED AN 
ARTICLE YESTERDAY REPORTING THAT IRAN OFFERED GUNS AND 
MONEY TO THE IRA, ASKING IN RETURN THAT ITS ASSASSINS 
MURDER TOP IRANIAN DISSIDENTS.  REFERRING TO WELL 
INFORMED SOURCES, THE BRITISH NEWSPAPER ALSO REPORTED 
THAT OFFICIALS OF THE IRANIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICES 
PROPOSED THIS DURING A SECRET MEETING IN TEHRAN, LAST 
NOVEMBER.  AFTER THREE MONTHS, HOWEVER, THE IRA REJECTED 
THE OFFER.  REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GREEK TERRORIST 
ORGANIZATION 17 NOVEMBER, AS WELL AS THE ETA, 
PARTICIPATED IN THE MEETING. 
 
LAST WEEK, THE IRANIAN CHARGE D'AFFAIRS IN LONDON HAS 
SUMMONED TO THE MFA AND HAS ASKED THAT THE CONTACTS OF 
IRAN WITH THE IRA BE STOPPED.  THOSE CONTACTS WERE 
DISCLOSED BY THE BRITISH INTELLIGENCE SERVICE. 
 
NILES