US embassy cable - 85TOKYO13642

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 13642 
 
TERREP EXCLUSIVE 
 
E.O.  12356:OADR 
TAGS:  PTER, PREL 
SUBJECT:  RAFSANJANI CONDEMN'S HIJACKINGS AND SUPER- 
          POWER TERRORISM 
 
REF:  TOKYO 13620 (NOTAL) 
 
1.  (CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT). 
 
2.  ACCORDING TO THE TOKYO PRESS JULY 4, IRANIAN MAJLIS 
SPEAKER RAFSANJANI TOLD REPORTERS AT A JULY 3 PRESS 
CONFERENCE THAT IRAN CONDEMNS HIJACKINGS AND ANY OTHER 
TERRORIST ACTS.  AT THE SAME TIME, RAFSANJANI IS QUOTED 
AS CONDEMNING ABOVE ALL THE ROOT CAUSE OF TERRORISM 
WHICH, HE SAID, HINGES UPON THE ACTIONS OF THE SUPER- 
POWERS AND SOME OTHER STATES.  RAFSANJANI REPORTEDLY 
SAID IT WAS WRONG TO CONDEMN THE TWA HIJACKERS WITHOUT 
CONDEMING ISRAEL FOR DETAINING OVER SEVEN HUNDRED 
LEBANESE.  HE ALSO ACCUSED FRANCE OF SUPPORTING IRANIAN 
COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY TERRORISTS, WHO HE SAID ARE 
RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY DEATHS OF IRANIAN GOVERNMENT 
OFFICIALS AND OTHERS.  RAFSANJANI REPORTEDLY ADDED THAT, 
IF THESE MAJOR ACTS OF TERRORISM DISAPPEAR, MINOR 
TERRORISM WILL ALSO END. 
 
3.  IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE "DAILY YOMIURI" 
JULY 3, RAFSANJANI REPORTEDLY CLAIMED THAT U.S. EFFORTS 
TO RETALIATE FOR THE TWA HIJACKING, SUCH AS ACTIONS 
DIRECTED AGAINST MEA, WOULD NEVER PROVIDE A FUNDAMENTAL 
SOLUTION TO END TERRORISM.  THUS, HE SAID AS LONG AS 
THE U.S. CARRIES OUT "BIGGER TERRORISM" AGAINST SMALL 
STATES, SUCH AS LEBANON AND IRAN, OTHER TERRORIST 
ACTIVITIES COULD NOT BE BROUGHT TO AN END. 
 
4.  ON IRAN'S RELATIONS WITH THE U.S., RAFSANJANI SAID 
NO IMPROVEMENT COULD BE POSSIBLE UNTIL THE U.S. 
"ACKNOWLEDGES ITS PAST MISDEEDS".  HE ADDED THAT NO 
RAPPROCHEMENT BETWEEN IRAN AND THE U.S. WAS POSSIBLE 
SO LONG AS PRESIDENT REAGAN REMAINS IN OFFICE. 
 
5.  COMMENT:  EMBASSY WILL RECEIVE MOFA READ-OUT ON 
RAFSANJANI'S DISCUSSIONS HERE FOLLOWING RAFSANJANI'S 
DEPARTURE JULY 5. 
 
MANSFIELD