REACTION, From Al on Iranian oil tankers and by Iranian warships and speedboats on neutral shipping. Fitzwater said that if the cease- fire actually occurs and oil tankers could travel safely through the gulf, the United States would be willing to withdraw its naval escorts and reduce its military forces. But he said the United States was not pre- pared to completely leave the gulf, as Iran has demanded, noting that U.S. forces have'been present there since 1949. Asked whether the United States would move toward normalizing relations with Iran if the war ends, Fitzwater said the administration “has made it clear a number of times that we would be willing to establish a dialogue” but so far “we have not received a response from Iran ‘that we consider valid, legit- imate or reasonable.” Oakley said speculation about whether the United States would now reduce its military presence in the gulf or end its naval escort of Kuwaiti tankers was “premature.” But she said that as “threats and conditions change,” the administra- tion would be prepared to examine “how to meet that changed condi- tion in an appropriate manner” and that U.S. policy was under constant review. She also described as “pre- mature” speculation on a possible improvement in U.S.-Iranian rela- tions. A Pentagon spokesman also said it was “premature” to talk of any immediate change in the U.S. Navy’s escort operation in the Per- sian Gulf for 11 Kuwaiti oil and gas tankers. “We'll just have to see how the whole thing plays out,” he said. There are 27 U.S. warships in the operation—17 inside the gulf or in the Strait of Hormuz and the rest nearby in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. and Iranian forces have clashed nu- merous times in the past year, and the cruiser USS Vincennes on July 3 mistakenly shot down an Iranian airliner, killing all 290 aboard. Oil prices leaped yesterday in reaction to news of a_ possible cease-fire. August contracts for West Texas Intermediate oil, the U.S. benchmark crude, rose 84 cents a barrel to $15.70, the big- gest one day rise since March 3, 1987, when it jumped 96 cents a barrel. ec A pee T is, 00/08/08 - CIA-RDP96-00789R00 ” Tradérs seemed to anticipate” that a cease-fire would reduce ten- sion between Iran and Saudi Arabia, enabling the Organization of Petro- leum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to reach an agreement to restrain production. They- also seemed to believe that an end to hostilities would reduce the pressure on Iran and Iraq, as well as their allies, to produce oil at a fast clip in order to finance the war. But other analysts said an end to the war would allow Iran to rebuild its shattered production capabili- ties—the country once produced about three times what it can to- day—and Iraq to increase its al- ready high rate of production. Iraq, which produces about 2.7 million barrels a day, has been ex- porting all its oil via pipelines across Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Iran has an export quota of 2.37 million bar- . rels-a-day, which is set by OPEC, but has been exporting less because of repeated Iraqi attacks on its tankers, : Fitzwater said national security adviser Colin L. Powell had called the president, who is taking a week’s vacation at his mountaintop ranch northwest of Santa Barbara, to inform him about the Iranian ac- tion. . The importance the White House attached to the Iranian decision was emphasized by the on-camera brief- ing given by Fitzwater after a meet- ing with Powell and other officials, The White House has planned an unusually light public schedule for the week as part of an effort to keep a low presidential profile dur- ing the Democratic National Con- vention, . Fitzwater said “it’s very difficult to determine all the motives” be- hind Iran’s move. But he cited re- cent losses by Iran in the war, dip- lomatic efforts.by a number of na- tions and U.S. resolve to continue its military presence in the gulf de- spite the downing of the airliner. Oakley said it was “premature” to talk about the reasons for Iran’s action, and she doubted any one “determining factor” caused the move. But she said the administra- tion felt the U.S. military presence in the gulf had contributed to stop- ping the spread of the war and yes- terday’s development in Tehran indicated “the success of that pol- icy.” Privately, some officials sug- CPYRGHT gested that President Reagan’s of fer of compensation to the families of victims of the airline disaster, while blaming Iran for sending the plane directly over a combat zone, may have played a role in Iran’s decision. “In a weird way, something good may come out of this horrible trag- edy if it speeds an end to a war that has cost more than half a million lives,” said an official who asked not to be identified and who also said that reversals on the battlefield may have “damaged Iranian mo- rale.” Speaking of the downing of the airliner, he said that U.S. refus- al to back down from its role in the gulf after this incident may have made an impression upon Iran. Fitzwater did not go that far. He gave most of the credit for the Iran- ian about-face on the cease-fire res- olution to the diplomatic efforts of U.N. Secretary General Perez de Cuellar. The White House spokes- man said the United States was will- ing to help in the process of trans- fering that cease-fire into reality but didn’t want to do anything that would get in the way of the U.N. efforts to end the war. “We don’t want any- thing to hurt the process,” Fitzwater said. “... The U.N. has the lead here, and I must say that we com- pliment Mr. de Cuellar for his role and urge him Godspeed.” In a prepared statement Fitzwa- ter said he welcomed Iran’s formal acceptance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 598, which calls for a cease-fire, verification of it by the United Nations and repatriation of prisoners of war. “As Vice President Bush empha- sized to the Security Council last week, the United States has long sought a just, negotiated settlement of this tragic conflict,” Fitzwater said. “Intensive efforts have been undertaken by the administration over the the past year to further this objective. The United States will continue to do all it can, indi- vidually and in cooperation with like-minded governments and the United Nations, to hasten'a durable peace between Iraq and Iran, and to enhance the stability and security of the gulf region.” [In Atlanta, Michael S. Dukakis, the prospective Democratic pres- idential nominee, welcomed the Iranian cease-fire announcement, wire services reported. (“With all Americans, I hope and 10400040001-3. pray that this conflict can come to a rapid close. I urge both Iran and Iraq to support a swift and complete im- plementation of all aspects of U.N. Resolution 598,” the Massachusetts governor said in a statement.] Oakley said three main obstacles blocked improved U.S.-Iranian re- lations and the reestablishment of diplomatic ties severed during the 1980-81 crisis over Iran's occupa- tion of the U.S. embassy in Teh- - ran—the continuation of the war, the Iranian role in the holding of American hostages in Lebanon and its continuing support for terrorism and violence. “Clearly, if the implementation can proceed of the (U.N.] resolu- tion, if the war can end, we'll all be in a situation where | think we'll have to look at it [reestablishing re- lations],” she said, Arab World Pleased By Iranian Decision From News Services Iran’s announcement that it is ac- cepting a U.N, call for a cease-fire in the Persian Gulf war was wel- comed yesterday by the Arab world, but Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres cautioned that an end to the fighting could pose a new threat to Israel. Peres, speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, said a cease-fire might change _military balances in the Middle East. He said that he did not necessarily expect aggression against Israel but that Iran and Iraq would have to decide whether they would rebuild their countries or would “compete for prestige” by menacing Israel, In London, Massoud Rajavi, leader of the Iranian Mujaheddin-e-Khalq rebel group, said the the regime of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini “is ad- mitting to the complete defeat of its strategy” and is “on the verge of to- tal collapse,” Reuter reported. Jordan and Egypt, which have strongly backed Iraq, commended Tehran, as did Saudi Arabia, which broke diplomatic relations with Iran in April. The official KUNA news agency in Kuwait, whose shipping has been drawn into the hostilities, noted the announcement came after “signs pointing to a division within the Iranian leadership” on whether to pursue the war. Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R000400040001-3
Diplomat ‘Point Man for PLO Knows Mideast By Patrick-E. Tyler Washington Post Foreign Service CAIRO, Dec. 15—Robert H . ,Pelletreau Jr., the U.S, diplomat ‘tapped- by the Reagan ‘admin istration to open’a dialogue wit the Palestine Liberation ‘Organ. ization, is a veteran of both tha State and Defense departmentg who has spent most of his ca reer in the Middle East. Described by associates as 4 cautious professional with a intimate understanding of the Arab-Israeli dispute and thd principal political actors in-‘thd region, Pelletreau is expected to conduct the U.S.-PLO dia logue in constant consultatio' with Washington, . His selection for this high profile diplomatic task comes af a time when Pelletreau, 53, ig widely reported to be among those senior Foreign Service officials under consideration foy the post of assistant secreta of state for Middle Eastern af. fairs in the Bush administration The post is currently held b Richard Murphy. Pelletreau, named ambassa dor to Tunisia in March 1987. _ Spent most of his time in Wash: ington during ‘the*thé Reagai S CPYRGHT e 2000/ fd Cor _administration. He served as a 2) * ROBERT H, PELLETREAU JR. ... US. ambassador to Tunisia deputy assistant ‘secretary of defense for Near Eastern and South Asian affairs twice and as deputy assistant secretary of state for the same area. He served as ambassador to Bahrain from 1979-80. During - his Foreign Service career, which began in 1962, Pelletreau has served in U.S. embassies in Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. [Colleagues say he enjoys telling about the time he was held hostage by Palestinian ter- rorists for several hours in 1970 as a junior political officer in Amman, Jordan, and walking away from his captors, The As- sociated Press reported. As Pel- letreau has told the story. to col- leagues, he was kidnaped on the streets of Amman by Popular Front guerrillas and taken with other hostages to a news con- ference at a downtown hotel. Noting his captors’ attention was diverted, Pelletreau edged in among the journalists then slipped out and walked away, a U.S. diplomat said.] CPYRGHT 08/08 : CIA RDP 26-0078 9 Call From U M e S.:Enyoy:.. Opens Contact, With PLO © community in a clear, courageous and constructive way.” Mubarak added, “Both King Hus- bein and I are happy with the U.S. Hecision.” |. Mubarak,., who .said he ~ By Patrick E. Tyler Washington Post Foreign Service CAIRO, Dec. 15—The U.S. am- lbassador to Tunisia, Robert H. Pel-. letreau Jr., today telephoned a sen- ior PLO official in the first official contact with Palestine Liberation Organization leaders in 13 years. Pelletreau reportedly asked to meet Saturday with two members of the PLO’s 15-member executive committee, and the meeting was arranged with the assistance of the Tunisian government. PLO official Khalid Hassan said from Tunis in a telephone interview that he had no details on the agenda for the first meeting, but he added: “It’s good. It’s the opening.” Hassan said the meeting had been requested by Pelletreau in a telephone call to PLO offices at midday in Tunis. A U.S. Embassy official in Tunis, Adnan Siddiqi, con- firmed that Pelletreau had made telephone contact with the PLO but could not confirm that a time had been set for the first meeting. Pelletreau was designated by Secretary of State George P. Shultz as the sole point of contact between the guerrilla organization and the U.S. government, which banned contacts with the PLO in 1975 at Israel’s request. The ban was lifted Wednesday after PLO Chairma Yasser Arafat used the most explic it language to date’ in renouncing terrorism and in recognizing Is rael's right to exist. _ Hassan identified the PLO offi cials who. will attend the first meet - ing as Abdullah Hourani and Yassey Abed Rabbo. The meeting wag _ scheduled to take.place at Saadd Palace; the Tunisian government's official guest house, in the presenc4 of Tunisian Foreign Ministry of cials. The PLO’s ambassador to T nisia and the deputy director of th PLO’s. political department wer! also expected to attend the meet ing, Hassan said. The first-U.S.-PLO contacts i more than a decade took place amif strong expressions of relief and sa‘ isfaction that the Reagan adminig tration in its final days had reé sponded to urgent Arab pleas support the apparent trend towar#l moderation in the PLO. ‘ The decision also has been mq CPYRGHT Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R000400040001-3 onight, said, “We all want to move orward ,and convene an interna- ional [peace] conference, but [Is- raeli Prime Minister Yitzhak] Sha- mir does not want to go forward— but we must.” The PLO’s Hassan said that the U.S.-PLO dialogue will embolden political constituencies inside Israel who want to negotiate with a non- threatening PLO leadership. “The people who have been speaking softly for peace now will speak loudly,” Hassan said. The Soviet Union moved quickly to capitalize on the American de- cision, urging that an international peace. conference be convened quickly, as did the U.N. General As- sembly still meeting in Geneva. The debate on Palestine was hastily moved there from New York after Shultz denied Arafat a visa to enter the United States. “The Soviet Union stands for an immediate start of preparatory work within the United Nations Se- curity Council aiming at convening of the international conference,” Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Petrovsky said in a statement is- sued in Geneva. Petrovsky, in language obviously targeted at Israel, added, “We con- sider that the’ process of normaliza- tion of relations [with Israel] should start the same day as the work for the international conference starts.” Israel has. been seeking a renewal of diplomatic rélations with the So- viet Union, broken after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, to facilitate ‘the emigration of Soviet Jews to Israel. Arafat was in East Germany to- day, from where he conferred with Mubarak by telephone after a round of talks with ‘East German leader Erich Honecker. The joint state- ment, issued after their meeting echoed the Soviet call for prepara- « tory work for a peace conference. “Given the support of the great majority of states for the convening of an international Middle East peace conference, it is now time to tackle concrete preparatory steps,” the East German news agency anoated the two leaders as saving. CPYRGHT
THE WASHINGTON Post of S- Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R000400040001-3 | ee - f : 9 pF ~ ‘Lebanese Shiite Leader Calls for Hostages Xe.ease Fadlallah Sees Humanitarian Gesture as Politically Beneficial to Iran’s Leadership By Nora Boustany Special to The Washington Post _ BEIRUT, July 24—Mohammed Hussein Fad- lallah, a spiritual guide of Lebanon’s Shiite Mos- lem fundamentalists, made a plea today for the release of foreign hostages held here in a dis-' course on the merits of humanitarian politics. Urging Iran to capitalize on the political ben-. efits of a humanitarian approach to the hostages’ plight, the Shiite cleric pressed for a “happy end-. ing” to their ordeal. His plea came one week af- ter Iran’s unconditional acceptance of a U.N. Security Council resolution to end the eight year-old Persian Gulf war. , The religous leader made his appeal in a speech marking the beginning of Bid_Adha, the feast of sacrifice marking the end of the pilgrimage season to Islam’s holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. Fadlallah devoted much of his sermon to the for- eign captives, whose “pain in detention had been prolonged,” he said, for political effect. In an interview before the sermon, Fadlallah said that the liberation of western and other cap- tives held by Iranian-linked groups in Lebanon had now become an “inevitable step that has to be activated, but how, when or where is the big question,” He explained that the settlement of the hostage| issue would only be a “minor item and not a bi headline in the overall political climate between the United States and Iran in the wake of Tehran’s | decision to accept U.N. Resolution 598.” Hassan Sabra, editor of the magazine Ash Shiraa, which broke the U.S. arms-for-hostages scandal in November 1986, said the freedom of foreign hostages, especially American ones, was a “foregone conclusion,” because a much wider U.S.-Iranian understanding involving major re- gional interests was now in the making. Shiite specialists in Lebanon argued that, though the time.had come for such a move, it ay not happen untillafter the U.S. presidential election in November. “We e America has complicated the issue of kidnap victims for its own political cal- culations, exploiting humanitarian slogans for political motives,” Fadlallah charged today. “We feel pain in this feast for all those detained inno- cents, if they are innocent, because the matter has a humanitarian dimension.” In comments on the future outline for ties be- tween the United States and Iran, Fadlallah, who is well-versed in Iranian politics, said in the inter- view that the resumption of relations “would not be a big problem.” The cleric noted that if the _ United States agreed to settle pending bilateral questions with Iran, and if Washington could per- suade Tehran that it will not work against Iran’s interests, a rapprochement would be natural. A western diplomat here close to American thinking said that “if Iran wanted to be pragmatic and capitalize on the mood of the world commu- ‘nity, it would move things forward by taking the initiative and releasing the hostages.” While pointing out that Washington would make no deals to win freedom for the nine American hostages in Lebanon, the Beirut-based diplomat said: “Iran can open a window toward the United States by freeing hostages in Lebanon as a gesture of good will and with no strings attached.” The cleric, renowned as an Islamic scholar, prides himself'on the fact that his political convic- tions and judgment have always coincided with those of Iranian parliament speaker Hojatoleslam Ali Akbar Hasherit Rafsanjani, the commander in chief of Iranian ‘military forces. who announcec Tehran’s acceptance of Resolution 598. Fadlallah praised Iran’s decision to abide by the resolution as “wise, courageous and realistic.” Hinting that perhaps the health of Iran’s religious leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, was failing, Fadlajlah observed that the “the decision io accept the U.N. resolution was ali the more stronger dur- ing the life of Khomeini than after it.” Fadiallah said that if Iran’s process of opening up again to the international community uac been “delayed until after Khomeini’s lifetime, tue t pressures and isolation would be great,” and there wouid be a potential for unrest among the Iranian people.” CPYRGHT Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R000400040001-3
pe € talks the release sine: aie oe mantener get CPYRGHT by Iran’s surrogates banon. —°. ! the hostages. were not Aluded in the United: Na- ‘De Cuellar Hostage deals . 4h. Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R000400040001-3
Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R000400040001-3 © Cleric Hopeful for British Hostage Release in 1988 at the United Nations i in New York | By Karen DeYoung - Washington Post Foreign Service . LONDON, Aug. 1—A: leading Anglican cleric who held talks with Iranian officials in Tehran last month said today he, was hopeful ‘| that three British hostages believed to be held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon could be free by the end of this year. Archbishop ‘David. Penman, of Melbourne, Australia, said that the “relationship between the Iranian authorities and those holding the hostages is at best tenuous, but they may be influential in the end.” The Iranians “say they have in- fluence, and they are.willing to use. it, given certain preconditions and’ the availability of those friends they are willing to work through. aan Penman’s comments came amid increasing signs of a thaw between Iran and the West and negotiations CPYRGHT Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R000400040001-3 for a cease-fire in the Iran-Iraq war. In Beirut, Lebanese Christian militia officials. declined ‘comment on the case of 13. Iranian nationals they reportedly have detained since May and on any prospects. for a_ swap of the 13 for. western. hos- - tages held in Lebanon, Washington Post’ correspondent N Nora: -Boustany reported. The 13 Iranians: were: seized. -for- interrogation at the Christian port of Jounieh as they were trying to travel - to Cyprus without proper docu- ments, according to security sources quoted by Boustany. The’ Iranian Embassy in Beirut has remained tight-lipped about the 13 and has‘not claimed them as missing. Britain and other nations: with hostages in Lebanon, including the — | United States, hope that the appar- ent calming of tensions in the Per- sian Gulf region could lead to the release of at least 23 western cap- tives in Lebanon. r-' would check into the fate of the three Iranians and their driver, but it is. widely assumed: in the diplo- it - matic--community .in Beirut that -: ., they .are dead, Boustany reported. eleas aptives.. Archbishop of Canterbury Robert: Runci¢;has’ ‘repeatedly appealed. to Tehran for help.i in ‘securing the re- lease of Waite and: ‘others, On sev- _ eral. occasions, Tran-has’ responded. “with an appeal: to: “Runcie to: help: locate three Iranians and their Leb-: anese driver who disappeared near the Christian Lebanese town of Ba- troun in July 1982: In addition to Penman’s visit to Tehran, Runcie said today. that the Rt. Rev. John’ Brown, bishop in Cy- prus and the Persian Gulf, traveled to Beirut last week at his behest to inquire about. the. missing Iranians. Brown. said here tonight he was “pretty hopeful” ofan. early break- through in the overall hostage sit- uation. Lebanese. clerics told. Brown they Christian security sources in Beirut ’ have reported their.deaths in 1984 or- 1985 at'the hands of the Leba- nese Forces when .they: were com- manded by rebel Elie Hobeika, Boustany added, but. western dip- lomats have said they cannot: inde- pendently confirm this. Penman an Arabic speaker who -worked for four years in Béirut, told reporters in Cambridge today. that he was “encouraged” by indications from Prime .Minister Margaret ‘Thatcher that “she sees.the climate changing” in Iran. : “I think this is the best opportunity we've had for years to deepen our links and to plan for a more positive and constructive. future,” said. “I would not be surprised if Ter- ry Waite and.the others were. re- leased before the end of the year.” CPYRGHT Penman ‘|!