VZCZCXYZ1529
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0201/01 0651730
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 051730Z MAR 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3845
INFO RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN PRIORITY 0292

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000201 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
IO/UNP - S. EDMONDSON, CA/VO/P/D - C. MUNTEAN, M. GOLDBECK, 
CA/VO/L/C - T. SMITH, NEA/IR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OFDP CVIS IR
SUBJECT: IRAN PROTESTS HOST COUNTRY DELAY IN VISA ISSUANCE 
FOR IRANIAN OFFICIALS COMING TO UN OFFICIAL MEETING 
 
REF: USUN NEW YORK 00194 
 
  ¶1. (U) Summary and Action Request: USUN seeks Department's 
guidance in replying to Iran's diplomatic note (text in 
paragraph 5) which protests the USG's delay in issuing  visas 
to Iranian delegates who were to attend the 52nd Session of 
the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) February 25 - 
March 7, 2008. Following a similar Cuban protest (reftel), 
the Iranian PermRep has requested that the Chair (Cypriot 
PermRep) of the UN Committee on Relations with the Host 
Country "bring the issue to the attention of the United 
Nations relevant bodies." USUN will be expected to provide a 
written reply for the record, which will also be circulated 
as a Committee document.  Both documents will likely be 
discussed/examined at the Committee's next meeting.  End 
Summary and Action Request. 
 
¶2. (U) The Iranians had raised the delays in visa issuance to 
delegates attending last year's session of the Commission on 
the Status of Women (CSW), and are raising the same issue 
this year. The meeting appears on the UN Calendar of 
Conferences and Meetings and is being held as scheduled 
February 25 - March 7 at UN HQ in NYC. Iran considers the 
USG's failure to issue the visas in a timely manner as 
arbitrary, unjustifiable, politically motivated, and suggests 
that the time has come for the international community to 
consider a change of venue for UN meetings in view of the 
repeated failure of the Host Country to abide by its 
obligations under the Headquarters Agreement to facilitate 
the participation of member states in UN-related meetings. 
 
¶3. (SBU/NOFORN) Iran MUN provided USUN on February 29 the 
names of seven delegates who had not received visas in time 
to attend the CSW meeting. Their names are as follows: 
Mrs. Touba Kermani, Iranian Cultural Counselor in Greece; 
Mrs. Fatemeh Alia, Member Islamic Consultative Assembly 
(Parliament); 
Mrs. Tahereh Daniali, Advisor to Minister and DirGen on 
Women's Affairs and Rural Development, Ministry of 
Agriculture; 
Mrs. Masoumeh Beigom Taheri, DirGen on Int'l. Relations, 
Center for Women and Family; 
Mrs. Maryam Shareri, interpreter; 
Mrs. Tahereh  Nazzari, DirGen on Women's Affairs and Human 
Rights, MFA; 
and Mrs. Afsaneh Nadipour, Deputy Director, Department of 
Human Rights, MFA. 
According to the CCD, the first five had submitted their 
applications only as recently as February 19, less than a 
week before the CSW meeting began. USUN is prepared to reply 
to Iran MUN that these individuals applied late, that the 
Iran MUN never sought USUN assistance regarding these visas 
(even though USUN has repeatedly encouraged Iran and all 
Missions that experience delays in visa issaunce to contact 
us, and especially since Iran claimed to have had 
difficulties obtaining visas for individuals attending this 
same meeting last year). 
 
¶4. (SBU/NOFORN) The last two delegates submitted their 
initial applications in early January. Even taking into 
account that Iran's Embassy in Bern failed to supply the 
required diplomatic note with the applications, and even 
though Iran did not provide the note until a full week after 
Amembassy Bern reminded Iran to do so, the note was finally 
provided o/a January 29. However, the clearances regarding 
these two applicants were provided to Amembassy Bern only on 
February 29, five workdays after the two week meeting had 
already begun. Amembassy Bern may be able to provide 
additional details that would assist in providing a reply to 
the Iranian complaint. 
 
¶5.  (U) Begin text of Iran diplomatic Note No. 064 dated 
February 27, 2008 --Excellency, 
Upon instruction from my Government, I would like to convey 
our dismay over the refusal by the Host Country of entry visa 
(sic) to the women delegation (sic) of the Islamic Republic 
of Iran to attend the Fifty-second session of the Commission 
on the Status of Women (25 February - 7 March 2008).  Due to 
this arbitrary, unjustifiable and politically-motivated act 
of the Host Country, which not only contravenes the 
obligations of the U.S. Government contained in the 
Headquarters Agreement but also violates the provisions of 
the Vienna Convention on the Representation of States in 
their Relations with International Organizations of a 
Universal Character of 14 March 1975, the delegation of the 
Islamic Republic of Iran has been deprived of its right to 
attend the meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women 
and to contribute to its deliberations, for the second 
consecutive year. 
 
 
 
Participation at the Fifty-second session of the Commission 
on the Status of Women was a precious opportunity for active 
engagement of the Iranian women to exchange views and 
experiences with their counterparts.  However, due to the 
failure of the Host Country to issue entry visa (sic) for 
them, this valuable opportunity was taken away from the 
Iranian delegation. 
 
The women delegation (sic) of the Islamic Republic of Iran 
had made necessary preparation for the active participation 
in the Meeting, especially by preparing practical and 
action-oriented reports on the allocation of resources to the 
advancement of women in various fields, and had wished to 
bring those innovative proposals to the attention of other 
participants. 
 
Time has come for the international community to consider the 
change of the venue of the United Nations meetings in view of 
the repeated failure of the Host Country to abide by its 
obligations under the Headquarters Agreement to facilitate 
the participation of member States in the United Nations 
related meetings. 
 
The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its strong protest 
over the repeated failure of the Host Country to honor its 
legal obligations, and expects the United Nations to take 
effective measures to protect the sovereign right of Member 
States and ensure their participation in the United Nations 
meetings and events.  The Host Country shall be urged to take 
appropriate measures to respect its obligations in accordance 
with the Headquarters Agreement and other relevant 
international instruments, prevent the recurrence of such 
failures in the future and ensure the unimpeded entry into 
the United States of official representatives of Member 
States. 
 
I would appreciate if you could bring this issue to the 
attention of the United Nations relevant bodies, including 
the Committee on Relations with the Host Country.--End text 
 
¶6. (U) Action Request - USUN requests that Department provide 
the text of a reply to the Iranian note, particularly in 
regard to the delay in visa issuance to the two applicants 
who applied in January, so that the reply can be circulated 
to member states as a Host Country Committee document. 
 
¶7. (SBU/NOFORN) Comment: Iran's formal protest, coupled with 
Cuba's recent complaint (reftel), puts USUN in a difficult 
position. When USUN is apprised of a delay in U.S. visa 
issuance to a foreign government official or designee coming 
to attend an official UN meeting in New York, we are often 
able to request and obtain expedited Security Advisory 
Opinion (SAO) clearances so that the foreign official is 
issued his/her visa in time to attend the official UN 
meeting. Although we have repeatedly asked Missions 
encountering problems to contact us whenever a visa is 
delayed, some do not do so (Iran, Sudan) and others do so 
inconsistently (Cuba). Their failure to do so may be 
intentional (e.g., to embarrass the U.S. in the Host Country 
Committee) or may result from the countries' UN Mission not 
being informed of the visa delay by their counterparts in 
capital. 
 
¶8. (SBU/NOFORN) Comment continued: In almost every case the 
delay in visa issuance is due to the lengthy SAO clearance 
process, and USUN has repeatedly advised the affected UN 
Missions that applicants from those countries should apply 
well in advance.  The comment section in reftel applies here 
as well. While no one suggests that these countries would 
support U.S. policies if their officials' visas were issued 
more expeditiously, we believe that, even when the delay 
might be justified (e.g., as in this case by the submission 
of many applications less than a week before the beginning of 
the UN meeting), the delay in issuance creates a negative 
perception by others, including among our allies at the UN, 
that the U.S. is selectively using delays in visa issuance to 
harass or punish the governments of countries the U.S. 
dislikes.  While no one will give serious thought to Iran's 
suggestion that the venue of UN meetings be moved from New 
York as a solution to delays in the issuance of U.S. visas 
(also advocated by Venezuela at a Host Country Committee 
meeting because of problems encountered by diplomats arriving 
or departing JFK), Iran's formal diplomatic note will, like 
the Cuban note, add to the critical mass of frustration that 
could result in an unfavorable UN Legal Counsel opinion 
holding that USG delays in visa issuance do constitute a 
breach by the U.S. of our Host Country obligations. End 
comment. 
 
 
KHALILZAD