VZCZCXRO8395
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHLO #1287/01 1291050
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081050Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8526
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON 0051

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LONDON 001287 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR DRL/SEA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL IR BM UK
SUBJECT: EMBASSY LONDON'S OUTREACH TO DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS 
 
REF: A) STATE 44903 B) 07 LONDON 03983 C) LONDON 1163 
     D) E-MAILS 4/25 AND 4/29/08 LONDON (GAYLE)- 
     NEA/IR STANDAERT/COBERLY E) 2007 STATE 
     108924 (F) 2007 STATE 88465 
 
 
¶1.  Summary.  In response to the President's democracy 
outreach initiative, the Ambassador has led an active Embassy 
effort, sustained throughout 2007 and 2008 and primarily with 
an Iranian focus, to demonstrate support and build bridges to 
democratic activists, including a personal meeting by the 
Ambassador with UK-based Iranian activists.  End summary. 
 
Iran Focus 
---------- 
 
¶2.  In response to Department guidance on the President's 
outreach initiative (refs e and f), Post chose to take 
advantage of the Iranian diaspora presence in London, as well 
as the expertise on the community provided by the Post's Iran 
Watcher, to target its initial efforts on outreach to Iranian 
activists and dissidents.  The Ambassador began this effort 
by meeting with two prominent Iranian expatriate journalists 
whose families had suffered at the hands of the regime in 
Tehran, and who have since devoted their professional lives 
to writing on the themes of democracy, human rights and 
freedom in Iran (ref b).  Each of these activists has a wide 
readership and electronic-listening audience inside Iran. 
Building on the Ambassador's personal engagement, the Embassy 
now stays in close contact with these journalists/activists 
and frequently consults them on their views. 
 
Iranian Community Outreach 
------------------------- 
 
¶3. Embassy London has also moved forward outreach efforts in 
support of Iranian NGOs, both expatriate and within Iran, who 
are focused on developing civil society and democratic 
networks within Iran.  Under the Department's Small Grants 
Program, Embassy London submitted a package of NGO- and 
university-based proposals (ref c) to promote U.S.-Iran 
outreach and proposals for training in several professional 
and policy sectors, including journalism and women's rights. 
The goal of all the Embassy's proposals is support to 
elements and activists promoting freedom and political 
transparency in Iran.  Embassy London is also working with 
nascent international student organizers to develop programs 
focused on building democratic understanding in Iran that 
also be appropriate under the Small Grants program. 
 
¶4.  Our dialogue with Iranian activists has been two-way: 
one Embassy Iran expatriate contact submitted written 
proposals on ways in which the Department might further 
expand its U.S.-Iran outreach programs, which Embassy has 
forwarded to Washington for consideration (ref d).  The 
Embassy also facilitated the direct submission to Department 
of at least one major proposal to promote similar private 
sector, freedom-oriented Iran outreach, involving the UK and 
Iranian academic sectors, upon which the Embassy will soon 
comment in greater detail to the Department. 
 
¶5.  Embassy London has strong working relationships with 
human rights organizations and NGOs headquartered in London 
and has followed up in particular with these NGOs on how to 
support human rights and democracy in Iran.  The Iran officer 
for one of the UK's largest human rights organizations now 
routinely shares information with the Embassy on developments 
inside Iran, including information on human rights activists 
who are facing deportation or other harassment. 
 
Iran-Focused IVLPs 
------------------ 
 
¶6. The Ambassador hosted the five Iranian participants in the 
2006 Embassy-generated Iran IVLP for a lunch at the Embassy 
to hear their impressions of the program in the United 
States, thoughts on U.S.-Iran policy and suggestions on how 
to better reach out to democratically-minded people inside 
Iran.  Embassy continues to work with all of these young 
activists. 
 
¶7.  Following up on the success of London's 2006 Iran 
International Visitor Leadership Program group visit to the 
United States, Embassy was prepared to nominate a similar 
group of young Iranians to travel under the 2008 IVLP 
program.  As Department has allotted no funds for dedicated, 
Iran-focused IVLP's in 2008, however, the travel of these 
UK-based Iran nominees, who are all young democracy 
activists, is now on hold pending possible future 
cancellations by other London-originated nominees using the 
 
LONDON 00001287  002 OF 002 
 
 
Embassy's 2008 IVLP budget. 
 
Pending Outreach to Burmese Dissidents 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  Embassy is working to arrange a similar meeting for the 
Ambassador or DCM with UK-based Burmese democratic activists 
sometime this summer and will coordinate with Department as 
plans progress. 
 
Visit London's Classified Website: 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Unit ed_Kingdom 
LeBaron