VZCZCXRO6603
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK
DE RUEHSM #0585/01 2351235
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 221235Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3698
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 000585 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2018 
TAGS: PTER KDEM PREL PINR SW IR
SUBJECT: IRANIAN KURDISH PARTY OUTLINES GOI SUPPORT FOR 
ANSAR AL-ISLAM 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Robert Silverman for reasons 1.4(b)and 
(d) 
 
¶1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Salah Sharafi, a leading member of the 
Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI) and Hussam 
Heydari, a local Swedish member, met with the Charge on 
August 13 and underscored the importance of the KDPI chapter 
in Sweden.  The KDPI Sweden chapter is the largest in Europe, 
with 4,000 members, as well as youth and women's branches, 
two newspapers, and a radio station.  During the meeting 
Sharafi outlined Iranian government support for Ansar 
al-Islam.  He blamed the Iranian government for the 
kidnappings and killings of KDPI members in Iraq and the 
arrest of nine Kurdish journalists in Iran, most recently the 
week of August 3rd.  As Post develops further contacts with 
KDPI, we might consider requesting a small grant for the 
group based on its activities in Sweden. 
 
¶2.  (C) KDPI LEADER IN SWEDEN TO MEET WITH LOCAL MEMBERS: On 
August 13, Salah Sharafi, advisor to his brother Hassan 
Sharafi who is the Deputy Secretary General for KDPI and 
Hussam Heydari, a Swedish KDPI member and President of the 
local Kurdish Union Association, met with the Charge. 
Sharafi highlighted KDPI's strong democratic principles and 
its desire to maintain positive relations with the United 
States.  Sharafi stated KDPI was interested in receiving a 
U.S. government message that could be read at the upcoming 
KDPI 14th Congress in Koya, Iraq in September.  Charge said 
he would pass the message to Washington. 
 
¶3.  (C) KDPI ACTIVITIES IN SWEDEN:  Sharafi was visiting 
Sweden on the anniversary of the creation of the KDPI party 
in recognition of the significant KDPI presence in Sweden. 
Heydari reported that there are 4,000 members of KDPI located 
in Sweden ) making it the largest chapter in Europe.  He 
said the Swedish KDPI party has special sections for women 
and youth groups, and that the organization also encourages 
its members to become active in mainstream Swedish parties. 
Heydari said the Swedish chapter utilizes the KDPI television 
station based in Paris )- called TISHK (or "sunshine" in 
Kurdish) -- and that the station reaches all over Europe and 
into Iran.  Heydari said the station transmits two hours in 
Persian, two hours in Kurdish, and one hour in Arabic every 
day.  Heydari said there are also two KDPI newspapers based 
out of Gothenburg, Sweden and a radio station.  Heydari 
invited Post to attend a large Kurdish celebration in 
Vasteros in September 2008. 
 
¶4. (C) IRANIAN GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR ANSAR AL-ISLAM AND 
OTHER TERRORIST GROUPS:   Sharafi said that KDPI is 
constantly under threat from the Iranian government, 
specifically blaming the death and kidnapping of 
approximately 150 KDPI members from within Iraq on terrorist 
groups supported by the Iranian government.  He said that 
Ansar al-Islam (AI) carried out many of these operations, and 
that the latest disappearance had occurred two months ago in 
the Qandil mountain region.  Asked if the Iranian government 
was providing support to groups such as AI, Sharafi responded 
affirmatively.  He said there were special mosques in the 
Mahabad area of Iran that are supported by the Iranian 
government and that serve as special training centers for 
groups such as AI.  Sharafi added that AI members who are 
wounded during operations are taken to special Iranian 
government-funded hospitals.  He said that groups protecting 
Iranian interests in Iraq, such as AI, Jundallah, and others, 
are often funded through the Iranian Quds Force and 
frequently prepared for operations in Basra and Diyala 
provinces. 
 
¶5. (C) JOURNALISTS ARRESTED IN IRAN FOR REPORTING ON U.S. 
SANCTIONS:  Sharafi said a number of Iranian journalists are 
reporting that U.S. and European sanctions against Iran are 
increasing prices and creating shortages of basic resources 
like eggs, meat and rice.  He also said the Iranian 
government has arrested nine KDPI-associated journalists in 
Iran over the past two years for writing on the negative 
effects of the sanctions.  He reported that the latest 
arrest, of Mahsoud Kandipoor, came on August 3, 2008. 
Sharafi asserted that the Iranian government is using 
people's fear of increasing economic uncertainty to encourage 
individuals to join militant groups such as the Basij ) if 
they join, they and their families are rewarded with 
financial rewards.  Sharafi said support for the government 
of Iran was extremely poor in Kurdish areas of Iran and that 
KDPI had even shut down the city of Mahabad on July 13, 2008 
in a strike honoring the assassination of Dr. A. R. 
Ghassemlou in Vienna (a former leader of KDPI) by 
Iranian-backed assassins.  Sharafi said that in addition to 
the arrest of journalists and other harassment, some 
universities in Iran were refusing to allow KDPI student 
members to attend their final exams. 
 
 
STOCKHOLM 00000585  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  (C) BIOGRAPHY:  Heydari, Hussam:  President of the 
Kurdish Union Association in Sweden.  The Kurdish Union 
Association is an entity associated with KDPI.  Heydari has a 
Masters in Diplomatic Studies and International Law, and 
speaks English fluently.  Heydari has two sisters involved in 
KDPI and in mainstream Swedish politics, one a mayor 
representing the Social Democratic Party and the other a 
Liberal Party council member.  Heydari reported that his 
grandfather was a Sheikh of the Nakhshabandi Sufi sect and 
that he held a senior position in the Republic of Mahabad. 
Heydari reported that family member graves were desecrated by 
special groups supported by the Iranian government. 
SILVERMAN