VZCZCXYZ0005
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKT #0520 1690838
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 180838Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0330
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3078
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 7317
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 2644
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 5359

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 000520 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SCA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO 
 
STATE FOR SCA/PPD, PA/RRU 
 
E.O. 12958 N/A 
TAGS: KMDR KPAO PGOV OPRC NP
SUBJ: MEDIA REACTION: IRAN'S TURMOIL 
 
¶1.  Republica, a newly launched independent English 
daily with an estimated 15,000 circulation ran an 
editorial titled "Iran's turmoil" in its June 18 
edition. The editorial empathized with the Iranian 
people and their demand for fairness in the 
election. 
 
¶2.  Full text: "Iran has plunged into its worst 
unrest since the triumph of the Islamic Revolution 
in 1979. The election results in which incumbent 
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed a landslide 
victory have been contested by his main presidential 
challenger, Mirhossein Mousavi, and protested by 
tens of thousands of ordinary Iranians. The West, 
which generally dislikes Ahmadinejad, primarily 
because of its clash with the Islamic Republic's 
nuclear ambitions, has also questioned the election 
results. US President Barack Obama urged the Iranian 
leadership to "unclench its fist," and said "Iranian 
people are not convinced with the legitimacy of the 
election." Many other Western leaders have aired 
similar concerns. 
 
¶3.  The full story of exactly what happened in the 
Iranian election is unlikely to be known because of 
the control of hardliners in the establishment over 
the flow of information and clampdown against 
independent media in the wake of the massive 
protests. But the scale of victory claimed even in 
areas dominated by reform-minded, middle class 
Iranians who generally oppose Ahmadinejad, amply 
indicates that all is not right with the poll 
result. Ahmadinejad was declared victorious even in 
Mousavi's home district, where he is assumed to be 
very popular. Likewise, the way Ahmadinejad and the 
hard-line clerics have reacted to the growing 
protests shows that something could have gone wrong 
with the polls, if they were not in fact rigged. 
 
¶4.  The implications of the street protests can 
hardly be understated. Look at Iran's profile: It's 
a part of ancient civilization; its recent political 
history is equally interesting, with the overthrow 
of a popularly elected prime minister in the mid- 
1950s through American backing, the eventual 
overthrow of the America-backed Shah through a 
popular uprising during the Islamic Revolution and 
also because of the eight-year war with Iraq. Iran's 
strong links with Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah 
in Lebanon make it an important player in regional 
politics. And, finally, never forget that Iran has 
the world's fourth largest reserves of oil. When a 
country with such interesting history and an 
important place in regional politics goes into 
turmoil, it naturally catches the world's attention. 
 
¶5.  Nepal, separated by thousands of miles and 
connected only by weak diplomatic relations, may be 
less interested, and even less impacted by what is 
happening in Iran. But as the newest republic and a 
country striving to consolidate its democratic 
institutions and practices we must show sympathy 
toward the Iranian people and support their demand 
for fairness in elections. We also hope the protest 
rallies called for tomorrow by Mousavi will remain 
peaceful and wish that the clerics will refrain from 
using force against peaceful protestors." End Text. 
 
MOON