Iran insists Carter has sent conciliatory Notes

Press, 1 April 1980, Page 8

Iran insists Carter has sent conciliatory Notes

NZPA-Reuter Teheran Iranian officials insisted yesterday they had received two conciliatory messages from President Carter admitting mistakes in previous United States policy towards Iran and said the White House had disclaimed them because of domestic political problems.

The- Foreign Minister (MrSadeq’ Qotbzadeh) claimed the messages said an international panel • should be formed to resolve issues between: the two countries, but thatWthe panel should not meet Before the-50 American hostages were freed. The Americans yesterday spent their one hundred and fdrtycighthlday as captives inside the occupied United States embassy in Teheran.

The. . United States Presidential spokesman, Mr Jody Powell, admitted that Swiss diplomats had conveyed that' they contained • any messages from Mr Carter to Iranian leaders, but denied mention of past mistakes.

Mr -Powell had said on Saturday: “The President sepf no message to Khomeiny,” and that no such message as the one referred to by the Iranians had been sent to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeiny, the Iranian spiritual leader or other Iranian officials by any . -representative of the United States.

It was revealed bj’ Danish sources in Copenhagen yesterday, that the nine nations of the European Common Market had sent letters at the week-end to | the Iranian authorities urging the release of the hostages. British' and West German officials confirmed that' the British Prime Minister (Mrs Margaret Thatcher) and the West German Chancellor (Mr Helmut Schmidt) had sent such letters to the Iranian President (Mr Abolhassan Bani-Sadr), but declined to discuss the contents.

Mr Qotbzadeh said that if Mr Carter acknowledged the purported messages it would help in “reducing tension and resolving differences between Iran and the United States.”

Mr Bani-Sadr told reporters that the alleged message from Mr Carter had prompted the ruling Revolutionary Council to make new decisions in; the hostage .crisis, but he did not elaborate.

Another top United States official, who asked not to be identified, said the reported Carter message “was a fabrication.” He said he did not know where it had, originated, and that it did not represent the views of President Carter or his Government.

However, a Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mr Hansjoerg Renk, in Bern said that- a Swiss embassy official in Teheran had “transmitted a message from President Carter to Mr BaniSadr. This took place some five days ago.”

He said the Swiss ambassador in -Teheran, Mr Erik Long, had delivered a second letter to Mr Bani-Sadr.

I The Swiss government, did ndt know the content of the communication. “We acted merely as a go-between, as a postman,” he said. “Postmen do not read the letters they deliver.” Mr Powell said the Swiss “statement is in fact accurate.” However, he said,

no message such as the one reported from- Teheran had been sent by the President or any other American official to any Iranian official.

Mr Powell said: “There have been oyer the period of the past several months numerous channels employed by this Government in an attempt, to. bring about the release of our people. . -

“1 wish . I.' were .in , a position to discuss the matter in a little more detail. If I were, I think you ’ would see that the. statement (on Saturday) . was not misleading. Perhaps we’ll be able to do that a little later on.”

Mr Qotbzadeh, questioned on a United States television' programme, said the. message had been “passed orally”, and added: “I firmly believe that this message was that of President Carter.” He did not specify in what form the alleged message had been conveyed to’ Government officials...