Cable No. 389, Foreign Minister to the Ambassador to Syria [Kato Kichiya], 'Problem of the Release of the American Hostages (Dispatch of Prime Minister’s Special Envoy)'

Number: 064854-003

Draft Telegram

Drafted:  July 30, 1985

Primary: Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau Director-General

To: Ambassador to Syria      

From: Foreign Minister

Problem of the Release of the American Hostages (Dispatch of Prime Minister’s Special Envoy)

No. 389 Secret Top Urgent

(Limited Distribution)

Re: Outgoing Joint Telegram 11021 Separate Telegram 2

I would like you to explain as appropriate the intent of our dispatching a special envoy in this matter.

1. Prime Minister Nakasone has returned to Japan after finishing his tour of several countries in Western Europe. He is satisfied that, during that time, Minister Abe visited your country, engaged in an exchange of views with President Assad and Foreign Minister Shara on bilateral relations and such international issues as peace in the Middle East, and obtained highly meaningful results. The Prime Minister is also happy that relations between Japan and Syria have rapidly grown closer due to such actions as Foreign Minister Shara’s visit to Japan and Minister Abe’s recent visit to Syria.

2. Also, the Prime Minister for some time has had a deep interest in regard to the Middle East and would like to contribute to the extent possible to the region’s peace and stability.

From such a viewpoint, the Prime Minister would like to engage in exchanges of views on this issue with the leaders of various countries when he attends this fall the 40^th United Nations General Assembly.

He would also like to continue henceforth as well a meaningful political dialogue with your country, which has been playing an important role in the Middle East.

3. Also, together with expressing his respect for the efforts that your country’s government made for the release of the hostages in the TWA Incident and for the efforts made now for the release of the other hostages in Lebanon, the Prime Minister highly appraises your country’s realistic and responsible attitude.

4. Particularly in light of changes to the international situation seen in the present period, such as the US-Soviet Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, taking into account those points,  from the viewpoint of making relations between our two countries even closer and contributing to an examination of diplomatic issues for next year’s Tokyo Summit, and in order to conduct exchanges of views on the issue of peace in the Middle East and on such problems as international terrorism, the Prime Minister has decided to dispatch to your country Ambassador Nakayama, who has a profound knowledge of the Middle East’s issues and the Prime Minister’s deep trust, and strongly hopes that the Ambassador, in the name of the Prime Minister, can carry out meaningful exchanges of views with President Assad and Foreign Minister Shara.

5. Also, the Prime Minister has decided to entrust Ambassador Nakayama with a letter for President Assad.

6. In addition, as I would like this dispatch of the Special Envoy on the Prime Minister’s special mission to be kept strictly confidential, I would like the understanding and cooperation of your country’s government.

Passed to United States, Iran.

(End)