Part 66 – SEPTEMBER 6, 1988
''I wish to propose for the reader's favorable consideration, a doctrine which may, I fear, appear wildly paradoxical and subversive. The doctrine in question is this: that it is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing it true.'' - Bertrand Russell
Over the last week of July, Washington and Tehran have exchanged a few messages through a third party, not known but most likely to be Swiss officials. The message from the US administration is said to congratulate Iran for accepting the cease fire and to seek the help of Iranian officials to secure the safe release of the US citizens held hostage in Lebanon.
Iranian leaders have publicly said that they would use their influence over Hizbullah if the US returns Iranian assets frozen following the Islamic revolution.
Fearful that such an agreement would resurrect the memories of the Iran-Contras, the Reagan administration immediately rejected the demand. At least, that is what the American public was told. NB: According to former Iran President Bani Sadr, the assets were almost entirely returned.
On Oct. 6, 1988, L. Paul Bremer, described as 'preposterous' a spate of reports that the US had offered money or weapons to Tehran in order to secure the release of Americans hostages held in Lebanon. The US President himself denied any such ongoing deals with Tehran.
'I've never been able to explain the Iranians and what their strategies are and what they do,' Reagan declared on the same day. 'But obviously, we couldn't do any negotiating with them until and unless the hostages are released.'
Unknown to all outside the inner circle of the president, the Reagan administration had already put in place a new plan. In January 1987, CIA veteran (1972-87) Richard Lawless set up a consulting company -- US Asia Commercial Development Corp.
The then-42-year-old Lawless was a former member of the CIA Operations Directorate, who may have worked under State Department cover in Vienna and in Seoul, when Vice President George H. Bush advisor Donald Gregg was serving as the CIA station chief.
On Sept. 6 1988, Mohammad Javad Larijani, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, was visiting Paris. From there, he was called unexpectedly to Geneva for talks with American negotiators.
One meeting between Richard Lawless and Iranian negotiators took place at Glyon, near Montreux, Switzerland. Others were to soon follow.
PROFILE-Mohammad Javad Larijani
Mohammad Javad Larijani is the son of Ayatollah Hashem Amoli. His brother Ali Larijani is the secretary of the High Council of National Security. His other brother, Sadegh Larijani, is a cleric member of the Guardian Council. Mohammad Javad Larijani is a cousin of Ahmad Tavakkoli, the current director of Majlis Research Center.
Larijani has been a Majlis representative, the director of Majlis Research Center, and a Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is currently Director of the Human Rights Headquarters of Iran.
Larijani is also a mathematician. He has served as the Director of Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics in Tehran.
Larijani was raised in a religious family. He graduated from a hawza but he is no longer wearing the Islamic Clerics uniform.
Mohammad Javad Larijani started his higher education at Electrical Engineering in Sharif University of Technology. He later continued his studies outside Iran, starting a Ph.D. program in mathematics at University of California, Berkeley under supervision of mathematical logician Robert Vaught. In 1979, he returned to Iran before having completed his dissertation.
Back to the Present
The website of the Libyan news agency Mathaba.Net has published an extraordinary story. The article claims that, in order to normalize its relation with the West, Tripoli was forced to allow the USA and Britain to lay the blame on Libya for the downing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, which killed hundreds of people.
'To this day the real perpetrators of this crime have not been sought, with an innocent Libyan languishing in a Scottish jail,' the article states.
In the wake of Rice's visit to Libya, the name of Megrahi was removed from the REWARDS FOR JUSTICE US Website. No explanation has so far been provided. As former CIA operative in the Middle East told me, this is rather strange…
