In this telegram to the Ambassador to Syria, the Foreign Minister instructs the Ambassador to elaborate on the dispatch of Special Envoy Nakayama, citing bilateral relations between Japan and Syria, the American hostages held in Lebanon, and the TWA Flight 847 Hijacking Incident as topics for discussion.
July 30, 1985
Cable No. 11021, Foreign Minister to the Ambassadors in Iran [Tanabe] and Syria [Kato], 'Problem of the Release of the American Hostages (Dispatch of Prime Minister’s Special Envoy)'
Number: 064852-003
Draft Telegram
Drafted: July 30, 1985
Primary: Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau Director-General
To: Ambassadors to Iran, Syria
From: Foreign Minister
Problem of the Release of the American Hostages (Dispatch of Prime Minister’s Special Envoy)
No. 11021 Secret Top Urgent
(Limited Distribution)
Re: Outgoing Telegram to United States, Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau Director-General No. 3836
1. In light of the high-level request of the US Government – from President Reagan down – for cooperation from our side concerning this matter, it would be desirable in view of relations with the United States to use the links for dialogue that our country has with Syria and Iran and strive as much as possible in some form to realize the release of the hostages. We are informing you that, as measures that we considered that our country should take, we sent a special message from the Foreign Minister and will now dispatch in secret to Syria and Iran early next week former Ambassador Yoshihiro Nakayama (now president of the Middle East Institute of Japan).
2. In addition, concerning this special envoy’s dispatch, we have explained the Prime Minister’s thinking in regard to the Iranian government in section 1 of the separate message and in regard to the Syrian government in section 2 of the separate message. We now hope to obtain appointments with key government figures of each country. We would like you to notify those government in advance.
(1) Iran
(a) Majlis Speaker Rafsanjani
(b) Prime Minister Mousavi
(c) Foreign Minister Velayati
(2) Syria
(a) President Assad
(b) Foreign Minister Shara
3. The Special Envoy’s brief personal history is as per section 3 of the separate telegram. Once we have settled on such details as the Special Envoy’s schedule and those who will be accompanying him, we will send you an additional telegram.
Passed to United States.
(End)
A telegram from the Japanese Foreign Minister to the Japanese Ambassadors to Iran and Syria regarding the American hostages held in Lebanon.
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Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, File No. 2017-0631. Translated by Stephen Mercado.
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