Word: ghotbzadeh
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Waldheim's promise pleased his hosts. Said an aide to Iranian Foreign Minister Sadegh Ghotbzadeh: "This is a significant step in the right direction; this is a cornerstone worth building on." For weeks the Iranian government has sought an international hearing for its grievances against the Shah and the U.S. But by week's end there was no sign that Waldheim had produced the slightest movement toward achieving the main purpose of his trip to Tehran: to start negotiations on the release of the 50 American hostages at the U.S. embassy. The Secretary-General was under instruction...
Indeed, shortly after Waldheim left Tehran, the hostages' situation turned more ominous. The militants at the U.S. embassy demanded that Ghotbzadeh hand over to them U.S. Chargé d'Affaires L. Bruce Laingen, who has been held by the government at the Foreign Ministry. In a letter to Ghotbzadeh, the students said that Laingen "must provide some explanations about documents of espionage discovered in the nest of spies." In addition, the students announced that if the hostages are tried, Vietnamese representatives will be invited to attend. They claimed that one of the hostages, Air Force Lieut. Colonel David...
...Iranians quickly made their attitude clear. The Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini announced that he would not meet with Waldheim. Said Khomeini: "I do not trust this man." The militants holding the U.S. embassy also said they would not talk with him. Only Foreign Minister Ghotbzadeh, who has neither the Ayatullah's ear nor the students' respect, was willing to meet with the Secretary-General, but not to bargain over the hostages. Said Ghotbzadeh: "He can come here and be informed of our views. The matter of negotiation is not an issue...
Waldheim's reception by Ghotbzadeh was not much warmer. They talked for nearly three hours on the morning after the Secretary-General's arrival, and were to meet twice more during the week. The session was devoted mostly to a long tirade by Ghotbzadeh against the U.S. and the U.N. He accused the U.N. of doing nothing about atrocities during the Shah's rule and of involving itself with Iran only after it was prodded by Washington over the hostages. According to a Foreign Ministry statement, Ghotbzadeh told Waldheim: "The superpowers and their satellites continue their sordid...
...visit was suddenly called off after about 1,000 unruly demonstrators massed in front of the building. Chanting "America, America, death to your dirty tricks," the crowd denounced the Secretary-General as a U.S. puppet. There also were shouts of "Marg Bar Waldheim!" (Death to Waldheim!). That evening Ghotbzadeh announced that the government had uncovered a plot against the Secretary-General's life by would-be assassins described only as outside agents with "foreign backing...