Iranian Leader’s ‘Regret’ Over Col. Higgins Reported

Iranian President-elect Hashemi Rafsanjani expressed “deep regret” Tuesday to visiting Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard A. Shevardnadze over the reported execution of U.S. Marine Lt. Col. William R. Higgins by pro-Iranian extremists in Lebanon, Tass said.

The official Soviet news agency said the two men discussed the reported hanging Monday of the American hostage at a meeting before Shevardnadze cut short a two-day visit to Tehran and returned to Moscow.

“Shevardnadze touched on the exacerbation of the situation in Lebanon, including the abduction (Friday by Israeli commandos) of Sheik (Abdel Karim) Obeid, a Shiite leader, and the execution of U.S. citizen William Higgins,” Tass said. “He expressed serious concern over these terrorist actions and their possible consequences.

“Hashemi Rafsanjani voiced deep regret over what has happened and confirmed that Iran does not have relation to the tragedy that occurred in Lebanon.”

Rafsanjani, in his first meeting with a foreign statesmen since his election Friday, also signed a joint statement “condemning all acts of a terroristic nature,” Tass said.

Iran is known to have great influence over the Shiite fundamentalists factions in Lebanon.

Tass also reported: “The (two) sides substantively examined the situation in Lebanon. They reached an understanding on conducting consultations shortly at the level of experts, with the subsequent report on their results to the ministers.”

Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency, or IRNA, reported earlier that Shevardnadze had cut short his planned two-day visit to Tehran and flown back to Moscow after meeting with Rafsanjani and Prime Minister Hussein Moussavi.

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Dispatches from IRNA and Tehran radio monitored in Athens said Shevardnadze discussed bilateral relations, the Iran-Iraq peace talks and Afghanistan in his meetings with Rafsanjani and Moussavi.

Neither IRNA nor the Iranian state radio explained why Shevardnadze cut short his Tehran visit.

Shevardnadze’s departure from Paris while the Cambodia conference was still in progress sparked widespread speculation in Moscow that he had rushed to Iran to try to mediate in the crisis sparked by the abduction of Sheik Obeid.

Shevardnadze’s visit to Paris had not been announced before Sunday.

Asked whether Shevardnadze’s trip to Tehran had been previously scheduled, a Soviet Foreign Ministry spokesman said: “There is nothing extraordinary in an announcement made on such short notice. Similar announcements have been made before.”