WASHINGTON - House members are asking for a review of the State Department's decision to include the main Iranian resistance group on its list of terrorist organizations.

The review was requested by Reps. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., in a letter sent to President Clinton on Tuesday questioning the recent listing of the People's Mujahedeen.

Accompanying the letter was a "Statement on Iran" signed by 224 House members -- a majority of the 435-member body.

The statement opposes any softening of U.S. opposition to Iran and proposes support for opponents of the current regime, including Iranian resistance leader Maryam Rajavi, who has been declared president-elect by the Mujahedeen.

Ackerman and Ros-Lehtinen, in their letter, said the listing of the Mujahedeen was "ill-advised at best" and "compromises the effectiveness of our containment policy."

The two lawmakers called the Mujahedeen "a legitimate resistance against one of the most brutal dictatorships in modern history, striking only military and state targets, not civilians."

Ackerman and Ros-Lehtinen said the Mujahedeen has strong support among women and youth in Iran and among Iranian-Americans. They said declaring it a terrorist group "sends the wrong message to Tehran and runs counter to U.S. foreign policy."

U.S. Congress Members Support Iranian Opposition, Reuter, October 28 

WASHINGTON - A majority of House members sent a statement to President Clinton Tuesday rejecting any rapprochement with the Iranian government and supporting the opposition-in-exile.

The statement sent to Clinton… indirectly challenges the Clinton administration's decision this month to list the opposition Mujahideen Khalq as a terrorist organization.

"Support for advocates of democracy such as the Iranian Resistance's President-elect Maryam Rajavi would contribute to peace and stability in the region," it says.

In a separate statement, Ackerman and Ros-Lehtinen said listing the Mujahideen as a "terrorist" organization was ill-advised and compromised the U.S. policy of isolating Iran.

U.S. House Wants Status Review for Mujahedeen, Dow Jones News, October 28 

WASHINGTON - A majority of U.S. House members Tuesday urged President Clinton to reject any rapprochement with the Iranian government and to work with U.S. allies to do the same…

Ackerman and Ros-Lehtinen expressed their concern to Clinton about the recent inclusion of the Mujahedeen on the U.S. State Department's list of 30 main terrorist groups. They quoted The Los Angeles Times as reporting that the listing was the administration's goodwill gesture to Tehran and its new president Mohammad Khatami.

The two legislators also asked Clinton to review the department's decision.

Italian Senators Declare Support for Resistance, Iran Zamin News Agency, October 28

115 members of the Italian Senate signed a declaration in support of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the Iranian Resistance's President-elect, joining the 326-member majority of that country's parliament. The senators called for a decisive policy against Tehran's fundamentalist regime.

The Italian senators declared, "Support for Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance, who as a symbol of national unity is backed by the majority of the Iranian people, will contribute to the establishment of democracy in Iran and peace and stability in the region."

Khatami Incapable of Reducing Inflation, Agence France Presse, October 27 

TEHRAN - Prices of food products have sharply risen in Iran in the past two months, sparking public discontent and presenting the new government of President Mohammad Khatami with a difficult challenge.

The prices of virtually all consumer goods have gone up since Khatami took office in August, while salaries have remained unchanged…

The new government, meanwhile, has taken no concrete steps to tackle the problems, and it is not clear what economic course it will follow….

Kar-Kargar newspaper, representing the state labor union, warned on Sunday that 90 percent of the budget for the Iranian year which started in March had been spent during the first six months of the period.

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