Back to Brief on Iran
Iran opened a world Islamic conference Tuesday with a harsh denunciation of the West, urging Muslim countries to resist what it called "persistent and cunning enemies" led by the United States and Israel.
The country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told his guests that the main threat to security in the region was not his own Islamic government, as many in the West assert, but "the poisonous breath" of the United States and its military presence in the Persian Gulf….
But though Iran's president later offered more conciliatory remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei's inaugural seemed to signal Iran's intention as host of the three-day meeting to drive home a message that Islam itself is under attack.…
But the 45-minute address by the conservative cleric put on center stage some of the hard-line views that still carry great weight within powerful sectors of Iranian society…
To underscore the gravity with which it intended the ayatollah's address to be received, the Iranian government circulated copies of the remarks in glossy pamphlets that included translations from Persian into English, Russian, French and Arabic….
…Khamenei has emphasized since the election that it is he, and not the president, who wields control over foreign policy and most other matters of state. And because it was he, rather than Khatami, who chose to inaugurate the conference Tuesday morning, the most powerful impression left by the proceedings was his message of defiance.…
Clashing Views Aired as Islamic Summit Opens, The Washington Post, December 10
Dec. 9—Iran opened an Islamic summit meeting today with the aim of promoting unity among the world's 1 billion Muslims. But the host country's leaders offered starkly contrasting views on relations between Islam and the West, underscoring deep divisions within Iran itself.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader, lashed out at Western powers in a fiery opening speech, targeting in particular the United States, which he accused of "global arrogance" and assorted sins against Islam….
But President Mohammed Khatemi…made an entirely different impression, speaking of the need for tolerance and understanding among people of different faiths….
The two opening speeches were symptomatic of a deepening power struggle in Iran between religious hard-liners and moderates, led by Khatemi, whose advocacy of greater cultural and personal freedom has won him wide support among women, young people and educated elites.
Rarely, however, have those differences been aired in such a public manner. The two men spoke on the opening day of the eighth summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which brings together ministers, princes, heads of state and other dignitaries from 55 Islamic countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East….
UN Chief Takes Human Rights Plea to Iran, Reuter, December 10
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday marked world human rights day with an appeal in Tehran for tolerance.
The U.N. chief, visiting Iran for a summit conference of the world's Islamic states, told 500 government officials, professors and students at Tehran University:
"One cannot pick and choose among human rights, ignoring some while insisting on others. Only as rights equally applied can they be rights universally accepted.
"Nor can they be applied selectively or relatively, or as a weapon with which to punish others."
The U.N. Commission on Human Rights has sharply criticized Iran for human rights abuses.
Earlier this year the commission expressed concern about continuing violations of human rights in Iran, especially a large number of executions and cases of torture, including amputation.
The commission's rapporteur for the Islamic republic, Canadian jurist Maurice Copithorne, implicitly rebuked Iran for maintaining a high rate of death sentences, prosecuting religious dissidents, killings of dissidents abroad, and new pressures on the press….
Amnesty International said in its 1997 report that thousands of political prisoners were held in Iran, including prisoners of conscience.
Some were held without charge or trial, others were serving long prison sentences after unfair trials, the London-based human rights organization said….
Residents in Some North Tehran Areas Forced To Evacuate Their Houses, Iran Zamin News Agency, December 10
The NCR issued a statement today reporting that the regime has forced residents in areas surrounding the site of the summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to leave their houses from Monday to Thursday.
According to NCR, residents of a vast area in north Tehran who live on the route to the Palace of Conferences were ordered to leave their houses. The area includes Hemmat Expressway, Argentina Square, all the roads leading to the Africa Expressway and the Baihaqi Square. Residents of these areas were ordered to move in temporarily with their relatives in other cities or to stay in hotels. Their houses have been sealed and locked up.