Back to Brief on Iran
As the Group of Eight summit opened, 15,000 Iranians in Germany staged a demonstration in Cologne, calling on the G8 nations to condemn the use of Scud missiles and weapons of mass destruction by the mullahs' regime.
The rally's eight-point resolution
urged the G-8 leaders to condemn the clerical regime's use of weapons of
mass destruction, to stop trade and diplomatic ties with this regime and
to recognize the Iranian people's resistance for overthrowing this regime.
G-8 Summit Brings Thousands of Iranians To Cologne, Associated Press, June 18
COLOGNE, Germany - Chanting "Mullahs get out," thousands of supporters of the Iranian resistance movement rallies to urge the world's richest industrial nations to cut ties with the government of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.
Three German lawmakers and one from France spoke at the rally in support of its cause. Protesters, who organizers claimed were 12,000 strong, marched through the center of the city to deliver a paper outlining their goals, including economic sanctions, to the G-8 leaders.
"Why is the West closing its eyes?
Human rights and other norms of the West should not be sacrificed for economic
gain," said Ali Safavi, a representative of the National Council of Resistance.
Thousands of Iranians Protest Against G8 "Appeasement Policy", Reuters, June 18
COLOGNE, Germany - Thousands of Iranians opposed to the current administration in Tehran demonstrated at the World Economic Summit on Friday against what they called the West's policy of appeasement towards Iran.
Demonstration organizers said around 12,000 people took part.
"We are asking G8 leaders to stop their appeasement policy towards Iran, to stop trade relations and to condemn Iran for their use of weapons of mass destruction," said Mohammad Mohaddesin, foreign affairs spokesman of the exiled Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
Earlier this month, Iraq said Iran fired three long-range missiles across its border with the Islamic Republic, hitting a camp for guerrilla exiles run by women.
Representatives of the NCRI plan to
deliver a document to the G8 summit later on Friday protesting against
what they said was the West's support for the government of Mohammad Khatami.
Waiting For the Noose, The New York Times, June 18
[Excerpts from a column by A.M. Rosenthal]
This column has three motivations. One is to try to help save the lives of at least 13 Iranian Jews who will be hanged unless the Western governments, people and press pay attention. So far, there has been painfully little from any of the three ...
Third: to help America decide whether to continue heaping the treasure of political support and respect on Mr. Khatami while he keeps promising freedom, or hold off until he diminishes the domestic tyrannies of the ayatollahs, and their critical support for terrorism abroad ...
Time was, as late as 1996, when the U.S. forthrightly said Iran was the "most active" state sponsor of terrorism, because of the money and airlifts of weapons Iran delivered to Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations operating against Israel and America.
Then Washington began putting its hopes in President Khatami and paying before delivery. So in its new report on terrorism the State Department drops the number-one award to Iran and simply lists Iran among other terrorist nations. The political gift to Iran was the implication that under Mr. Khatami's presidency Iran is giving less support to terrorism.
Unfortunately somebody must have forgotten what George J. Tenet, head of the C.I.A., had to say earlier this year. "We have yet to see any significant reduction in Iran's support of terrorism," is what he had to say...
He said that "no doubt" Russia was helping Iran's ability to make better missiles and of longer range, a particular U.S.-Israeli worry.
As for President Khatami, he visited Syria recently, where he met with Palestinian radical leaders opposed to the Mideast peace process. He told them the future was with them and "everyone else who rejects hegemony" -- meaning world-arrogant America. Thank you, Mr. Khatami.
About the arrested Iranian Jews, he said all religions and minorities had freedom in Iran, a lie contradicted by the official U.S. human rights report ...
President Khatami also said he was responsible for every Iranian of every religion. That will be remembered from now on by the men in the death cells, and, it is to be hoped, by the governments and people of the U.S. and its allies, with mouth and heart.