TEHRAN - Tehran newspapers on Saturday called on France to take strong steps to keep the Iranian opposition from protesting against the upcoming Paris visit of Mohammad Khatami.

"In order to make Khatami's visit a success, French officials must not allow the terrorists to enter France," the conservative Tehran Times said, referring to the opposition People's Mujahedeen.

The English-language daily said there was reports that "certain circles in France" were preparing for a "strong" Mujahedeen presence during the visit.

The Resalaat paper said no details had been given about the sensitive visit of Khatami, whose planned trip to France in April collapsed after a diplomatic row over whether wine would be served at a state dinner for the Islamic leader.

 "We still don't know who invited us. Was it French President Jacques Chirac? Was it UNESCO? Is it a visit to Paris on the sidelines of the UNESCO conference, or an appearance before UNESCO on the sidelines of an official state visit to Paris?" the
paper asked.
 

U.S. SENATORS CALL FOR TOUGH STANCE AGAINST MULLAHS' REGIME, VOICE OF AMERICA, OCTOBER 17

 ... Twenty-eight U-S senators have criticized the U-S State Department for designating the Mujahedin Khalq as a terrorist organization. They have urged the Clinton administration to take a tougher stance on Iran, saying despite the election of a moderate president two-years ago, there has been no real evidence of change in Iranian policies.
 

28 SENATORS URGE VIGILANCE TOWARDS CLERICAL REGIME, BBC WORLD SERVICE, OCTOBER 17

On Friday, a group of 28 US senators urged Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to remain vigilant towards Iran.
In a letter to the Secretary of State, they said that two years after the election of... Mohammad Khatami there was no real change in the "criminal" mullahs' attitude towards the rest of the world.
 

MULLAHS' TOP LEADER REJECTS OVERTURE FROM "BULLY" U.S, REUTERS, OCTOBER 17

TEHRAN - Supreme leader Ali Khamenei railed against the United States on Sunday, accusing it of being an international bully, as Tehran rejected the latest offer of direct talks with Washington.

"The United States and Israel are clear examples of bullying powers who use every possible means to remove obstacles in their way," Khamenei said in talks with visiting former South African president Nelson Mandela.
 

COURT ORDERS MAN BLINDED BEFORE HANGING, REUTERS, OCTOBER 16

TEHRAN - A court sentenced to death three Iranians convicted of murder, and ruled that another man be blinded for acting as their sentinel, a newspaper said on Saturday.

The daily Azad said a Tehran judge ordered the penalty of retribution for three men found guilty of murder.

The judge also ordered a fourth man's eyes blinded for keeping watch as his associates committed the crimes, a punishment that is in accordance with a writ issued by Khomeini.
 

COURT SENTENCES STUDENT OVER JULY UNREST, AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, OCTOBER 17

TEHRAN - Tehran's revolutionary tribunal has sentenced a student to two and half years in jail in connection with six days of bloody riots which rocked the capital in July, a daily reported Sunday.

Mehdi Fakrzadeh, a student at Tehran's Shahid Rajai University detained since July 17, was denied any legal representation at his trial, the Sobh-e-Emruz daily said.

The tribunal's head, Gholamhossein Rahbarpur, announced last month that four alleged ringleaders of the unrest had been sentenced to death at a closed-door hearing.

Another revolutionary court has sentenced 21 people to prison sentences of between three months and nine years in connection with simultaneous disturbances in the big northwestern city of Tabriz.
 

TWENTY DIE IN BUS CRASH, REUTERS, OCTOBER 17

TEHRAN - Twenty people died and a further 16 were injured when a bus crashed into a truck in northern Iran, state radio reported on Sunday.

Iran has one of highest road accident rates in the world.
 

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