TEHRAN - Iran said Wednesday it was considering legal action against the United States for its support of the Shah and Iraq, saying it was not satisfied with the "confessions" of US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

"Mrs. Albright's admissions constitute an acceptance of responsibility and we are considering legal action," because Washington must "pay reparations for its actions," Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said at a joint press conference with his Danish counterpart Niels Helveg Peterson.

"Our decision will be announced at an appropriate time," he said, without specifying where and how the legal action would be taken.

He also criticized Albright's taking sides with the reformers who won a landslide victory in the February parliamentary elections.

"Every political movement has its own views, but there are no disagreements concerning matters of national interest and the fundamentals of the regime, on these counts we stand united," declared Kharazi.
 

Hajjarian's Party Criticizes Rush Trial of Accused, Agence France Presse, April 5

TEHRAN - The party of shot Said Hajarian claimed Wednesday that the trial of his alleged attackers was being rushed through to cover up those who were really guilty.

The Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF) said in a statement that Tuesday's handing over of the case to the revolutionary courts was premature.

"Everything is being done to ensure a hasty trial of the accused, who in fact are only pawns, and to wrap up the affair to prevent the real guilty parties from being judged," the IIPF said in a statement.

The IIFP said that the rush to trial, before even preliminary interrogations were over, demonstrated an intention to smother all aspects of the case.

[According to a statement by the NCR, the aim is to cover up the role of Revolutionary Guards commanders, including the Guards' top commander, Rahim Safavi, and his deputy, Bagher Zolqadr, in the assassination attempt.

[By quickly handing over the detainees to Khamenei's faction and by praising the Revolutionary Guards in a meeting with their top commanders last week, Khatami has shown that his primary concern is to preserve his own position and the cleric-dominated dictatorship in its entirety. Thus he has even betrayed his closest confidant.]
 

Khatami's Government Rejects UN Human Rights Report, Agence France Presse, April 5

TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi Wednesday rejected a UN human rights report on the country as "unacceptable political posturing."

In a joint press conference with his Danish counterpart, Kharazi called the report "one of the points of difference between us and the United Nations, as it is a political report aimed against Iran."

The Danish foreign minister, who arrived Tuesday, called on Iran to permit a visit by UN special observer, Maurice Copithorne.

[According to a report by Associated Press from Tehran: "Iran rejected a call Wednesday from Denmark for it to grant a visa to a U.N. human rights investigator who has criticized the Islamic Republic's record on civil rights.]
 

Majlis Speaker Outlines Dangers Of "Character Assassination", State News Agency IRNA, April 4

TEHRAN - Majlis Speaker Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri said here on Tuesday that character assassination of figures serving the system is more dangerous than physical assassination.

Addressing the first open session of Majlis in the New Year, Nateq-Nouri said the main pillar of the system is the principle of governance of supreme religious jurisprudent and salvation of country and system depends on understanding supreme jurisprudence and following this basic principle.
 

Mullahs’ Supreme Leader: Enemies Trying To "Downgrade" Clerics' Influence, State News Agency IRNA, April 4

TEHRAN - … Ali Khamenei said in his speech to theological students on Tuesday that the propaganda campaign against Iran in the name of human rights and campaign against terrorism have all targeted the system of the Islamic Republic...

The leader said the enemies of Iran see the clerics as the stumbling block to their goals in Iran and are working to downgrade the influence of the clerics on the people in the long-run through their lackeys within the country…

In the meantime, the leader said negligence of the enemies could cause a great harm to the nation. 

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