In its new call, published in a number of state dailies, including Jomhouri Islami of September 10, the Foundation emphasized that "it has made no decisions to cancel the reward." Headed by Hassan Sane'i, a close associate of Khatami, the Foundation has set a $2.5 million reward for the murder of Salman Rushdie.
The action comes several days prior to the scheduled trip to London by Ali Ahani, the Director General for Western Europe in the mullahs' Foreign Ministry. He is planning to hold talks with British officials about "issues of mutual interest."
Mohammad Mohaddessin, Chairman of NCR's Foreign Affairs Committee, condemned the anti-Islamic and anti-human fatwa. He said: Reiterating the need to murder Rushdie by the clerical regime is, before anything else, the consequence of the placating policies of European countries, particularly the United Kingdom, toward the theocracy ruling Iran. The policy of appeasement has emboldened the mullahs in continuing their suppressive and terrorist policies.
In recent months, the clerical regime's officials had made the expansion of economic ties with the UK conditional upon Britain exerting pressure on the Mojahedin and ignoring the Salman Rushdie issue.
Mohaddessin stressed that the state of the Iranian regime is reminiscent of the final phase of the shah's rule. To continue their disgraceful reign, the clerics need to export terrorism and crisis beyond Iran's borders as never before. During Khatami's tenure, mullahs' agents have conducted 42 terrorist assaults on Iranian dissidents abroad in which scores have been killed.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
September 11, 1998
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