Khatami's presidency aggravates power struggle among mullahs' factions

NCR secretariat, Aug. 3 - This morning, Khamenei, leader of the mullahs' religious, terrorist dictatorship, granted the presidential decree to mullah Mohammad Khatami.

In the ceremony which clearly demonstrated the regime's triumviral structure, Khamenei emphasized that Khatami's presidency would be credible only as long as he followed Khomeini's positions.

In his remarks today, Khamenei underlined the motto of justice, in opposition to freedom and liberalization. He further assailed capitalist systems, leaving no doubt about the regime's inability to tolerate any reforms. The remarks also confirmed that Khatami's election promises were hollow and impossible to realize.

As the Khomeini regime's Minister of Guidance for 10 years, Khatami was the mullahs' chief censor and directly involved in repression and export of terrorism. He is neither interested nor capable of reforming a regime based on the principle of velayat-e faqih (absolute rule of the jurist-consult).

During his tenure as minister, Khatami time and again defended the export of revolution, death decree for Salman Rushdie, restrictions on women, hostility to Middle East peace, etc. After being elected as president, he reaffirmed his commitment to these fundamentalist positions. The beginning of Khatami's presidential tenure will give rise to an unprecedented power struggle among the clerical regime's different factions.

Amidst ruling mullahs' unbridled rivalries, their only common goal is to step up suppression and export of terrorism in a bid to confront the regime's irremediable and increasing crises. Change will only come about when this regime is overthrown in its entirety.

Fundamental changes under question

Deutschewelle radio, Aug. 3, analysis - Observers are not sure if this is a new season which would really bring about any fundamental changes. The authority of the new president is very restricted with regards to foreign policy. Rafsanjani's farewell remarks made it clear that foreign policy is determined in the first step by Khamenei (the regime's leader) and only executed by President Khatami. This is a gloomy prospect for those groups of people who hoped to see fundamental changes in the Iranian strategy with Khatami's election. And what will happen to the hopes of the electorate? One should probably not expect revolutionary changes in domestic policy either because, on the one hand, Khatami is from the ruling clique. On the other hand, the extremists will use all their efforts to prevent unwanted liberties... The new season Khatami is talking about is ominously similar to what has so far happened to the people...

A New Iran?

Le Monde, editorial, Aug. 2 - What could be expected from a "reformist" president in Tehran?... Will Mr. Khatami be able to create any changes in the status quo? The answer to this question is not particularly clear because the associates of the new President are from among the old leftist Islamic activists, who avoided foreigners. Therefore, this does not leave much optimism about any change in the regime's foreign policy.

Khatami's economic problems

BBC radio, Farsi service, Aug. 2 - Interview with Fereydoun Khavand, Iranian economist residing in France:

The new Iranian president faces three major problems in domestic economy. The first problem is that Khatami must prepare for a coherent economy... Drafting such a policy is very difficult because Khatami's forces do not share the same philosophy. They follow even contradictory policies on issues like economic liberalization, privatization, foreign investment, etc. Khatami's second problem is his relationship with centers of power, formed around Khamenei, the Majlis and Rafsanjani. There remains one fundamental question: Would it be possible to implement a coherent economic plan in this kind of an atmosphere?

And finally, Khatami's third problem is his relation with Rafsanjani's legacy. Khatami will be very troubled in judging Rafsanjani's record. If he wants to discuss the economic problems, as they are, with the public, he will spoil his relation with Rafsanjani supporters. If he does not speak the truth, then people will blame all the problems on his government...

Khatami's allies arrested AFP, July 28 - The daily Kayhan reported that four ranking members of Tehran's municipality were arrested for embezzlement. The newspaper added that four colleagues of the abovesaid had already been arrested. Kayhan reported on Sunday the arrest of the financial and administrative director, head of the security affairs, and the mayor of the 5th district municipality. All of these people, Kayhan said, were close associates of Karbaschi, Tehran's mayor and accused of financial corruption. The newspaper added that details of legal investigations will be announced later.

[BBC radio, Farsi service, on Aug. 2 broadcast a report on a press conference by Karbaschi in Tehran, where he said: The arrest of the ranking officials of Tehran's municipality were politically motivated. Tehran's mayor added that he still does not know which government organ had made the arrests.]

Seven publicly hanged

AFP, July 29, Tehran - Qods newspaper reported that three Iranians, Reza and Ali Akbar Sa'adati and Mohabat Ali Mowlawi, had been hanged in front of crowds of people and local officials in Birjand, eastern Iran.

Hamshahri, July 30 - Upon the verdict of the Islamic Revolutionary Court and confirmation of the Supreme Court of Justice, Fat'hollah Ramezani and Hemmat Alipour were sentenced to 80 strikes of the whip and hanged yesterday morning in the East Martyrs Street in Khorramabad, western Iran.

Isfahan, July 30 - Regime's agents hanged a man and a woman in public in Vilashahr, Isfahan.

Secret services admit extensive activities of Mojahedin sympathizers AFP, July 31, Tehran - Kayhan daily reported on Thursday that the Iranian secret services had announced the arrest in Kerman of five members of the People's Mojahedin, the main armed opposition movement to the regime. Kar and Kargar newspaper did not give the date or any details or the arrests. It wrote: Members of this group of Mojahedin were accused of "espionage during the presidential elections last May. They had been seen writing slogans in sensitive regions and on the walls." The newspaper quoted the secret services as saying: "Three of them were arrested in Kerman and another two in the border region as they were trying to leave the country, illegally. According to the same source, documents proving the activities of these individuals were discovered while inspecting the residences of those arrested."

Arrest of Mojahedin members denied

Mojahedin press office, Paris, July 31 - A spokesman of the Mojahedin Command Headquarters inside Iran said: In the wake of two campaigns by the Resistance forces in 181 cities across the country to boycott the mullahs' sham elections and to honor the anniversary of June 20, the start of the Iranian people's just Resistance against the Khomeini regime, the regime's suppressive forces have resorted to extensive arrests among supporters of the Resistance as well as ordinary people.

The recent claim by the director general of the Ministry of Intelligence in Kerman about the arrest of members of the Mojahedin, however, is a sheer lie aimed at putting on a hollow show of force and an effort to conceal the regime's inability to confront the growth of popular Resistance, the spokesman added.

Women's rights: Childish thoughts!

Tehran radio, July 21 - In a meeting today with the women of the Islamic Parliament, Khamenei stressed the need to understand and theorize the genuine outlook of Islam on women and her rights. He pointed out the need to stay away from using the mottoes and lines of western culture to restitute women's rights... Khamenei also pointed to the importance and priority given to the rights of women in the family and the relationship between man and women and said: With knowledge, science and law, instruments of power must be put at the disposal of women so that they would feel secure in their homes and immune from oppression. Khamenei expressed happiness over the presence and activities of women in the Parliament and said: Of course, the equal presence of women and men in the society is a negative, primitive, simple and childish thinking.

Women in Foreign Ministry

Salam, July 22, Hello Salam! - I am speaking on behalf of a group of women in the Foreign Ministry. Working women in the Foreign Ministry do not receive equal pay for equal work with men. Despite the fact that women have demonstrated their talent in every field, and shown that they are even more talented in some fields, unfortunately they do not enjoy equal rights.

Guards' cooperation with chain killer protested

Tehran, July 30 - A group of Tehran's residents protested this morning the cooperation between the Revolutionary Guards and agents of the State Security Force with the criminal who murdered 11 women in Tehran. The crowd assembled in front of the Palace of Justice.

Self-emulation

Ilam, July 29 - A 55-year-old man, Ali Soleyman Nezhad, set himself on fire and died. The reason was that his 30-year-old son had not found a job and he was tremendously depressed and sad about this situation.

No budget for Rafsanjani's projects

Akhbar daily, July 28 - Mohsen Yahyavi, member of the Oil Committee of the Majlis, said: Many of the projects inaugurated by Rafsanjani have never been planned for. No budget has been predicted for them, and even if any budget is to be announced for them it is with private investment which must be provided for form the foreign currency national income.

Paving the way to war

Hamshahri daily, July 31 - Rafsanjani agreed with the allocation of another five billion rials to complete the expressway to Karbala. Next to the Kermanshah-Khosravi road..., the Karbala expressway is the entrance point to the Islamic Republic and bares special importance. By allocating this credit, Rafsanjani expressed hope that this credit would help finish this important national project as soon as possible.

Border Raid on NLA Camp

Reuter, July 29, Baghdad - An Iranian exile group based in Iraq said Iranian "terrorists" attacked their military training camp south of Baghdad on Tuesday but caused no casualties.

It said the attackers crossed the Iraq-Iran border early on Tuesday morning to assault a nearby Mujahideen Khalq's camp in Kut, some 172 km (103 miles) south of Baghdad but they missed their target.

"Terrorists of the mullahs' regime fired ten 107 mm mini-Katyusha rockets on a base camp of the (Mujahideen) National Liberation Army located southeast of Kut, 50 km (30 miles) from the Iranian borders," the group said in a statement handed to foreign journalists in Baghdad.

"None of the rockets hit the target. They landed in the surrounding fields and residential areas," it said.

It said Mujahideen leader Massoud Rajavi, whose group opposes the Tehran government, protested to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and the Security Council, it added.

Their bases have been the target of air and rocket attacks by Iran and their office in Baghdad, now ringed with a concrete wall, has weathered several mortar and bomb attacks.

Back Home