Summary of Iran Stories in Today's BroadcastsBehnam NateghiMonday, August 19, 2003
Anniversary of the Fall of Prime Minister Mosaddegh
Today is the 50th anniversary of the political events that brought down populist prime minister Mohammed Mossadegh, following what has been termed by anti-Shah forces as the US-backed coup. Supporters of the Shah, who dismissed Mosaddegh by a decree, call it a popular uprising. Radio Farda airs a series of interviews with scholars and political activists about the background, foreign and domestic forces at play, the aftermath of the fall of Mosaddegh, and its relation to our time.
• Ayatollah Seyyed Abolqasem Kashani fought alongside Mosaddegh for the nationalization of Iranian oil industry. However, on the noon of August 19, 1952, he congratulated the people for their successful ouster of prime minister Mosaddegh. Former nationalist activist, Paris-based commentator Ahmad Salamatian tells Radio Farda that in addition to that radio speech, Kashani hid major-general Zahedi in his own house. (On August 19, Zahedi handed Mosaddegh the Shah’s decree, which legally removed him from his position as the prime minister). Paris-based commentator and former UNESCO advisor Ehsan Naraqi, who was an associate of Ayatollah Kashani, tells Radio Farda that some top clerics supported Mosaddegh and some did not. The Shiite clergy did not act as a whole. Frankfurt-based anti-regime activist Mehdi Khanbaba-Tehrani traces Kashani’s anti-Mosaddegh stance to today’s Islamic regime, and tells Radio Farda that top clerics ruling Iran today are the heirs of Ayatollah Kashani and the Fedayian Islam political assassination gang. Former information minister and newspaper publisher, Geneva-based pro-Shah activist Dariush Homayoun tells Radio Farda that Ayatollah Kashani rightfully believed that without the Shah, the pro-Soviet leftists would gain power in Iran. From 1952 to 1962, Ayatollah Khamenei supported the Shah, he adds. In 1962, when the Shah announced his large-scale social reforms, including women’s right to vote and land reform, he turned against the Shah. Paris-based scholar Khosrow Shakeri tells Radio Farda that the Islamists, even the Fedayian Islam, agreed with the US and Britain on the need to strengthen the Shah. (Mehdi Khalaji)
Interior Minister Calls for Return of All Afghan Refugees
• Interior minister Abdolvahed Mousavi-Lari said Afghans were no longer welcome in Iran, and must return home and help build their country. Since the fall of Taliban, only 570,000 of Iran’s 2 million Afghan refugees returned left Iran, some to return after failing to find job and shelter in Afghanistan. Lari said Afghans crowd the job market for Iranians by holding more than 800,000 jobs. He accused the UN High Commission for the Refugees of serving the interests of countries other than Iran and Afghanistan. He said the commission prefers to allow Afghan refugees remain in Iran, instead of helping in their quick repatriation.. (Ebrahim Biparva)
Supreme Leader Says Iran Should Not Give in to US Pressures on Nuclear Project
• The Supreme Leader said Iran would never give in to the US pressures to end its “peaceful” nuclear program. He said Islam bans the use of nuclear weapons. He did not mention the additional protocol of the UN nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which the US, the EU, the UN, Russia, Japan and other countries have urged Iran to sign. (Amir-Mosaddegh Katouzian)
US-Iran Cooperation against Al-Qaeda
• Iran has signaled that was ready to cooperate with the US on the fight against al-Qaeda, Statfore Commentary writes. (Fariba Mavedat)
Judiciary Chief Places Supreme Leader’s Cultural Revolution Council Above the Law
• Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi said the supreme cultural revolution council, whose members are appointed by the Supreme Leader, was above the law, and the Majles should follow the Council’s decrees. Head of the Majles legal committee MP Naser Qavami said according the constitution; the Majles is the highest legislative body. (Mehdi Khalaji)
Islamic Human Rights Commission Receives 12,000 Complaints
• Secretary of the Islamic Human Rights Commission said his semi-official organization received 12,000 complaints last year. He warned against mistreatment of prisoners and violent suppression of protestors and critics. (Golnaz Esfandiari)
Khomeini’s Grandson Calls for Regime Change, with Force, if Necessary
• Ayatollah Hossein Khomeini, 45, grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic regime, said if US military intervention becomes necessary to remove the clerical regime from power, he would not oppose it, because, he said, “Freedom is more important than bread;” writes Corriere della Sera. (Ahmad Ra'fat, Rome)
Factions Compete on Control of US-Iran Talks
• The two ruling factions compete to control the process of the US-Iran negotiations. Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said as a result of the US move to close the offices of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Oraganization (MKO)’s political branch in Washington, many things inside Iran would change. Political science professor of New Jersey’s Stockton college Reza Qorashi tells Radio Farda that the Supreme Leader is the voice of the dominant faction within the Islamic regime, and not the final decision-maker. He said the conservatives and former president Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in particular, have invited the US for direct, closed-door talks. Whereas any talks between the two countries should be open and well-documented. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, it appears that the conservatives have softened their position towards talks with the US, but this is not the end of story yet, he adds. (Nima Tamadon)
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علي سجادي (راديوفردا): روزنامه عرب زبان الحيات چاپ لندن درشماره روزسه شنبه متن مصاحبه خود با پال برمر مديرآمريکائي اداره امور عراق را منتشرکرده است. وي دراين مصاحبه ازمداخله ايران درامورعراق ابرازنگراني واذعان کرده است بازداشت صدام حسين، حمله به نيروهاي آمريکا درعراق را پايان نخواهد داد.
عباس ملكزاده (راديوفردا): پال برمر مديرآمريکائي اداره امورعراق درمصاحبه خود با روزنامه الحيات گفت نيروهاي آمريکا درعراق مخالف تشکيل هرگونه نيروي چريکي مسلح دراين کشورهستند وارتش مهدي را که مقتدي صدر خواستارتشکيل آن شده است، از نزديک زيرنظردارند. وي درپاسخ به اين سئوال که اگرارتش مهدي مسلح نباشد آيا مورد استقبال او قرارخواهد گرفت يا نه گفت من ازوجود اين ارتش استقبال نخواهم کرد وهمان گونه که گفتم مراقبت به خرج خواهم داد که برخلاف دستورات ما رفتار نکند.
آقاي برمرگفت بازداشت صدام حسين باعث پايان يافتن خشونت ها وحملاتي که عليه نيروهاي آمريکا صورت مي گيرد نخواهد شد، زيرا هنوزسه گروه درعراق وجود دارند که مشکل آفرين هستند. گروه اول بقاياي رژيم بعثي وفدائيان صدام حسين هستند. اين ها آدم کشاني حرفه اي هستند که چه صدام حضورداشته باشد يا نه، به حملات خود به ما ادامه خواهند داد.
گروه دوم تبه کاران ومجرمان هستند که تعداد آن ها به حدود 100 هزارنفرمي رسد و صدام حسين پيش ازسقوط، آن ها را از زندان آزاد ساخت. به طورکلي اين قبيل تبه کاران شهروندان عراق را هدف قرارمي دهند ودست به ربودن افراد، تجاوزبه زنان، دزدي، سرقت اتومبيل مي زنند ومرتکب جرايم ديگري مي شوند.
گروه سوم تروريست هاي خارجي هستند که آن ها نيز مردم را هدف مي گيرند. آقاي برمر گفت تروريست ها خود به سه گروه تقسيم مي شوند که اعضاي گروه انصارالاسلام بيشترمايه نگراني هستند وبا شبکه القاعده نيز رابطه دارند وعده آن ها درعراق به حدود 100 نفرمي رسد. وي افزود گروه جماعت اسلامي نيزفعاليت هائي تروريستي درشمال عراق دارد.
مديرآمريکائي اداره امورعراق درپاسخ به سئوالي درباره ايران گفت من همچنان ازمداخله ايران درامورعراق احساس نگراني مي کنم. سپاه پاسداران انقلاب و وزارت اطلاعات ايران هردو دست اندرکار فعاليت هاي شديدي درعراق عليه نيروهاي ائتلاف هستند. رفتارايران، رفتاري غيرمسئولانه وبرخلاف منافع عراق است. من موضع خود را در مورد ايران تغييرنداده ام وموضع اصولي ائتلاف نيزهمين است.
آقاي برمر دربخش هاي ديگري ازمصاحبه خود خواستارآن شد که هيچ يک ازهمسايگان عراق دراموراين کشورمداخله نکنند. وي هرگونه مداخله را برخلاف منافع عراق دانست. آقاي برمراين نظر را که نيروهاي آمريکا درعراق بالاتر ازقانون هستند رد کرد وگفت فقط اختلاف فرهنگي بين طرفين عراقي وآمريکائي وجود دارد.
آقاي برمر وعده داد پس از تشکيل دادگاه جرايم جنگ درعراق، کليه مقامات سابق اين کشورکه هم اکنون دربازداشت نيروهاي ائتلاف هستند، براي محاکمه دردادگاه، تحويل مقامات قضائي عراق خواهند شد.
آقاي برمر همچنين گفت آن عده ازسربازان آمريکائي که مرتکب اقداماتي غيرقانوني درمورد عراقي ها شده اند، تحت تعقيب قرارخواهند گرفت. پال برمر مديرآمريکائي اداره امور عراق، در مصاحبه با روزنامه عرب زبان الحيات چاپ لندن روز سه شنبه ازمداخله جمهوري اسلامي درامور عراق ابراز نگراني كرد. وي گفت سپاه پاسداران انقلاب و وزارت اطلاعات ايران هردو دست اندرکار فعاليت هاي شديدي درعراق عليه نيروهاي ائتلاف هستند. رفتارايران، رفتاري غيرمسئولانه وبرخلاف منافع عراق است. من موضع خود را در مورد ايران تغييرنداده ام وموضع اصولي ائتلاف نيز همين است. آقاي برمر دربخش هاي ديگري ازمصاحبه خود خواستارآن شد که هيچ يک ازهمسايگان عراق در امور اين کشورمداخله نکنند.
