FDI's Weekly Newswire

Contents:

* Campaign escalates to free Sarkhouhi

* Tehran press reports on FDI

* Rioting over satellite dishes reported

* "Playing with Fire"

* No foreigners allowed, says Nateq-Nouri

* Nourizadeh on Saudi-Iranian relations

* Information on Kermanshah riots seeps out

* Punish corruption - by the others

* Turkish government to hand over more refugees

* CMI seeks opposition unity

Campaign escalates to free Sarkhouhi

The international campaign to free Iranian writer Faraj Sarkouhi,who disappeared on Nov. 3, has mounted in recent weeks, with AmnestyInternational and a variety of Iranian opposition groups joining theappeal launched by FDI on Nov. 13. (See Action Memorandum 28). Thoseinterested can download letters of support from our Internet site(http://www.iran.org) or from other organizations, including AmnestyInternational and the Center for the Defense of Democracy in Iran(CDDI).

On Dec. 13, Sarkhouhi's wife, Farideh Zebarjad, held a pressconference in Bonn, stating her fears that her husband might havebeen tried and executed by the Islamic Republic under the terms of asweeping new espionage law put into force last year.

She also made public a letter she had written to Chancellor HelmutKohl. "Your reasons (for maintaining a so-called critical dialoguewith Iran) were that you could persuade the Iranian government torespect human rights. Clearly this is a serious breach of humanrights."

Zebarjad said her husband had been one of a group of Iranianwriters who were detained earlier this year when Iranian securityforces forced their way into the private apartment of the Germancultural attaché in Tehran. She said the men had been accusedof spying for Germany and threatened with the death penalty.

Zebarjad said she feared her husband was being held as abargaining chip in the case of four Lebanese and an Iranian beingtried in Berlin on suspicion of assassinating Iranian Kurdishdissidents. The Berlin court has issued an arrest warrant for theIslamic Republic Intelligence minister, Ali Fallahian. Witnesses haveaccused President Rafsanjani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamene'i ofhaving ordered the killings, accusations which they deny.

Iranian newspaper reports on Sarkhouhi alleged he disappearedafter arriving in Germany on a flight from Tehran. But a Germanforeign ministry spokeswoman contradicted them last week. "Ourambassador made his most recent call on the Iranian government onDecember 11. The Foreign Ministry considers that Sarkouhi is probablystill in Iran and expects more information from the Iranian foreignministry," the spokeswoman said. [Reuters, Radio Israel,12/13]

Tehran press reports on FDI

The Tehran press reported on a public meeting hosted by FDI andAmericans for Tax Reform last week, at which representatives of fivedifferent opposition families were present. (See "Opposition leaderscall for U.S. support," on our Web site for more information).

Iran daily reported the Dec. 10 event, which was aimed atfostering a better understanding between Iranian opposition groupsand U.S. decision-makers in Congress, the press, and the executivebranch. Three senior opposition leaders made presentations on theiractivities and thanked FDI for bringing them together. Arepresentative of the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran was alsopresent.

Iran daily noted that a senior aide to Senator Alfonse D'Amato,Greg Rickman, the head of the Iran desk at the State Department,George Sibley, a former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, Dr. StephenBryen, foreign diplomats, journalists, and "representatives of theIran Nation's Party and the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran" hadparticipated in the meeting. [Iran daily 12/16]

Rioting over satellite dishes reported

An Arabic newspaper in London is quoting Iranian sources inreporting there was bloody rioting a few days ago in the Nazi Abadsuburb of Tehran. Tens of Iranians were reportedly hurt duringdemonstrations protesting a government attempt to enforce a ban onsatellite dishes.

The sources said that the Nazi Abad suburb in South Teheran hasgreat demand for satellite dishes and this despite the decisionprohibiting their operation. The Arabic newspaper account said that alarge number of residents in the suburb had established an organized"mafia" for the recording Western films and programs on video tapesand sell them in the black market, making easy profits. ["AlMashad Al-Siyasi" - London, 12/8]

This report has not been confirmed by independent sources.

"Playing with Fire"

In a lead editorial, the conservative daily Resalat, which isclose Majlis speaker Nateq-Nouri, accused the United States of"continuing the criminal attitude" toward the Islamic Republic it haddemonstrated during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, and reminded readersthat the United States had purposefully "shot down an Iran Airpassenger airliner, killing all 230 persons on board.

The Iran Air incident occurred in July 1988, and someinvestigators still believe that the Islamic Republic downed Pan Am103 five months later in retaliation, although no hard evidenceproving Tehran's involvement has ever surfaced.

Resalat then turned to Saudi accusations that the intelligenceservices of the Islamic Republic played a direct role in the Dhahranbombing, and accused the Americans of "playing with fire." Resalatsaid that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamene'i told military commandersthat "if the imperialists attempt any attack against the Iraniannation, Muslims throughout the world will make it their religiousduty to attack the interests of the United States, wherever they befound." [Resalat 12/17]

In his speech to Rev. Guards commanders, broadcast live by TehranRadio on Dec. 15, Khamene'i declared that the Americans had "decidedto strike. They did not say so but evidence indicates this."

He claimed that U.S. media allegations over Tehran's allegedinvolvement in the bomb were aimed at justifying military actionagainst Iran. "Americans accuse Iran of being a threat to the region,of having nuclear ambitions and supporting terrorism. U.S. media haveraised the possibility of an Iranian involvement in the Saudi Junebombing," he said. [Tehran Radio 12/15; Reuters 12/15]

No foreigners allowed, says Nateq-Nouri

Majlis speaker Nateq-Nouri told parliamentarians on Sunday that"the presence of foreigners in the region does not provide securityand peace, but instead enflames instability and disputes." Instead ofallowing foreign troops into the region, as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE, and Oman have done. "the security andstability of the region flows from cooperation among the states ofthe region and an end to the presence of foreign forces in thePersian Gulf."

Mr. Nateq-Nouri did not say whether he believed the same principleheld true in Lebanon, where Islamic Revolutionary Guards troops havebeen present since the mid-1980s and have played a central role intraining Hezbollah and driving out international investment from thecountry.

Top on his mind were the latest accusations concerning the June 25bombing in Dhahran. "This kind of propaganda by the United States isa satanic form of disinformation. The Americans just want to organizea new plot in the region to increase tensions," he said.

"If the situation in the region becomes intolerable and unsafe forthe Islamic Republic, it will become so for others, too," he warned.[Iran daily, Resalat, 12/16]

Nourizadeh on Saudi-Iranian relations

The Dhahran bombing, and rumors carried in the U.S. and Britishpress that the Clinton administration is contemplating militaryreprisals against the Islamic Republic, was the subject of aninterview with Ali Reza Nourizadeh, an exile journalist based inLondon, with the BBC's Farsi-language service. Excerpts from theinterview were picked up by Iran daily in its Dec. 17 issue.

Nourizadeh reportedly told the BBC that there were "two newelements" in the Tehran-Riyadh relationship. "The first is theappointment of Mr. Mohammad Reza Nuri-Shahroudi, a very skilledIranian diplomat, as Iranian ambassador to Riyadh." Mr.Nuri-Shahroudi "had succeeded in Libya in improving relations" withthe Islamic Republic, which led his new assignment, where tensionswere running high.

Iran left out the reason Mr. Nourizadeh gave for Mr.Nuri-Shahroudi's success in Tripoli. According to Mr. Nourizadeh,this was because "he had succeeded in obtaining military equipmentfrom Libya, which led to his promotion."

Iran daily continued to quote Mr. Nourizadeh as saying the Saudiswere initially suspicious of Nuri-Shahroudi "because he was a cleric.But during the first two months of his stay, he had a positive impacton senior Saudi officials, and met with Crown Prince Abdallah andother Saudi statesmen. And this created the second positive element:his success in convincing the Saudis of the facts behind the U.S.accusation of a possible Iranian involvement in the Khobar bombing.The Saudis said "no" to the American accusation, and tried toconvince the Americans that Iran had no role in the explosion."[Iran daily 12/17]

"That's not what I said," Mr. Nourizadeh told FDI. "I said thatalthough the Saudis had information linking the terrorists to Iran,they told the Americans "we are going to have to live with them[i.e., the Iranians] forever, so we have to be careful how wedisclose this information."

Mr. Nourizadeh believes that the Islamic Republic ambassador toRiyadh convince Crown Prince Abdallah to intercede with King Fahd todelay revealing information of an Iranian hand in the Dhahranbombing.

Perhaps Iran daily accidentally switched tapes? Kayhan reported analmost identical quote about Saudi Arabia "not accepting" the U.S.accusations - but attributed it to the Islamic Republic's ambassadorto Riyadh, Mohammad Reza Nuri-Shahroudi.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran believes the Saudi Arabiangovernment will not accept accusations made by the United Statesregarding the possible role of the Islamic republic in the bombexplosion in Dhahran," he said. "The governments of Iran and SaudiArabia will not permit the U.S. and Israeli governments to interferein the affairs of the region." [Kayhan 12/16]

Information on Kermanshah riots seeps out

Information on the Dec. 2-5 riots in Kermanshah and four otherwestern Iranian cities, during which several dozen people were killedby the security forces of the Islamic Republic, has been leaking outgradually in the government-controlled press in Tehran.

Last week in parliament, three deputies from Kermanshah provincemade statements about the clashes, which they dismissed as skirmishesbetween pro-regime supporters and "counter-revolutionaries."Nevertheless, their statements show how serious the events actuallywere.

Mr. Iradj Jamshidnejad, MP from Eslamabad, blamed the riots on"the plots of foreigners in Kermanshah," and praised "Hezbollah" forplaying "the most important role in neutralizing their plots."[Tehran Radio 12/15] The term 'Hezbollah' is frequently usedby regime-supporters used to indicate any pro-regime force, includingthe Rev. Guards or the Basijis.

A statement signed by Sunni and Shiite clerics, universityprofessors, and government officials in Kermanshah also denounced the"counter-revolutionary" character of the riots, and said they hadbeen "caused by opportunistic and wild agents of world imperialism,"a code-word for the United States and Israel. "Based on all evidence, Mollah Mohammad Rabaii died a natural death, caused by a heartattack, and there are no doubts in this regard." [Kayhan12/16]

As we reported in last week's Newswire, both the KDPI and theopposition Iran Nation's Party quoted eyewitnesses as reporting thatRabaii's body showed signs of strangulation. In addition, he wasfound dead outside his car on the outskirts of town - a strange placefor a heart attack victim.

Eyewitnesses told FDI that in recent days the regime has organizeda series of counter-demonstrations throughout Kermanshah city, withthe full support of the security forces. Small pro-regime crowdschanted "death" to the demonstrators and made other verbal threats.Similar counter-demonstrations have been held after disturbances inIranshahr, Mashad, Zahedan, and Shiraz, to create a climate ofterror.

Punish corruption - by the others

In an unusual editorial, the conservative daily Resalat threatenedto expose the corruption of other factions within the ruling clericalelite, as part of a salutary effort to "cleanse" society.

The editorial referred to recent statements by Ayatollah Khamene'ithat "culture" is key to putting an end to the current problemsfacing the Islamic Republic. "If our society is currently sufferingfrom problems such as bribery, embezzlement, ethical corruption andimpatience, these are mainly rooted in a weakness in the culturalaccount of our society."

"Anyone in a uniform or a position of authority who is misusinghis position or his reputation to have access to money or to engagein sexually-related corruption should be dealt with in a tough andspeedy manner," the editorial urged.

Evoking next year's presidential elections, the paper counseledthe new president to "remember Ayatollah Khamene'i's guidance, thatthe only solution to the problems of the country is through acultural reform." [Resalat 12/12]

Turkish government to hand over more refugees

The Turkish government is planning to hand over two more Iranianrefugees to Tehran, according to the opposition Iran Nation's Partyin Tehran.

According to the INP, the Turkish authorities arrested two Iranianrefugees, Mansour Sabet Ghadam and Reza Moghimi on Dec. 13, andinformed Tehran they would expel the two to Iran.

The Secretariat of the INP in Tehran criticized the Turks fordelivering Iranians "who have tried to find a safe place to live inTurkey to the guardians of the terror atmosphere created by theIslamic Republic of Iran." [INP weekly bulletin, 12/15]

CMI seeks opposition unity

In an interview during the recent Party Congress of theConstitutionalists Movement of Iran (CMI) in Washington, SecretaryGeneral Dr. Khosrow Akmal told the Voice of America's Farsi- serviceabout the group's goal of creating closer ties among differentopposition groups. "There are others who are fighting for democracy,independence, human rights, and the separation of religion fromgovernment in Iran," Dr. Akmal said. "These are the principles webelieve in. We are ready to cooperate with everyone who believes inthese four principles."

Interestingly, Dr. Akmal's statement was picked up in Iran dailyin Tehran, which noted that the CMI Congress was attended byrepresentatives of the Voice of America's Farsi Service, the StateDepartment, and the Foundation for Democracy in Iran [Iran12/16].