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RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
_________________________________________ ____________________
RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 9, No. 42, 13 November 2006
A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL's Newsline Team
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HEADLINES:
* GOVERNMENT SHAKEUP HITS MANY LEVELS
* CANDIDATES ASSESSED FOR ASSEMBLY ELECTION
* SUPREME LEADER DEFENDS NUCLEAR STANCE, DISCUSSES ELECTIONS
* EXECUTIVE BRANCH PLANS TO MOVE TEHRAN UNIVERSITIES
* CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION RATES CORRUPTION IN IRAN
* MILITIAMEN AMBUSHED, AS INSURGENTS EXECUTED
* IRAN STILL DESIGNATED BY RSF AS 'ENEMY' OF INTERNET
* IRAN OFFERS ADVICE TO NEW UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
* IRANIANS REFLECT ON 1979-81 HOSTAGE CRISIS
* TEHRAN CONSIDERS, AGAIN, DISCUSSING IRAQ WITH U.S
* IRANIANS WELCOME HUSSEIN DEATH VERDICT
* BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT MEETS IRANIAN OFFICIALS
* IRAN THREATENS NORWAY OVER MEETING WITH MUJAHEDIN KHALQ LEADER
* FORMER IRANIAN OPPOSITIONISTS COMPLAIN OF CONDITIONS IN IRAQ
* ARGENTINA ISSUES INTERNATIONAL WARRANTS FOR HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI
AND OTHER OFFICIALS
* IRANIANS TRAVEL TO BUDAPEST TO DISCUSS DRUG ABUSE
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GOVERNMENT SHAKEUP HITS MANY LEVELS. Iran's executive branch is
undergoing a major shakeup in what could be an effort by President
Mahmud Ahmadinejad's administration to realign its economic
policy. The president has replaced two cabinet ministers, others are
facing parliamentary scrutiny, and a score of top officials have
quit. But the tremors could also reflect officials'
dissatisfaction with policy or presidential frustration over unmet
goals.
Iranian lawmakers gave a vote of confidence to
Ahmadinejad's choice to be the new cooperatives minister on
November 5. Mohammad Abbasi, a legislator from Gorgan, is a former
university chancellor (of a branch of the Islamic Azad University)
and deputy governor-general for planning affairs in the northern
Mazandaran Province. He holds a doctorate in strategic management, a
degree often given to military personnel.
Abbasi told reporters that strengthening the cooperative-run
business sector is an important step in the realization of the
country's fifth five-year plan, which began in 2005.
Abbasi succeeds Mohammad Nazemi-Ardakani, who, the president
said, will serve in another position. Nazemi-Ardakani was given the
portfolio when the president's initial nominee failed to win
approval. Nepotism may have a part in Nazemi-Ardakani's job
security. He is related by marriage to Masud Zaribafan, secretary of
the presidential cabinet and a Tehran municipal council member.
Another Minister Replaced
The same day that Abbasi was introduced to the legislature
(October 29), lawmakers approved Abdul Reza Mesri as the new minister
of welfare and social security. A parliamentary representative from
the western Kermanshah Province, Mesri succeeded Parviz Kazemi.
Ahmadinejad's first nominee for the Welfare Ministry
portfolio failed to win approval when he came to power in 2005, and
lawmakers criticized Kazemi's inexperience during the
parliamentary debate around his appointment. Kazemi had reportedly
suggested in his curriculum vitae that he was "reluctant" to discuss
his accomplishments, "Mardom Salari" reported on November 5, 2005.
An anonymous ministry official reportedly said when Kazemi
resigned on September 25 that he was being replaced because he
allowed subordinates to simultaneously hold leadership positions in
businesses, according to the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA). The
source claimed Kazemi hired incompetents and the ministry did not
report on its activities satisfactorily.
There also were reports that Kazemi's resignation was
connected with his failure to exercise sufficient control over the
Social Security Organization. Indeed, that organization's chief,
Davud Madadi, resigned some two weeks after Kazemi did. He blamed
"present circumstances," and said "it is not possible for me to
cooperate with the government," the Islamic Republic News Agency
(IRNA) reported on October 8.
Disgruntled Economic Team
At the top tier of government, the appointments of
Cooperatives Minister Abbasi and Welfare and Social Security Minister
Mesri are only the most conspicuous changes.
Aftab news agency quoted an anonymous source on September 26
as saying the president has reviewed the one-year performance of each
cabinet member. The source claimed Ahmadinejad has warned Roads and
Transport Minister Mohammad Rahmati and Commerce Minister Parviz
Mir-Kazemi that they are in danger of being replaced. Aftab reported
that the ministers facing dismissal have reformist tendencies or have
failed to fulfill their promises to the president.
Other personnel changes have taken place below the cabinet
level. About 20 mid-level officials, including deputy ministers, have
either been forced to resign or have been dismissed, "Ayandeh-yi No"
reported on October 17. These changes mostly affect the economy.
In the Management and Planning Organization, three deputy
chiefs quit in mid-October -- Deputy Chief of Production Affairs
Farhad Dezhpasand, Deputy Chief of Economic Affairs Ali Tayebnia, and
Deputy Chief for Fundamental Affairs Mehdi Rahmati. Two other
managers -- identified as Yarmand and Daryani -- were dismissed.
There were other personnel changes within the Economy and Finance
Ministry, the Petroleum Ministry, the Commerce Ministry, and at the
central bank.
Legislative Scrutiny
The president is not the only one who is unhappy with cabinet
members' efforts. Parliamentarians have voiced dissatisfaction
about some ministers, and acted accordingly. Lawmakers will question
Interior Minister Mustafa Pur-Mohammadi, Energy Minister Seyyed
Parviz Fattah, and Transport Minister Mohammad Rahmati in the coming
week, Fars News Agency reported on October 28.
When Iranian media reported in mid-September that assessments
of the ministers' performance had been prepared, legislator Said
Abutaleb argued that those "evaluations must certainly lead to some
changes in the cabinet," "Mardom Salari" reported on September 16.
Abutaleb referred to the Welfare and Commerce ministries
specifically, saying the legislature would like to dissolve the
Commerce Ministry. He warned that if the president did not implement
changes, then the parliament was ready to step in by questioning and
giving no-confidence motions to the ministers.
But another legislator, Hussein Afarideh from Shirvan, called
the prospective replacements worse than the sitting ministers,
"Mardom Salari" reported on September 16.
Meanwhile, in early October, more than 50 legislators signed
a petition for the interpellation of Agriculture Jihad Minister
Mohammad Reza Eskandari.
One legislator, Dariush Qanbari, charged that Iranian
"agriculture is on the verge of collapse," Mehr News Agency reported
on October 9. He said "farmers' crops [were] piling up in
storehouses" while the country imports fruit from Pakistan. Qanbari
also questioned the announcement of self-sufficiency in wheat
production when "at the same time we are importing 2 million tons of
wheat every year." He described the Agriculture Jihad Ministry as the
most inefficient and uncooperative of ministries.
But fundamentalist legislators blocked the interpellation
motion.
In mid-October, signatures were being gathered for the
interpellation of Education Minister Qodratullah Farshidi. One
legislator said there was "no doubt that the Education Minister has
had a weak performance," but added that other cabinet members have
performed poorly and should face questioning, "Aftab-i Yazd" reported
on October 16.
Governmental obscurity and a censored media ensure that it
will be some time before the real reasons for the ministerial
resignations and dismissals emerge. But it appears that the
presidential administration's grappling with difficult economic
issues will continue to cause turmoil in the state apparatus --
particularly if the populist president persists in efforts to fulfill
his campaign promises.
The possible imposition of economic sanctions by the UN
Security Council stemming from the nuclear controversy could only add
to President Ahmadinejad's troubles. (Bill Samii)
CANDIDATES ASSESSED FOR ASSEMBLY ELECTION. Akbar Karami, a political
analyst in Qom, told Radio Farda on November 5 that the Guardians
Council interprets its power of approbatory supervision as a
political filter that allow only clerics who are compatible with it
to compete in elections.
Guardians Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodai announced on
November 4 that 204 of the almost 500 prospective candidates for the
December 15 Assembly of Experts election have been invited for
examinations on their ability to interpret religious law, state radio
reported. Thirty-seven people refused to be examined, and two women
took the exam.
Kadkhodai said incumbent Majid Ansari's qualifications
could not be confirmed, but Ansari refused to participate in the
exam. An anonymous "informed source" told Fars News Agency on
November 5 that Ansari's candidacy will be approved nevertheless.
Fars added that several incumbents -- including
Urumiyeh's Gholam Reza Hassani; the reformist Hadi Khamenei, who
is the supreme leader's brother; and several highly experienced
seminarians who were invited for the exam -- withdrew their
candidacies.
Exam results will be announced on November 13, and Assembly
of Experts candidates will have three days to appeal. The Guardians
Council will assess the appeals over a 20-day period. (Bill Samii)
SUPREME LEADER DEFENDS NUCLEAR STANCE, DISCUSSES ELECTIONS. Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei is visiting the northeastern city of Semnan, "Iran"
newspaper reported on November 9. He told tens of thousands of people
at the Takhti Stadium that mastering nuclear technology is their
right, and the international community does not oppose this. He cited
the Nonaligned Movement's backing of Iran's development of
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as proof of this, and said it is
only the United States that opposes Iran's pursuits, even though
Washington has said several times that it is not against Iran's
development of nuclear technology strictly to produce energy for
peaceful uses. Khamenei also urged local residents to vote in the
December 15 elections for the Assembly of Experts and municipal
councils, state television reported on November 8. (Bill Samii)
EXECUTIVE BRANCH PLANS TO MOVE TEHRAN UNIVERSITIES. President
Ahmadinejad said on state television on 6 November that the
government will move some of the universities in the capital, Tehran,
to the suburbs. It is not yet decided whether they will be moved to
the east or the west of the city, he said. Khajeh Nasr-i Din Tusi
University has several campuses, he said, and this causes problems
for faculty, students who must commute, and contributes to the
city's traffic problems. Allameh Tabatabai University also has
campuses in different parts of Tehran, he said, and Azad University
has south, central, and north branches in the capital. Each branch,
he continued, has faculties and buildings in different parts of the
city.
At the end of the November 5 cabinet meeting, Ahmadinejad
said two sessions were dedicated to problems of the capital and half
the time of three other cabinet sessions dealt with Tehran, state
television reported on November 6. (Bill Samii)
CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION RATES CORRUPTION IN IRAN. Iran has a
rating of 2.7 in Transparency International's Corruption
Perceptions Index 2006, which the civil society organization released
on November 6. Ten indicates a low level of perceived corruption and
zero a high level. The number is based on "expert opinion surveys."
Finland, Iceland, and New Zealand were in first place with the
highest ratings (9.6), and the U.S. was in 20th place with a rating
of 7.3. Iran shared 105th place with Bolivia, Libya, Macedonia,
Malawi, and Uganda. Haiti ranked at the bottom -- 163rd place -- with
a rating of 1.8. (Bill Samii)
MILITIAMEN AMBUSHED, AS INSURGENTS EXECUTED. Khodabakhsh Baghbani,
who was taken hostage by the Jundullah insurgent group in March, was
released November 1 after payment of an 800 million rial
(approximately $90,000) ransom, "Kayhan" reported on November 2. Five
other hostages were released earlier, and one of them, Reza Laczai,
is writing his memoirs.
Jundullah is a Sunni group, and population in the
southeastern Sistan va Baluchistan is predominantly Sunni. A local
security official, identified only as Nikunam, denies that there is
anti-Sunni discrimination. "With consideration of our performance in
the region, even the elders among the Sunnis have announced
repeatedly that I make no difference between Shia and Sunnis,"
Nikunam said. "Proof of this is that there were both Shia and Sunnis
among those who were executed yesterday for plundering and disturbing
social peace."
It was around the same time that six members of Abdulmalik
Rigi's Sunni insurgent gang were hanged in Iran, dpa reported on
November 6, citing "Etemad." The gang reportedly killed four people,
including a policeman, when they attacked a police car. Moreover,
they allegedly kidnapped two Germans and an Irishman near the
southeastern city of Zahedan in December 2003. The Europeans were
released after a month.
Three members of the Basij militia were killed in a November
6 ambush in Kerman Province, Reuters reported, citing the Iranian
Students News Agency (ISNA). They reportedly had just freed a
hostage, arrested seven of his kidnappers, and seized a ton of
narcotics. (Bill Samii)
IRAN STILL DESIGNATED BY RSF AS 'ENEMY' OF INTERNET.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announced on November 7 that Iran is
among what it describes as enemies of the Internet. RSF said Internet
filtering in Iran has increased over the last year, although
repression of bloggers appears to have decreased, and Iran now claims
to filter 10 million sites. Pornography, politics, and religion are
the traditional targets, and women's rights is getting attention
lately, RSF claimed. A recent ban on broadband connections could
reflect a desire to prevent downloading of Western movies and music,
RSF speculated. (Bill Samii)
IRAN OFFERS ADVICE TO NEW UN SECRETARY-GENERAL. Inspectors from the
UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited Iranian nuclear
facilities at Natanz and Isfahan on November 5, IRNA reported. On the
same day in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Husseini
said the next secretary-general of the UN, South Korean Foreign
Minister Ban Ki-moon, should resolve the crisis over Iran's
nuclear program, IRNA reported. Ban should head off some
countries' interference in the process, Husseini added. Ban takes
office at the UN on January 1.
Russia and China are interfering by trying to remove
references to military action from the UN Security Council resolution
that is being discussed in New York, "The Washington Post" reported
on November 5. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom reportedly
back China and Russia. Patrick Clawson, deputy director for research
at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said elimination of
the military option greatly reduces the resolution's credibility.
(Bill Samii)
IRANIANS REFLECT ON 1979-81 HOSTAGE CRISIS. The anniversary of the
November 4, 1979, seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by militants
and their holding of U.S. diplomats as hostages for 444 days was
commemorated in Iran over the weekend. Reflecting on the incident,
Mujahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization Secretary-General
Mohammad Salamati said on November 5 that the action was appropriate
at the time because the revolution's survival was at stake,
"Aftab" reported. Circumstances have changed, he continued, and in
the interest of regional stability and security, and in light of the
controversy over Iran's nuclear program, now it is possible to
hold talks with the United States.
A former hostage taker, Massumeh Ebtekar, said her colleagues
thought the incident would end quickly because the revolutionary
government would oppose it, "Etemad" reported on November 4. Popular
support and the backing of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini led to the incident's duration.
Another student leader, Ibrahim Asgharzadeh, said current
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad preferred attacking the Soviet Embassy
at the time, "The New York Times" reported on November 5. Asgharzadeh
said he is willing to meet now with former President Jimmy Carter and
apologize for the hostage crisis if that would reduce Iran-U.S.
tensions. (Bill Samii)
TEHRAN CONSIDERS, AGAIN, DISCUSSING IRAQ WITH U.S. Iranian Foreign
Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Husseini said on November 5 that Iran
is willing to consider direct talks with the United States regarding
Iraqi affairs, "If we receive an official request," state television
reported. Washington made this request in October 2005, and Tehran
agreed to hold such talks in March 2006. Tehran subsequently ruled
out taking part in such talks. (Bill Samii)
IRANIANS WELCOME HUSSEIN DEATH VERDICT. The death sentence announced
on November 5 for former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been
welcomed in Iran. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Husseini
described this as the minimum penalty, IRNA reported. Speaking at his
weekly press briefing, Husseini said the Iraqi dictator's other
crimes, including the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, should not be forgotten.
Iranian state radio interviewed members of the public in
Tehran, and one woman said she felt "happiness" about the death
sentence. She added: "He should not be killed only once. They should
really torture him." A man said, "I hope they will drag the leaders
of America and Britain to the same court." A third man said, "The
interesting point is that he is being executed by the very people who
once supported him against the Iranian people."
Families of Iranians killed in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War have
asked for representation at Hussein's hanging, ISNA reported on
November 7. They said representatives of Iranian, Iraqi, Kurdish, and
Kuwaiti families should put the rope around the ex-president's
neck together.
The Saddam Hussein case is affecting Iranians who want to
visit Shia holy sites in Iraq. Mohammad Ali Delaram, director-general
of Khuzestan Province's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization,
announced on November 7 that the border crossing with Iraq is open to
those who would like to see the holy sites there, Ahvaz television
reported. He said 114 people left the province that day to visit
Karbala.
The same day, Iranian Border Guards Commander Behnam
Shariati-Far announced that Iraq has closed the Mehran border
crossing for three days, Fars News Agency reported. He referred to a
state of alert in Iraq following the death sentence passed on former
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein the previous day. Shariati-Far said
the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization will be advised accordingly, and
he speculated that the border will reopen next week. (Bill Samii)
BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT MEETS IRANIAN OFFICIALS. Iranian Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei said in a November 6 meeting in Tehran with visiting
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka that Iran is hostile
towards no one and is only looking after its own interests, Mehr News
Agency reported. Khamenei said "independent countries" have to have
more contact so they can withstand the plots of "the global
arrogance." Some countries find it difficult to do this, he said,
because their governments lack popular support. Khamenei said Iran
and Belarus can expand relations in the trade sector. Lukashenka
called for stronger Minsk-Tehran times, and he concurred on the need
for strong relations between "independent states."
Lukashenka also met with President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on
November 6. Ahmadinejad said, "We would like to see mutual
cooperation expand rapidly in different technological, scientific,
and economic fields," IRNA reported. Lukashenka said Belarus is
interested in investing in Iran's energy exploration sector, and
he invited Ahmadinejad to Belarus. Moscow's Interfax news agency
quoted Lukashenka as saying, "We should exceed this target of $1
billion of our trade turnover." Lukashenka acknowledged some
difficulties in banking and trade, although these were not specified,
and he voiced confidence that they will be resolved "within the next
few months."
Lukashenka headed home on November 7, IRNA reported. RFE/RL
reported that the two sides signed eight agreements, some of which
involved the oil sector and the car and tractor industries. IRNA
described only a memorandum of understanding regarding expanded
bilateral cooperation. Lukashenka also visited the tomb of Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini, father of the Islamic Revolution. (Bill Samii)
IRAN THREATENS NORWAY OVER MEETING WITH MUJAHEDIN KHALQ LEADER.
Members of the Norwegian legislature, the Storting, met on November 7
with the leader of an Iranian opposition group that the United
States, Canada, and the EU regard as a terrorist organization, dpa
reported. Mujahedin Khalq Organization leader Maryam Rajavi, the
self-styled president-elect of Iran, told the Norwegians that the
Iranian regime is a threat to "all humanity."
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry reacted angrily to Iranian
Ambassador Abdul Reza Faraji-Rad's threat on November 3 that a
meeting with Rajavi would hurt Oslo-Tehran relations, "Aftenposten"
reported on November 4. Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Raymond
Johansen described the ambassador's action as "unacceptable."
Johansen added: "The threat is that this meeting could be significant
for our relations. Our present relations with Iran are not warm and
friendly.... I cannot see that this has any significance at all."
(Bill Samii)
FORMER IRANIAN OPPOSITIONISTS COMPLAIN OF CONDITIONS IN IRAQ. More
than 200 former members of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MEK) who
are living in an Iraqi facility guarded by the U.S. military say that
it has been more than three years since they claimed refugee status
with the United Nations, Radio Farda reported on November 8. The MEK,
which uses many cover names, is considered a terrorist organization
by the U.S., Canada, and the EU. These people want to live in
countries where they can be free and secure, Radio Farda reported,
but they are living in tents instead.
One of them, Dariush Afarinandeh, told Radio Farda by
telephone that 40 members of the group began a hunger strike on
November 7 to protest their uncertain status and living conditions.
He said neither the United States -- which is protecting the group
from the Iraqi people and the Iranian regime -- nor the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees has provided any answers regarding their
future. Afarinandeh told Radio Farda that he and his friends wish
they were at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
because the Red Cross, human rights organizations, and the media go
there to interview the prisoners. "Here, unfortunately, no
international or human rights organization or the Red Cross has set
foot." (Bill Samii)
ARGENTINA ISSUES INTERNATIONAL WARRANTS FOR HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI AND
OTHER OFFICIALS. A judge in Argentina has issued international arrest
warrants for an Iranian ex-president and eight other officials over a
deadly bombing more than a decade ago.
The attack, on a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in
1994, killed 85 people and injured hundreds more.
The arrest order came two weeks after Argentinian prosecutors
formally charged a number of former Iranian officials -- including
ex-President Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani -- for their alleged roles
in the bombing. '
Prosecutors say Hashemi-Rafsanjani and other senior officials
commissioned the attack. They say that while it was carried out by
the Lebanese Hizballah militia, the decision to target the Jewish
center came from the "highest authorities" within the Iranian
government.
Argentinian federal Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral issued the
arrest order for what he called "crimes against humanity" and asked
Interpol to capture the suspects.
"We activate the arrest warrant, on the one hand, with a
request to Interpol requesting the capture of certain people -- and
with an international exhortation that would be transmitted by the
chancellory at the right time, soliciting that they proceed with the
detention," Canicoba Corral said.
Hashemi-Rafsanjani, who served two presidential terms that
spanned much of the 1990s (1989-97), currently heads the Expediency
Council, an appointed body that among other things mediates between
parliament and the Guardians Council.
Judge Canicoba Corral has also requested the arrest of a
former minister of intelligence and security, Ali-Akbar
Fallahian-Khuzestani, and of foreign affairs, Ali-Akbar Velayati, as
well as onetime commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
Mohsen Rezai and other ex-officials.
Tehran Shrugs Off Charges
Tehran has repeatedly denied any involvement the deadliest
terrorist attack ever on Argentinian soil.
On November 9, Iran's charge d'affaires in Argentina,
Mohsen Baharvand, dismissed the investigation as politically
motivated.
"Because of the shortcomings of Argentina to find the real
perpetrators of this act and as a result of the seeds of
'Iranophobia' and 'Islamophobia' disseminated
throughout the world by the United States and Israel, again, this
[Argentinian] judicial system has accused Iran and Hizballah [of]
something which has been done 12 years ago," Baharvand said.
Baharvand also said Iran will urge Interpol not to act on the
warrants.'
But observer Dr. Abdolkarim Lahidji, deputy head of the
Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights, said that
Interpol acts based on judicial orders and not political appeals.
"Interpol cannot go to Iran and arrest them," Baharvand said.
"But if any of these officials whose names are on the arrest warrant
are seen in a country and the police in that country have a copy of
the arrest order, then they can be arrested -- then it would be up to
that country to extradite the arrested person to Argentine for
questioning."
Justice Served?
The arrest order might have largely symbolic significance for
the victims of the attack and their relatives, since it is highly
unlikely that Tehran would place those former officials at risk of
arrest.
Lahidji told RFE/RL that the arrest warrant suggests a body
of evidence implicating those former officials.
"If there were no such evidence, then an arrest order would
not have been issued," Lahidji said. "Therefore [the arrest order]
demonstrates that, despite what Iranian officials have said, the
dossier is not empty."
No one has been convicted in connection with the July 18,
1994, bombing, which reduced the seven-story Argentine-Israeli Mutual
Association (AMIA) to rubble.
Local Jewish groups and some officials have long accused Iran
and the Lebanese Hizballah of being behind the attack.
Officials Implicated
Iranian officials have been targeted by international
authorities before over alleged roles in attacks in Europe on
opposition members. In 1997, a German court issued a warrant for
former Intelligence and Security Minister Ali Fallahian in connection
with the 1992 murder of Iranian Kurdish opposition leaders at the
Mykonos restaurant in Berlin. The court said the so-called Mykonos
murders were carried out with the knowledge of Iran's supreme
leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and former President
Hashemi-Rafsanjani. Fallahian is among those targeted in the
Argentinian warrants.
Lahidji noted that the warrants will limit travel options
open to Iranian officials.
"Since the issuing of the court order in the case known as
'Mykonos,' senior Iranian officials have not traveled to
European countries, and, as far as I can remember, Rafsanjani has had
several trips to Saudi Arabia and maybe to Syria," Lahidji said. "So
merely the fact that the traveling [options] for the officials of a
country are limited is like sanctions -- like the measures against
senior Iranian officials that could be put in place regarding
Iran's nuclear case."
In 2003, Iran's former ambassador to Buenos Aires, Hadi
Suleimanpur, was jailed in London at Argentina's request but
later freed for lack of evidence.
Alleged Motive
Prosecutors allege that Argentina's decision not to
provide Iran with nuclear technology was the motive of the 1994
bombing.
Tehran has described the charges as a "Zionist plot" aimed at
diverting attention from crimes it says Israel has committed against
women and children in Palestine.
The attack on the Jewish community center in 1994 followed a
bombing two years prior that destroyed the Israeli Embassy in Buenos
Aires and killed 29 people. That case remains unsolved.
Argentina's 300,000-strong Jewish community is South
America's largest. (Golnaz Esfandiari)
IRANIANS TRAVEL TO BUDAPEST TO DISCUSS DRUG ABUSE. The head of
Iran's Olympic weightlifting organization will travel to Budapest
in the coming days to meet with International Weightlifting
Federation President Tamas Ajan, IRNA reported on November 9. Nine
out of 11 Iranian athletes tested positive for using banned
substances prior to September's World Weightlifting Championships
in the Dominican Republic. The athletes were banned from the meet,
Iran was fined $400,000, and Iran's trainer, Bulgarian national
Georgi Ivanov, received a lifetime ban. Iran's future in the
sport will be discussed in Budapest, as will payment of the fine.
(Bill Samii)
****************************************** ***************
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_______________ ______________________________________________
RAD IO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
_________________________________________ ____________________
RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 9, No. 42, 13 November 2006
A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL's Newsline Team
******************************************** ****************
HEADLINES:
* GOVERNMENT SHAKEUP HITS MANY LEVELS
* CANDIDATES ASSESSED FOR ASSEMBLY ELECTION
* SUPREME LEADER DEFENDS NUCLEAR STANCE, DISCUSSES ELECTIONS
* EXECUTIVE BRANCH PLANS TO MOVE TEHRAN UNIVERSITIES
* CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION RATES CORRUPTION IN IRAN
* MILITIAMEN AMBUSHED, AS INSURGENTS EXECUTED
* IRAN STILL DESIGNATED BY RSF AS 'ENEMY' OF INTERNET
* IRAN OFFERS ADVICE TO NEW UN SECRETARY-GENERAL
* IRANIANS REFLECT ON 1979-81 HOSTAGE CRISIS
* TEHRAN CONSIDERS, AGAIN, DISCUSSING IRAQ WITH U.S
* IRANIANS WELCOME HUSSEIN DEATH VERDICT
* BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT MEETS IRANIAN OFFICIALS
* IRAN THREATENS NORWAY OVER MEETING WITH MUJAHEDIN KHALQ LEADER
* FORMER IRANIAN OPPOSITIONISTS COMPLAIN OF CONDITIONS IN IRAQ
* ARGENTINA ISSUES INTERNATIONAL WARRANTS FOR HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI
AND OTHER OFFICIALS
* IRANIANS TRAVEL TO BUDAPEST TO DISCUSS DRUG ABUSE
******************************************** ****************
GOVERNMENT SHAKEUP HITS MANY LEVELS. Iran's executive branch is
undergoing a major shakeup in what could be an effort by President
Mahmud Ahmadinejad's administration to realign its economic
policy. The president has replaced two cabinet ministers, others are
facing parliamentary scrutiny, and a score of top officials have
quit. But the tremors could also reflect officials'
dissatisfaction with policy or presidential frustration over unmet
goals.
Iranian lawmakers gave a vote of confidence to
Ahmadinejad's choice to be the new cooperatives minister on
November 5. Mohammad Abbasi, a legislator from Gorgan, is a former
university chancellor (of a branch of the Islamic Azad University)
and deputy governor-general for planning affairs in the northern
Mazandaran Province. He holds a doctorate in strategic management, a
degree often given to military personnel.
Abbasi told reporters that strengthening the cooperative-run
business sector is an important step in the realization of the
country's fifth five-year plan, which began in 2005.
Abbasi succeeds Mohammad Nazemi-Ardakani, who, the president
said, will serve in another position. Nazemi-Ardakani was given the
portfolio when the president's initial nominee failed to win
approval. Nepotism may have a part in Nazemi-Ardakani's job
security. He is related by marriage to Masud Zaribafan, secretary of
the presidential cabinet and a Tehran municipal council member.
Another Minister Replaced
The same day that Abbasi was introduced to the legislature
(October 29), lawmakers approved Abdul Reza Mesri as the new minister
of welfare and social security. A parliamentary representative from
the western Kermanshah Province, Mesri succeeded Parviz Kazemi.
Ahmadinejad's first nominee for the Welfare Ministry
portfolio failed to win approval when he came to power in 2005, and
lawmakers criticized Kazemi's inexperience during the
parliamentary debate around his appointment. Kazemi had reportedly
suggested in his curriculum vitae that he was "reluctant" to discuss
his accomplishments, "Mardom Salari" reported on November 5, 2005.
An anonymous ministry official reportedly said when Kazemi
resigned on September 25 that he was being replaced because he
allowed subordinates to simultaneously hold leadership positions in
businesses, according to the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA). The
source claimed Kazemi hired incompetents and the ministry did not
report on its activities satisfactorily.
There also were reports that Kazemi's resignation was
connected with his failure to exercise sufficient control over the
Social Security Organization. Indeed, that organization's chief,
Davud Madadi, resigned some two weeks after Kazemi did. He blamed
"present circumstances," and said "it is not possible for me to
cooperate with the government," the Islamic Republic News Agency
(IRNA) reported on October 8.
Disgruntled Economic Team
At the top tier of government, the appointments of
Cooperatives Minister Abbasi and Welfare and Social Security Minister
Mesri are only the most conspicuous changes.
Aftab news agency quoted an anonymous source on September 26
as saying the president has reviewed the one-year performance of each
cabinet member. The source claimed Ahmadinejad has warned Roads and
Transport Minister Mohammad Rahmati and Commerce Minister Parviz
Mir-Kazemi that they are in danger of being replaced. Aftab reported
that the ministers facing dismissal have reformist tendencies or have
failed to fulfill their promises to the president.
Other personnel changes have taken place below the cabinet
level. About 20 mid-level officials, including deputy ministers, have
either been forced to resign or have been dismissed, "Ayandeh-yi No"
reported on October 17. These changes mostly affect the economy.
In the Management and Planning Organization, three deputy
chiefs quit in mid-October -- Deputy Chief of Production Affairs
Farhad Dezhpasand, Deputy Chief of Economic Affairs Ali Tayebnia, and
Deputy Chief for Fundamental Affairs Mehdi Rahmati. Two other
managers -- identified as Yarmand and Daryani -- were dismissed.
There were other personnel changes within the Economy and Finance
Ministry, the Petroleum Ministry, the Commerce Ministry, and at the
central bank.
Legislative Scrutiny
The president is not the only one who is unhappy with cabinet
members' efforts. Parliamentarians have voiced dissatisfaction
about some ministers, and acted accordingly. Lawmakers will question
Interior Minister Mustafa Pur-Mohammadi, Energy Minister Seyyed
Parviz Fattah, and Transport Minister Mohammad Rahmati in the coming
week, Fars News Agency reported on October 28.
When Iranian media reported in mid-September that assessments
of the ministers' performance had been prepared, legislator Said
Abutaleb argued that those "evaluations must certainly lead to some
changes in the cabinet," "Mardom Salari" reported on September 16.
Abutaleb referred to the Welfare and Commerce ministries
specifically, saying the legislature would like to dissolve the
Commerce Ministry. He warned that if the president did not implement
changes, then the parliament was ready to step in by questioning and
giving no-confidence motions to the ministers.
But another legislator, Hussein Afarideh from Shirvan, called
the prospective replacements worse than the sitting ministers,
"Mardom Salari" reported on September 16.
Meanwhile, in early October, more than 50 legislators signed
a petition for the interpellation of Agriculture Jihad Minister
Mohammad Reza Eskandari.
One legislator, Dariush Qanbari, charged that Iranian
"agriculture is on the verge of collapse," Mehr News Agency reported
on October 9. He said "farmers' crops [were] piling up in
storehouses" while the country imports fruit from Pakistan. Qanbari
also questioned the announcement of self-sufficiency in wheat
production when "at the same time we are importing 2 million tons of
wheat every year." He described the Agriculture Jihad Ministry as the
most inefficient and uncooperative of ministries.
But fundamentalist legislators blocked the interpellation
motion.
In mid-October, signatures were being gathered for the
interpellation of Education Minister Qodratullah Farshidi. One
legislator said there was "no doubt that the Education Minister has
had a weak performance," but added that other cabinet members have
performed poorly and should face questioning, "Aftab-i Yazd" reported
on October 16.
Governmental obscurity and a censored media ensure that it
will be some time before the real reasons for the ministerial
resignations and dismissals emerge. But it appears that the
presidential administration's grappling with difficult economic
issues will continue to cause turmoil in the state apparatus --
particularly if the populist president persists in efforts to fulfill
his campaign promises.
The possible imposition of economic sanctions by the UN
Security Council stemming from the nuclear controversy could only add
to President Ahmadinejad's troubles. (Bill Samii)
CANDIDATES ASSESSED FOR ASSEMBLY ELECTION. Akbar Karami, a political
analyst in Qom, told Radio Farda on November 5 that the Guardians
Council interprets its power of approbatory supervision as a
political filter that allow only clerics who are compatible with it
to compete in elections.
Guardians Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodai announced on
November 4 that 204 of the almost 500 prospective candidates for the
December 15 Assembly of Experts election have been invited for
examinations on their ability to interpret religious law, state radio
reported. Thirty-seven people refused to be examined, and two women
took the exam.
Kadkhodai said incumbent Majid Ansari's qualifications
could not be confirmed, but Ansari refused to participate in the
exam. An anonymous "informed source" told Fars News Agency on
November 5 that Ansari's candidacy will be approved nevertheless.
Fars added that several incumbents -- including
Urumiyeh's Gholam Reza Hassani; the reformist Hadi Khamenei, who
is the supreme leader's brother; and several highly experienced
seminarians who were invited for the exam -- withdrew their
candidacies.
Exam results will be announced on November 13, and Assembly
of Experts candidates will have three days to appeal. The Guardians
Council will assess the appeals over a 20-day period. (Bill Samii)
SUPREME LEADER DEFENDS NUCLEAR STANCE, DISCUSSES ELECTIONS. Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei is visiting the northeastern city of Semnan, "Iran"
newspaper reported on November 9. He told tens of thousands of people
at the Takhti Stadium that mastering nuclear technology is their
right, and the international community does not oppose this. He cited
the Nonaligned Movement's backing of Iran's development of
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as proof of this, and said it is
only the United States that opposes Iran's pursuits, even though
Washington has said several times that it is not against Iran's
development of nuclear technology strictly to produce energy for
peaceful uses. Khamenei also urged local residents to vote in the
December 15 elections for the Assembly of Experts and municipal
councils, state television reported on November 8. (Bill Samii)
EXECUTIVE BRANCH PLANS TO MOVE TEHRAN UNIVERSITIES. President
Ahmadinejad said on state television on 6 November that the
government will move some of the universities in the capital, Tehran,
to the suburbs. It is not yet decided whether they will be moved to
the east or the west of the city, he said. Khajeh Nasr-i Din Tusi
University has several campuses, he said, and this causes problems
for faculty, students who must commute, and contributes to the
city's traffic problems. Allameh Tabatabai University also has
campuses in different parts of Tehran, he said, and Azad University
has south, central, and north branches in the capital. Each branch,
he continued, has faculties and buildings in different parts of the
city.
At the end of the November 5 cabinet meeting, Ahmadinejad
said two sessions were dedicated to problems of the capital and half
the time of three other cabinet sessions dealt with Tehran, state
television reported on November 6. (Bill Samii)
CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION RATES CORRUPTION IN IRAN. Iran has a
rating of 2.7 in Transparency International's Corruption
Perceptions Index 2006, which the civil society organization released
on November 6. Ten indicates a low level of perceived corruption and
zero a high level. The number is based on "expert opinion surveys."
Finland, Iceland, and New Zealand were in first place with the
highest ratings (9.6), and the U.S. was in 20th place with a rating
of 7.3. Iran shared 105th place with Bolivia, Libya, Macedonia,
Malawi, and Uganda. Haiti ranked at the bottom -- 163rd place -- with
a rating of 1.8. (Bill Samii)
MILITIAMEN AMBUSHED, AS INSURGENTS EXECUTED. Khodabakhsh Baghbani,
who was taken hostage by the Jundullah insurgent group in March, was
released November 1 after payment of an 800 million rial
(approximately $90,000) ransom, "Kayhan" reported on November 2. Five
other hostages were released earlier, and one of them, Reza Laczai,
is writing his memoirs.
Jundullah is a Sunni group, and population in the
southeastern Sistan va Baluchistan is predominantly Sunni. A local
security official, identified only as Nikunam, denies that there is
anti-Sunni discrimination. "With consideration of our performance in
the region, even the elders among the Sunnis have announced
repeatedly that I make no difference between Shia and Sunnis,"
Nikunam said. "Proof of this is that there were both Shia and Sunnis
among those who were executed yesterday for plundering and disturbing
social peace."
It was around the same time that six members of Abdulmalik
Rigi's Sunni insurgent gang were hanged in Iran, dpa reported on
November 6, citing "Etemad." The gang reportedly killed four people,
including a policeman, when they attacked a police car. Moreover,
they allegedly kidnapped two Germans and an Irishman near the
southeastern city of Zahedan in December 2003. The Europeans were
released after a month.
Three members of the Basij militia were killed in a November
6 ambush in Kerman Province, Reuters reported, citing the Iranian
Students News Agency (ISNA). They reportedly had just freed a
hostage, arrested seven of his kidnappers, and seized a ton of
narcotics. (Bill Samii)
IRAN STILL DESIGNATED BY RSF AS 'ENEMY' OF INTERNET.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announced on November 7 that Iran is
among what it describes as enemies of the Internet. RSF said Internet
filtering in Iran has increased over the last year, although
repression of bloggers appears to have decreased, and Iran now claims
to filter 10 million sites. Pornography, politics, and religion are
the traditional targets, and women's rights is getting attention
lately, RSF claimed. A recent ban on broadband connections could
reflect a desire to prevent downloading of Western movies and music,
RSF speculated. (Bill Samii)
IRAN OFFERS ADVICE TO NEW UN SECRETARY-GENERAL. Inspectors from the
UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited Iranian nuclear
facilities at Natanz and Isfahan on November 5, IRNA reported. On the
same day in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Husseini
said the next secretary-general of the UN, South Korean Foreign
Minister Ban Ki-moon, should resolve the crisis over Iran's
nuclear program, IRNA reported. Ban should head off some
countries' interference in the process, Husseini added. Ban takes
office at the UN on January 1.
Russia and China are interfering by trying to remove
references to military action from the UN Security Council resolution
that is being discussed in New York, "The Washington Post" reported
on November 5. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom reportedly
back China and Russia. Patrick Clawson, deputy director for research
at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said elimination of
the military option greatly reduces the resolution's credibility.
(Bill Samii)
IRANIANS REFLECT ON 1979-81 HOSTAGE CRISIS. The anniversary of the
November 4, 1979, seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by militants
and their holding of U.S. diplomats as hostages for 444 days was
commemorated in Iran over the weekend. Reflecting on the incident,
Mujahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization Secretary-General
Mohammad Salamati said on November 5 that the action was appropriate
at the time because the revolution's survival was at stake,
"Aftab" reported. Circumstances have changed, he continued, and in
the interest of regional stability and security, and in light of the
controversy over Iran's nuclear program, now it is possible to
hold talks with the United States.
A former hostage taker, Massumeh Ebtekar, said her colleagues
thought the incident would end quickly because the revolutionary
government would oppose it, "Etemad" reported on November 4. Popular
support and the backing of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini led to the incident's duration.
Another student leader, Ibrahim Asgharzadeh, said current
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad preferred attacking the Soviet Embassy
at the time, "The New York Times" reported on November 5. Asgharzadeh
said he is willing to meet now with former President Jimmy Carter and
apologize for the hostage crisis if that would reduce Iran-U.S.
tensions. (Bill Samii)
TEHRAN CONSIDERS, AGAIN, DISCUSSING IRAQ WITH U.S. Iranian Foreign
Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Husseini said on November 5 that Iran
is willing to consider direct talks with the United States regarding
Iraqi affairs, "If we receive an official request," state television
reported. Washington made this request in October 2005, and Tehran
agreed to hold such talks in March 2006. Tehran subsequently ruled
out taking part in such talks. (Bill Samii)
IRANIANS WELCOME HUSSEIN DEATH VERDICT. The death sentence announced
on November 5 for former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has been
welcomed in Iran. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Husseini
described this as the minimum penalty, IRNA reported. Speaking at his
weekly press briefing, Husseini said the Iraqi dictator's other
crimes, including the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, should not be forgotten.
Iranian state radio interviewed members of the public in
Tehran, and one woman said she felt "happiness" about the death
sentence. She added: "He should not be killed only once. They should
really torture him." A man said, "I hope they will drag the leaders
of America and Britain to the same court." A third man said, "The
interesting point is that he is being executed by the very people who
once supported him against the Iranian people."
Families of Iranians killed in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War have
asked for representation at Hussein's hanging, ISNA reported on
November 7. They said representatives of Iranian, Iraqi, Kurdish, and
Kuwaiti families should put the rope around the ex-president's
neck together.
The Saddam Hussein case is affecting Iranians who want to
visit Shia holy sites in Iraq. Mohammad Ali Delaram, director-general
of Khuzestan Province's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization,
announced on November 7 that the border crossing with Iraq is open to
those who would like to see the holy sites there, Ahvaz television
reported. He said 114 people left the province that day to visit
Karbala.
The same day, Iranian Border Guards Commander Behnam
Shariati-Far announced that Iraq has closed the Mehran border
crossing for three days, Fars News Agency reported. He referred to a
state of alert in Iraq following the death sentence passed on former
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein the previous day. Shariati-Far said
the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization will be advised accordingly, and
he speculated that the border will reopen next week. (Bill Samii)
BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT MEETS IRANIAN OFFICIALS. Iranian Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei said in a November 6 meeting in Tehran with visiting
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka that Iran is hostile
towards no one and is only looking after its own interests, Mehr News
Agency reported. Khamenei said "independent countries" have to have
more contact so they can withstand the plots of "the global
arrogance." Some countries find it difficult to do this, he said,
because their governments lack popular support. Khamenei said Iran
and Belarus can expand relations in the trade sector. Lukashenka
called for stronger Minsk-Tehran times, and he concurred on the need
for strong relations between "independent states."
Lukashenka also met with President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on
November 6. Ahmadinejad said, "We would like to see mutual
cooperation expand rapidly in different technological, scientific,
and economic fields," IRNA reported. Lukashenka said Belarus is
interested in investing in Iran's energy exploration sector, and
he invited Ahmadinejad to Belarus. Moscow's Interfax news agency
quoted Lukashenka as saying, "We should exceed this target of $1
billion of our trade turnover." Lukashenka acknowledged some
difficulties in banking and trade, although these were not specified,
and he voiced confidence that they will be resolved "within the next
few months."
Lukashenka headed home on November 7, IRNA reported. RFE/RL
reported that the two sides signed eight agreements, some of which
involved the oil sector and the car and tractor industries. IRNA
described only a memorandum of understanding regarding expanded
bilateral cooperation. Lukashenka also visited the tomb of Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini, father of the Islamic Revolution. (Bill Samii)
IRAN THREATENS NORWAY OVER MEETING WITH MUJAHEDIN KHALQ LEADER.
Members of the Norwegian legislature, the Storting, met on November 7
with the leader of an Iranian opposition group that the United
States, Canada, and the EU regard as a terrorist organization, dpa
reported. Mujahedin Khalq Organization leader Maryam Rajavi, the
self-styled president-elect of Iran, told the Norwegians that the
Iranian regime is a threat to "all humanity."
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry reacted angrily to Iranian
Ambassador Abdul Reza Faraji-Rad's threat on November 3 that a
meeting with Rajavi would hurt Oslo-Tehran relations, "Aftenposten"
reported on November 4. Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Raymond
Johansen described the ambassador's action as "unacceptable."
Johansen added: "The threat is that this meeting could be significant
for our relations. Our present relations with Iran are not warm and
friendly.... I cannot see that this has any significance at all."
(Bill Samii)
FORMER IRANIAN OPPOSITIONISTS COMPLAIN OF CONDITIONS IN IRAQ. More
than 200 former members of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MEK) who
are living in an Iraqi facility guarded by the U.S. military say that
it has been more than three years since they claimed refugee status
with the United Nations, Radio Farda reported on November 8. The MEK,
which uses many cover names, is considered a terrorist organization
by the U.S., Canada, and the EU. These people want to live in
countries where they can be free and secure, Radio Farda reported,
but they are living in tents instead.
One of them, Dariush Afarinandeh, told Radio Farda by
telephone that 40 members of the group began a hunger strike on
November 7 to protest their uncertain status and living conditions.
He said neither the United States -- which is protecting the group
from the Iraqi people and the Iranian regime -- nor the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees has provided any answers regarding their
future. Afarinandeh told Radio Farda that he and his friends wish
they were at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
because the Red Cross, human rights organizations, and the media go
there to interview the prisoners. "Here, unfortunately, no
international or human rights organization or the Red Cross has set
foot." (Bill Samii)
ARGENTINA ISSUES INTERNATIONAL WARRANTS FOR HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI AND
OTHER OFFICIALS. A judge in Argentina has issued international arrest
warrants for an Iranian ex-president and eight other officials over a
deadly bombing more than a decade ago.
The attack, on a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in
1994, killed 85 people and injured hundreds more.
The arrest order came two weeks after Argentinian prosecutors
formally charged a number of former Iranian officials -- including
ex-President Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani -- for their alleged roles
in the bombing. '
Prosecutors say Hashemi-Rafsanjani and other senior officials
commissioned the attack. They say that while it was carried out by
the Lebanese Hizballah militia, the decision to target the Jewish
center came from the "highest authorities" within the Iranian
government.
Argentinian federal Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral issued the
arrest order for what he called "crimes against humanity" and asked
Interpol to capture the suspects.
"We activate the arrest warrant, on the one hand, with a
request to Interpol requesting the capture of certain people -- and
with an international exhortation that would be transmitted by the
chancellory at the right time, soliciting that they proceed with the
detention," Canicoba Corral said.
Hashemi-Rafsanjani, who served two presidential terms that
spanned much of the 1990s (1989-97), currently heads the Expediency
Council, an appointed body that among other things mediates between
parliament and the Guardians Council.
Judge Canicoba Corral has also requested the arrest of a
former minister of intelligence and security, Ali-Akbar
Fallahian-Khuzestani, and of foreign affairs, Ali-Akbar Velayati, as
well as onetime commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
Mohsen Rezai and other ex-officials.
Tehran Shrugs Off Charges
Tehran has repeatedly denied any involvement the deadliest
terrorist attack ever on Argentinian soil.
On November 9, Iran's charge d'affaires in Argentina,
Mohsen Baharvand, dismissed the investigation as politically
motivated.
"Because of the shortcomings of Argentina to find the real
perpetrators of this act and as a result of the seeds of
'Iranophobia' and 'Islamophobia' disseminated
throughout the world by the United States and Israel, again, this
[Argentinian] judicial system has accused Iran and Hizballah [of]
something which has been done 12 years ago," Baharvand said.
Baharvand also said Iran will urge Interpol not to act on the
warrants.'
But observer Dr. Abdolkarim Lahidji, deputy head of the
Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights, said that
Interpol acts based on judicial orders and not political appeals.
"Interpol cannot go to Iran and arrest them," Baharvand said.
"But if any of these officials whose names are on the arrest warrant
are seen in a country and the police in that country have a copy of
the arrest order, then they can be arrested -- then it would be up to
that country to extradite the arrested person to Argentine for
questioning."
Justice Served?
The arrest order might have largely symbolic significance for
the victims of the attack and their relatives, since it is highly
unlikely that Tehran would place those former officials at risk of
arrest.
Lahidji told RFE/RL that the arrest warrant suggests a body
of evidence implicating those former officials.
"If there were no such evidence, then an arrest order would
not have been issued," Lahidji said. "Therefore [the arrest order]
demonstrates that, despite what Iranian officials have said, the
dossier is not empty."
No one has been convicted in connection with the July 18,
1994, bombing, which reduced the seven-story Argentine-Israeli Mutual
Association (AMIA) to rubble.
Local Jewish groups and some officials have long accused Iran
and the Lebanese Hizballah of being behind the attack.
Officials Implicated
Iranian officials have been targeted by international
authorities before over alleged roles in attacks in Europe on
opposition members. In 1997, a German court issued a warrant for
former Intelligence and Security Minister Ali Fallahian in connection
with the 1992 murder of Iranian Kurdish opposition leaders at the
Mykonos restaurant in Berlin. The court said the so-called Mykonos
murders were carried out with the knowledge of Iran's supreme
leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and former President
Hashemi-Rafsanjani. Fallahian is among those targeted in the
Argentinian warrants.
Lahidji noted that the warrants will limit travel options
open to Iranian officials.
"Since the issuing of the court order in the case known as
'Mykonos,' senior Iranian officials have not traveled to
European countries, and, as far as I can remember, Rafsanjani has had
several trips to Saudi Arabia and maybe to Syria," Lahidji said. "So
merely the fact that the traveling [options] for the officials of a
country are limited is like sanctions -- like the measures against
senior Iranian officials that could be put in place regarding
Iran's nuclear case."
In 2003, Iran's former ambassador to Buenos Aires, Hadi
Suleimanpur, was jailed in London at Argentina's request but
later freed for lack of evidence.
Alleged Motive
Prosecutors allege that Argentina's decision not to
provide Iran with nuclear technology was the motive of the 1994
bombing.
Tehran has described the charges as a "Zionist plot" aimed at
diverting attention from crimes it says Israel has committed against
women and children in Palestine.
The attack on the Jewish community center in 1994 followed a
bombing two years prior that destroyed the Israeli Embassy in Buenos
Aires and killed 29 people. That case remains unsolved.
Argentina's 300,000-strong Jewish community is South
America's largest. (Golnaz Esfandiari)
IRANIANS TRAVEL TO BUDAPEST TO DISCUSS DRUG ABUSE. The head of
Iran's Olympic weightlifting organization will travel to Budapest
in the coming days to meet with International Weightlifting
Federation President Tamas Ajan, IRNA reported on November 9. Nine
out of 11 Iranian athletes tested positive for using banned
substances prior to September's World Weightlifting Championships
in the Dominican Republic. The athletes were banned from the meet,
Iran was fined $400,000, and Iran's trainer, Bulgarian national
Georgi Ivanov, received a lifetime ban. Iran's future in the
sport will be discussed in Budapest, as will payment of the fine.
(Bill Samii)
****************************************** ***************
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