BRIEF  ON  IRAN
No. 180
Thursday, June 1, 1995


Representative Office of
The National Council of Resistance of Iran
3421 M Street NW #1032
Washington, DC 20007


Sweden's Parliamentary Majority Calls for Boycott of Mullahs,
Support for National Council of Resistance and Its President for
Future Iran, From the Statement by the National Council of
Resistance of Iran, May 31

        In a press conference on Wednesday, May 31, members of
the Swedish Parliament presented an all-party statement
signed by 180 members of the Parliament of Sweden. In this
statement, the majority of representatives in the Swedish
Parliament called for the adoption of a new policy on Iran...
        The Swedish MPs condemned the mullahs' suppressive
and terrorist policies, continued flagrant violations of human
rights, and bloody suppression of domestic uprisings in Iran.
"The time has come," they stressed, "for the adoption of a firm,
practical policy on Iran and assist the Iranian people, who
demand the clerics' overthrow, by imposition of military,
economic, commercial, political and diplomatic sanctions and
restrictions on the regime."  The majority of representatives in
the Swedish Parliament criticized the West's policy on Iran:
"Following Khomeini's death, hoping that the mullahs will
moderate their attitude and respect international norms, some
Western countries based their policy on the expansion of
relations with Iran to help the moderates... Six years later, this
policy has failed."
        Referring to the Iranian regime's active involvement in
international terrorism, they added, "Regrettably, the expenses
for such unbridled terrorism and arms build-up are provided
for by extensive commercial dealings between Western
countries and the regime..."   The Swedish MPs emphasized, "In
our view, supporting the aspirations of the Iranian people, now
represented by the National Council of Resistance and its
President-elect,  will expedite the establishment of democracy
in Iran and contribute to the restoration of stability in the
region."
        Reiterating the fact that the policy of appeasement under
whatever pretext will have opposite impact, they recalled that
"the mullahs' firing of Scud-B missiles  at a base of the National
Liberation Army of Iran demonstrated that the regime totally
disregards international covenants." "It is, therefore, necessary,"
they stressed, "that the United Nations Security Council
undertake binding measures concerning the repeated violations
of international standards and the widespread suppression of
the Iranian people by the ruling regime."
        In their remarks at the press conference, Messrs.
Silfverstrand and Pohanka underlined the importance of Mrs.
Rajavi's role and her strong leadership in the Iranian Resistance
movement...


Repression, Inflation and Graft Feeding Disillusion-ment in Iran,
The New York Times, May 30

        Nearly a generation after turbaned clerics occupied the
palaces of kings, Iran is a country of broken promises, a place
of unnerving unpredictability and fitful repression intended to
keep the Government in power and the population at bay...
        But in periodic visits to Iran since Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini overthrew the monarch in 1979, and in dozens of
interviews during a recent trip, it became evident that the
religious oratory that once drove a nation into the streets no
longer has the power to inspire.  The masses, in whose name
the revolution was made, now long for better days...
        In the effort to hold on to power, Iran's leaders have
moved in contradictory directions.  To keep the system strong
enough to govern but supple enough to survive, they have
simultaneously imposed strict limits and permitted a surprising
degree of room to maneuver...
        The result is a steady degradation of the ideas that
brought the revolutionary leaders to power, an inefficiency that
has strangled the economy, a cynicism that has fueled
corruption and an unpredictability about everyday life...
        In recent months, the Government has demanded that
Iranians working in nearly every embassy in Tehran report on
diplomatic activities, several ambassadors said.  Other Iranians
working with foreigners have been summoned to the Ministry
of Islamic Guidance and offered an unappealing choice: either
spy on your employers or sign a statement swearing never to
have contact again with foreigners...
        When independent bus drivers doubled their prices early
one morning in April, the commuters rebelled... The rioters
moved on the way to Islamshahr, a much larger town on the
way to Tehran, smashing windows and setting fire to banks, gas
stations and government buildings along the way.
        By the morning, the Government rushed in elite-riot
police officers, who opened fire in hit-and-run battle...  By the
time the riots were put down at nightfall, a number of people
had died...