BRIEF ON IRAN No. 198 Tuesday, June 27, 1995 Representative Office of The National Council of Resistance of Iran 3421 M Street NW #1032 Washington, DC 20007 6,000 Rally in D.C. To Support Maryam Rajavi, Tougher Sanctions Against Mullahs Reuters, June 23 Thousands of Iranians demonstrated on Friday in front of the White House in support of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which opposes the fundamentalist leadership in Tehran... "We want peace. We want freedom. We want Maryam Rajavi," protesters shouted. The council, an umbrella group, declared Rajavi president of Iran in 1993... Voice of America, Farsi Service, June 24 Yesterday, people's Mojahedin of Iran and the National Council of Resistance held a large demonstration in Lafayette Park, across the White House. Then the demonstrators in organized and lengthy lines rallied in several streets around the White House. Several Thousands of supporters and members of this organization from cities across the United States had come to Washington to participate in this demonstration. Among the many attendees were old and young men and women of all walks. Many were carrying the lion-and-sun Iranian flags and pictures of Mr. Massoud Rajavi and Mrs. Maryam Rajavi and were chanting slogans in their support. Dr. Saleh Rajavi, brother of Massoud Rajavi, and Marzieh, the renowned Iranian singer, were among those addressing this demonstration. The speech of Mrs. Rajavi, which was taped earlier, was also broadcasting, in which, Mrs. Rajavi announced and described the position, objectives and goals of this front of Iranian politics in 16 amendments. Among this 16 amendments, the rights for freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of beliefs and necessity of respecting human rights and equal rights for women in the future Iranian society, could be mentioned. Iran Dissuading Nations From Peace, Reuters, June 25 ..."Syria will not sign any accord with Israel before the complete withdrawal of Israeli occupation force from Syrian lands occupied since June 4, 1967, as well as from southern Lebanon,'' the Iranian news agency IRNA reported Khaddam as saying at the end of an official visit to Tehran. Iran has been firmly opposed to the Middle East peace process and has repeatedly criticized accords reached between Israel and the Palestinians, Jordan and Egypt. IRNA quoted Khaddam as saying: "Iranian officials are satisfied with Syria's stance...There exists mutual understanding between Tehran and Damascus.'' Following talks with Khaddam on Sunday, ... Rafsanjani voiced support for Syria's "principled stance... and its steadfastness in the face of various conspiracies hatched by the Zionist regime,'' Iranian television, monitored by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), said. Rafsanjani said Iran was "confident about Syria's adroit and wise leadership in confronting the Zionist regime's satanic and expansionist objectives.''... Iran's Parliamentarian Threatens European Leaders on Rushdie Issue, Associated Press, June 24 The death edict against British writer Salman Rushdie cannot be revoked, and Western leaders should distance themselves from the author, an Iranian parliamentary leader said. "A learned clergyman has expressed his views about 'The Satanic Verses' and its author. This is a view that almost all clergymen and Muslims worldwide hold and respect," Mohammad Javad Larijani, a former foreign ministry official, said in an interview published Saturday in the Iranian newspaper Kayhan. "In fact, what is illogical is the West's demand that the Islamic Republic of Iran change its stance," he said... Iranian media have since made it clear that such a commitment will not be forthcoming soon. Iran's Annual Inflation Hits Record High, Reuters, June 26 Annual inflation hit a record high of 58.8 percent in Iran in the month to May 20, according to Central Bank figures, a newspaper reported on Monday... That was 7.1 percent above the annual rate in the previous month, Abrar said. Prices have soared in Iran as the rial has lost about half its value against hard currencies so far in 1995...