BRIEF ON IRAN No. 309 Friday, December 8, 1995 Representative Office of The National Council of Resistance of Iran 3421 M Street NW #1032 Washington, DC 20007 70 Million Iranians Deserve More Support, Aftenposten, December 6 [The following is excerpts from an article by Nina Karin Mason, the Norwegian philosopher and writer] Maryam Rajavi, the Iranian Resistance movement's candidate for presidency, recently visited Norway. Her dazzling kindness, charm, and historic personality shows that she is different from ordinary women. Her election also demonstrates that the view of many Muslim men towards women, is not the one that we usually relate to Islam... Her actions can turn compassion, love, and kindness to political fact. Mrs. Rajavi's personality and her Resistance movement's Charter of Freedom reveals the Islam that is based on love of human, which is light years distant from the interpretations of terrorist mullahs.... In the Charter of Freedom, all social and individual rights are guaranteed. The equality of women is recognized in all areas. Gender superiority, ethnic background are revoked. Discrimination based on religion is banned. Imposing belief is forbidden. Discrimination against minorities is unlawful. Free economy is guaranteed. Job, housing, health, and education receive priorities.... Norway sanctioned South Africa and today is actively supporting Middle East peace process. However, with 70 million Iranian people, who, for more than 30 years, have been struggling against dictators, is dealing through compassion but with less urgency... But the determining factor now is that Norway must listen to the requests of this resistance movement and follow their suggestions.... Tehran's Revolutionary Guards, the Particular Threat in Bosnia, Reuters, December 6 WASHINGTON - Chief U.S. negotiator Richard Holbrooke said on Wednesday he will urge Bosnia's Moslem-led government to do more to reassure Serbs about the Dayton peace agreement when he travels to the Balkans this weekend.... He also said it was critical for the Moslem-led government to order foreign Moslem fighters from Iran, Afghanistan and elsewhere out of Bosnia if they do not go voluntarily 30 days after the peace accord was signed in Paris on Dec. 14.... Some U.S. officials view 200 Iranian Revolutionary Guards who helped the Bosnian Moslems in the war against Serbs and Croats as a particular threat to 20,000 American troops who are being deployed to help enforce the peace deal.... More Details About Iran's Plot to Kill Arafat, Reuters, December 7 LONDON - The Independent, a British daily newspaper, reported on Thursday that Iran had plotted with militant Islamic Jihad leader Fathi Shqaqi to assassinate Palestine Liberation Organization chief Yasser Arafat. The paper, citing a source with access to Iranian intelligence, said the plot was foiled when Shqaqi was killed, allegedly by Israeli Mossad secret agents, in Malta in October. It said Shqaqi had just attended a meeting in the Libyan capital of Tripoli with a senior Iranian envoy at which they discussed plans to assassinate Arafat, who is vilified in some quarters for the peace treaty he agreed with Israel.... Sen. D'Amato To Hold Vote Next Week On Iran Oil Sanction, Dow Jones News, December 7 WASHINGTON - The Senate Banking Committee plans to vote next week on legislation that would ban U.S. trade with foreign energy companies that do business with Iran, Sen. Alfonse D'Amato announced.... The bill, called the Iran Foreign Oil Sanctions Act, is designed to force European companies to choose between doing business with Iran and doing business with the U.S. ''The Iranian regime is seeking to export terrorism throughout the Middle East and beyond,'' D'Amato said when he introduced the legislation in September. ''At the same time, they are seeking to build a nuclear bomb. This cannot be allowed to happen. If we deprive them of the ability to pay for these aggressive acts, the world will be safer.''... Fire Guts 150 Shops in Tehran Garment District, Reuters, December 7 TEHRAN - A huge fire gutted 150 shops in the old garment district in the Iranian capital and injured three of the firemen who fought seven hours to put it out on Thursday.... About 60 firefighters with 30 fire engines fought seven hours to put out the blaze which started early in the morning, he said.... The fire destroyed at least 150 shops, causing more than one billion rials ($333,000 at the official exchange rate) of damage, the agency added. But the final bill may be much higher, shopkeepers said. ``A friend of mine lost textile equipment worth 1.5 billion rials ($500,000) in the fire,'' one said.