BRIEF ON IRAN	
No. 542
Tuesday, November 19, 1996

Representative Office of
The National Council of Resistance of Iran           
Washington, DC


Mullahs' Try to Blackmail Germany to Withdraw Terrorism Charges, Reuters,
November 18

	TEHRAN - Iran on Monday asked Germany to end a row with the Islamic
republic by withdrawing charges by a German prosecutor that Tehran ordered
the killing of Kurdish dissidents in Berlin....
	Iran has been engaged in a war of words with its main trade partner Germany
since the prosecutor last week accused Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei and other Tehran officials of ordering the 1992 killing of three
Kurdish opposition leaders and their translator at a Berlin restaurant.
	"Otherwise Germany should be ready to suffer the consequences of this great
error," Yazdi said, without giving further details.
	Potentially at risk are trade ties worth $1.4 billion last year and
Germany's "critical dialogue" with Iran -- championed by Foreign Minister
Klaus Kinkel as an alternative to U.S. sanctions aimed at isolating the
Islamic republic....


Germany Says it Can Do No More in Iran Row, Reuters, November 18

	BONN - Germany's foreign ministry said on Monday it planned no further
response to a 
mounting tide of criticism from Iran over a Berlin court case in which
Tehran stands accused of killing Kurdish opposition leaders.
	Spokesman Martin Erdmann said Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel had already
told his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Velayati several times over the
weekend by telephone that Bonn could not interfere in the trial.
	"All we can do is explain the principles of our legal system again and
again," he said.
	The opposition Social Democrats (SPD) supported Bonn's refusal to back down
over the controversy with Iran, which has threatened to break off trade and
diplomatic ties.
	Foreign policy spokesman Freimut Duve said Bonn was right not to bend to
pressure over the 1992 deaths of three Kurdish politicians and their
translator at a Berlin restaurant....
	Germany was "gravely mistaken" if it thought Iran would ignore such an
insult, Velayati [Iran's Foreign Minister] said.... 


Danish Parliament Passed a Policy Proposal Against Tehran's Regime, Iran
Zamin News Agency, November 15

	In a parliamentary session yesterday, Danish deputies passed a proposal
calling for decisiveness against the mullahs' religious, terrorist
dictatorship and dialogue with the opposition which strives for democracy
and human rights in Iran. The proposal was moved by the Social Democratic
Party of Denmark on behalf of all the ruling coalition parties.
	The Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and some other Cabinet members were
also present. A number of deputies expressed support for the democratic
positions and conduct of the Iranian Resistance and its President-elect,
Maryam Rajavi. They described the policy of critical dialogue with the
Khomeini regime as futile and a failure. 
	In his remarks to the parliamentary session, Prime Minister Poul Nyrup
Rasmussen emphasized that Denmark's policy towards Iran has entered a new
phase and it is important to establish dialogue with those who believe in
human rights and democracy.
	In a statement by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Mr. Massoud
Rajavi, President of NCR, described the Danish Parliament's measure as
courageous and admirable.
	Mr. Rajavi emphasized that the unanimous vote of the Danish
parliamentarians against the mullahs indicates the futility of all appeasing
policies, such as "critical dialogue."
	The NCR President pointed out: "The time has come for the European Union to
set aside the policy of critical dialogue and respect the Iranian people's
unanimous will for democracy and human rights in their homeland, by adopting
a decisive policy towards Iran's ruling mullahs."


Quake Jolts Iran, Reuters, November 18

	TEHRAN - An earthquake hit an area near the southern Iranian city of Shiraz
on Monday but caused no damages or casualties, Iran's official news agency
IRNA said.
	The quake measured 4.8 on the Richter scale -- powerful enough to cause
heavy damage in a populated area -- and struck a region 30 km (19 miles)
west of Shiraz at 3.30 p.m. (1200 GMT), the agency said...