Aadel Collection
Iran oil chief replaced after ‘treason’ charges
5/27/2011
Article - Untitled Article
Publication: Guardian 1821-2000; Date: Sep 29, 1979; Section: None; Page: 6
Khomeini: orchestrates attack byclergy
Iran oil chief replaced
? ..ãffei!: ‘treason' charges
From UPI in Tehran'
the 7rime Minist&. Mr
Bazargait, yesterday sacked
In&s controversial, chief oil
trentive, Mr Hasstn” Pjazih.
ard named a new Oil Minister
to take charge of all oil, gas
and petrochemical industries.
Mr Nazih has beed under
attack front (he clerical leader-
ship for refusing to pUtge the
‘o i industry's .40 ,00 od
workers—but he was not said
directly to be dismissed in a
‘State ‘radio broadca t, by Air
Dazargan. :1-.:
Instead, Mr B azargan
announced that the n&w Minis-
(er. Mr All Akbar, MOinfar ,
will, concurrently - With his
Cabinet .responsibztity.. for oil,
take over as chairman and
managing director, ‘of the oil,
gas and. petrochemical- com-
panies' merged in tG rthe new
Ministry.
Mr Nazib became chairman
and managing director of the
National Iranian Oil Company
(NLDC) beluue it resumed pro-
duction arid export of crude oil
last March 1 after the winter
strike that led to the Shah's
downfall. Earlier yesterday Mr
Nazibfr a French-educated law-
yer,- ‘ts ok'dered,by4he prose-
cLLtOr-gefleral, Mr Qoddoust to
appear in court to answer
charges st rnmlng from com-
plaints by the oil company
workers.
Ayatollah Khomeini in a sub-
sequent decree ordered his
Prime Minister to ensure that
Mr Nazib appeared in court
this morning. The Ayatollah
also warned that be would be
tried if sufficient evidence was
available against him. It was
not clear what specific charges
were made by Mr Nazib's cr1 -
I ía among the “numerous
complaints” said to have been
flied with the Prosecutor-
General's office.
carries the maximum sentence
of death by firing squad.
• Liz Thurgood adds; Four
Iranians were necuted
yester j iy following some of
the worst violence since the
armed forces recaptured the
last remaining rebel • strong-
holds three weeks ao In the
western province of kurdestan.
It was not known ii (lit Iuur
executed men were Kurds.
The executions tuck place
before daybreak in Mahabad.
after summary trials supervised
by Sheikh Khalkhali, the Isla-
mic judge who has condemned
nearly 80 Kurds t. death.
Three of the t cecuted men
were found guilty of ‘contacts
with counterrevolutionaries'.
and the fourth ot ‘moral
offences !
Th e Sheikh flew Into Malta-
bad after more unrest was re .
ported in ICurdestan. Before
embarkl3g Ost hs Islamic mis-
sion. Shei$th Khalkhali issued a
communique banning all de-
inonstrations supporting the
outlawed Kurdish .Den!oeratic
Pirty ( K i 4L I ] warned that
onee again, counterrevolu-
tionaries were stirring up
trouble to ‘colour Kurdestan
with the blood of our—ccnrntrfl
ehildren.'
originally centred on demands
for autonomy. But following
list montb' battles with the
armed forces, they have since
been reduced to' angry de-
mands Out ‘.the baa G I L the
Kurdish leaders be lifted and
ttt”ttatSc guardsmen loyal
10 Ayatollah Khomeini be
pulled out of the province.
Senior ICurdisti sources do
not rule i n st tht possibility of
new negotiations with the Gov-
ernment. Firlier attentpte were
broken off nearly four weeks
ago, when the, armed forces
entered Mahabad
But, say the Kurt , the
opening of any flew uegotia-
t ons would .depeád, on a prior
commitmeztt:.from the Govern-
ment to meet. a three-point list
of Kurdisb demands. .In addi '
tioll I i the withdrawal of all
non-Kurdish Islamic guardsmen
from the area, the. Kurds want
the Government to JeJare a
ceasefire and lift the ban on
their leaders.
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5/27/2011
Article - Untitled Article
Islamic groups within the oil Acfcordlng to K U r d I a i i
company have demanded that sources in Tehian , three died
Mr Nazih be tried as a C0Ufl and 20 were wounderwnen a
LerrevolutiOoarT. The charge hand grenade was tossed Into a
1O,000strong protest march in
Mababad on Wednesday morn-
ing. The attacker, believed to
be a member of the Islamic
guardsmen, was stabbed to
death by enraged Kurds and
several guardsmen were also
taken hOstage.
The Kurdish version of the
Inoident differs substantiaII
from the government's. Accord-
ing tä the evening paper, Kay .
han, the grenade was thrown
into a vehicle carrying Islam ic
guardsmen arid flung back at
the marchers before explod ing.
About 50 Kb ? members were'
later reported to have been
arrested.
the troubles In Kurdeslan
The Iturds denied Govern-
nient claims , repe4tl& In
Thursday's: press :by the gov-
ernor-geiiersl of Kermanahab,
that Iraq was ,iqterferlnt in
Iran 's Internal, stairs by send-
ing large numUei1s of 3ralned
guerrillas into Kurdestan to
‘undertake large-scale sabota-
ge 1 t The Kurds were receiving
u n aid from foreign ,goven-
nents said a spokesman but
the Kurdish people of both
Iraq and Turkey weye supply.
Ing the Iranian Ktds wttb
food and medicine.
• Mahabad itself ‘was reported
•to be. quiet over the Iranian
weekend. Rut most stores in
the bazaat' reniained closed, de-
spite' tsarn(nfl televised loQally
that shopkeepers who refused
to op n their, flails would be
considered J&ofaedfel'arz (cor
rupt on earth).
In a strongly-worded editor-
ial, The Iranian, a weekly
magazine, has accused the cen-
tral authorities of trying “to
sweep the minorities under the
prayer rug.”
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