5/27/2011
Article - Untitled Article
Publication: Guardian 1821-2000; Date: Oct 4, 1979; Section: None; Page: 7
Iran signals guarded goodwill.. to Russia
Front Liz Thurgood
In Tehran
The Tudeh (Conaniunist)
Party newspaper, Mardom, has
reappeared in what Is believed
to be a guarded gesture of
goodwill towards the Soviet
Union.
The pro-Russian MaMma
(People) was dosed ‘with 40
other “Opposition” papers in
mid-August. No reason was
given, but government officials
said the publications had been
suspected of “conspiracy.”
In an editorial marking its
return on Tuesday, Mardom
said the paper would continue
its “revolutionary struggle
hand-in-hand with the people.”
Previously a weekly, It also
announced plans to start daily
publication.
Observers, however, have
noted that ‘the reopening of
Mardom coincided with reports
that the Iranian Ambassador in
Moscow warlm'olved ut talks
on a substantial price Increase
for Iranian supplies of natural
gas—frss Foreign Minister
has beeirquotea as saying that
Russia was buying Iranian
natuai gas at only one-third
the International price.
Last week Ambassador
Mobaounad Mokrl said that
under a new agreement the
Soviet Union would pay Iran a
new price backdated Ueb-
mary 10. The new price has
not been disclosed, but the
Ambassador's remarks have
raised speculation that a re-
viow of the IGAT II gas pipe-
line project might be tied to
the agreement.
The project, originally esti-
mated to have cost $3.5 mil-
lions and later delayed by the
February uprisIng, was to have
increased deliveries of natural
gas to the Soviet Union, allow-
trig Moscow to supply gas to
Western Europe.
Soviet-Iran relations have
been described as uneasy since
Ayatollah Khomeini came to
power in February. Among
contributing factors have been
Moscow's involvement in neigh-
bouring Af?hanlstan and
widely-publicised suspicions in
Tehran that Bussla was con-
nected with troubles in Kur-
destan. —
The Kbomelni Government
was reported to be parLicularly
annoyed by an article In tans-
Us last month, saying that the
Iranian revolution bad eel-
h, J Into economic chaos,
political repression, and ethnic
suppression. The, article was
written by Alexander Bovin,
whose public comments were
thought to reflect official think-
ing.
In August, Khomeini's Gov-
ernment sealed the offices of
the Tudeh Party and banned
Mardom. Because of its Un-
swerving support of Soviet poli-
cies and Iran's traditional
distrust of he.aerthern neigh.
bow's Inten t iens, the party is
believed to command little sup-
port.
- Since emergIng openly
eariler this year, the Tudeli
Party has ostensibly supported
Ithonieni's Islamic policies. In
recent statements, however.
Tudeh leaders have issued
warnings about the dangers of
using the military to try to
solve the iCurdish troubles and
said that ‘ a turn , to the Right
would Intensify the class
struggle.”
Despite such populist senti-
ment, the party has long been
shunned by Irmi's Left-wing
which, starting”b* month, de.
fled the authorities by brlngiaç
out their own “opposition
weeklies.
Meanwhile, Khomeini has
called for a total purge of the
clvii service and urged Iran's
40,000 oil workers to su perP
their new thief, Mr AU Mom-
far, who replaced Mr Ifassan
Naaih earlier this week,
in remarks ‘to the Prime
Minister and his new Cabinet
on Tuesday night and bread.
cast yesterday, the Ayatollah
acknowledged reports of go.
slows in Government agencies
and said: ‘If' they are sup-
porters nf the past regime,
their names should be taken
down and they should be
purged.”
In his first reference to the
oil workers since last week's
upheaval, he also called on. the
employees of the National
Iranian Oil Company to “sup-
pwb—”*Molnfar), work for the
country and not (indulge) us
go-slows.”
Mr Nazlh's dismissal came
amid fears of major disrup-
tions In the oil industry, but
earlier this week oil officials
said production had remained
constant at four million barrels
a day of which 3.3 mIllion were
exported.
Renter adds: Iranian author-
ities said yestes'da,—bhat Kur-
dish rebels had launche4
of guerrilla attacks in the
western border region and at
least five members of the
security forces were killed.
There was no mention of guer-
rilla casualties. The most seri-
ous outbreak took place In the
mountain town of Sardasth
near the border with Iraq.
In Isfahan, Iran's second
largest city, a Meelein clergy-
man was executed yesterday
after being convicted of crimes
Including rape, sodomy, and
seducing young girls, the offi-
cial Pars news agency said.
UP! adds: Saboteurs bombed
a north-hound train from the
southern ethnic Arab city of
Khorramshahr yesterday, killing
five people and injuring at least
16 others.
© Guardian News and Media Limited
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