Iran yields ground on Kurdish autonomy

          
          Iran yields ground on Kurdish autonomy
          The Sass (1837-1985); Nov 3, 1979; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Baltimore Ssao, The (1837-1986)
          ITf yields ground
          on Kurdish autonomy
          Mahabad, lrflteuter)—A govern-
          ment peace minion arrived in this rebel
          capital yesterday and announced that the
          Iranian authorities were prepared to con-
          cede some form of self-rule to the Kurdish
          provinces
          The three-man team—Hashem Saba-
          ghian. the interior minister, Dariush
          Forouhar, the internal affairs minister,
          and Ezzatollah Sahabi, the planning and
          budget director—flew by helicopter into
          the army-held Mahabad barracks.
          They left by car without escort for the
          local governor's office, where they got a
          friendly reception from about 3,000 Kurds
          chanting “Long live the Rurdish Demo-
          c'ratic Party” and waving portraits of the
          Kurdish spiritual leader. Sheik Ezzeddin
          liosseini.
          There had been speculatiun that the
          ministerial visit might be canceled after
          an ambush last night on the road between
          the Kurdish towns of Sardasht and Saneh
          in which, the state radio said, an army co-
          lonel and 12 soldiers were killed.
          Rebel sources in Raneh said the am-
          bush. sparked fierce fighting in the town
          between guerrillas who took control two
          days ago and army and revolutionary
          guard forces. Rebels said they bad killed
          55 government troops.
          The sources said the clashes were still
          going on.
          The crowd which welcomed the gov-
          ernment ministers included armed guer-
          rillas. The Kurds applauded when Mr.
          Forouhar told -them: “Your legitimate
          rights will be met by the government.”
          On Kurdish demands for limited self-
          e said: “The Islamic government of
          lieves that these demands are le-
          gitimate and must be met. The mainte-
          nance of cultural characteristics and local
          control of the internal affairs of the prov-
          ince have always been acceptable to the
          government.”
          Mr;Sabaghlan said after talking with
          local Kutds: “We were very hopeful, and
          now we are more hopeful than ever.”
          Mr. Forouhar held out hope to other
          ethnic minorities when he saId: “The Is-
          lamic Republic of I as the capac ity to
          give Individual a soc a) freedoms to
          Shia and Sunni Muslimsi and ethnk? mi-
          noritieL”
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