Iranian Ethnic Factions ignore Cease-Fire Order
B // ii iarn Bier igir // ashngto i Post I oteigli Sen ice
The U oihho',oiz P( it (1) 4 ( w1eni h1e 21, 1979.
Pr iQ iest Historical Ness spapers The /Vashrngton Post (1877 1994)
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att1 g u Nørthw st
lrainan Ethnic Factions
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ignore. ease r ire t raer
By William Branigin
- Wishin tOn Post POr iRIi Servthe/
TEHRAN April 22—A conflict be-
tween Kurdish tribesmen and Turk-
ish speaking Azerbai nnis raged into
the third day today despite a cease-
fire ultimatur n fl-am the government
in Tçliran' and a threat to send Ayatol
Iah RuhoIlah Khotheini' Islamic
Ai -m to quell the fighting
The combatants in the town of
T hqadeh in northwestern Iran appar-
euitly nored t ie government's de-
mand:that they cease fire by 4 p m or
fá e intervention by Army troops. Sal-
di rs fronra military gatiison “1 the
ai a v ii e sent to the scene arbund
n1 dday, but there were conflicting ye-
po t s on whether they actually en-
tered the town The troons reodrtedly
nuthbeiied no more than a few bun
ed and were believed to have taken
positrons outside Naqadch
Report from the scene tonight said
e fighting died dawn after nightfall 1
‘but it was unclear whether this was
J cause of any truce agreement.
Tbe reports said tension was rising
in neighboring towns between Kurd-
ish and Turkish inhabitants 1 and that
authorities feared that the violence
thight pread beyond Naqadeh.
Teliran newspapers today said up to
80 people have been killed so far in
fierce house-to-house fighting in
Naqadeh, a town of mixed Kurdish,
Turkish- and Persian-speaking inhabit-
ants in Iran's West Azerbaijan Prov-
ince
While the battle in Naqadeh dealt a
new setback to Khomeini's efforts to
restore otder and centralired author
ity to a countiy wracked by revolu
tion, the ayatollah extended his influ
enec aver the government in Telu-an
by naming a close aide acting foreign
minister.
Dr. Ibrahim Yazth, the deputy pre
mier for i evolutionsi y affan s, was put
in charge of the Foreign Ministry to
day following the resignation last
week of Karini San3abi, Prime Minis
ter Mehdi Bazargan technically took
over the foreign ministers' portfolio,
but the task of running the ministry
was assigned to Yazdi,
A farmer cancer researcher in
iTp rp Ve di hiw h nme the subject
0' controversy here because of his be
hind the scenes role as a lending mem
ber of Khomeini's entourage Yazdi's
cor solidation of personal power he
keeps his position as deputy prime
minister—appeared likely to aggra
vate strains between staunch Kho
mcmi supporters and an emerging co-
alition of Iranian liberals and leftists,
who are feeling i creasingly excluded
by the government.
At the same time, the Tehran gov-
ernment issued a warning to the
United States and Mexico that any of
fer of asylum to tile deposed shah, his
family and entourage would be con
sidered ‘an unfriendly act” The gay-
ernmenf said it has invalidated the
Iianian passports of the shah and
other members of the royal family
who left the country before the Feb
ruary revolution that topplecr the
mnn s- hy
In Naqadeh fighting intensified to-
day following two days of battles
sparked by shooting during a rally for
Kurdish autonomy at a sports sta
dium
Battling the predominantly Suni
Moslem Kurds of the leftist Iranian
wing of the Kurdistan Derhocratic
party in today's fighting were Azerba-
i anis of Turkish origin and Persia s
loyal to the Khomeini revolutionary
committees. Bath gi oups are mostly
Shilte Moslem and more conservative.
In a message to the people of Na-
qadeh, Interior Minister Ahmad
Sadr Haj Seyed Javadi called for an
end to the fighting “between brother
Moslems ” Desprte his cease fire ul
timatuin and threat to send in troops,
however, the government appears to
have no alternative capable of restor-
ing oi-der short of talking the warring
factions into accepting a truce.
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