Kurds threaten to abandon Iranian citizenship unless demands are met

          Publication: Guardian 1821-2000; Date: Jun 22, 1979; Section: None; Page: 7
          Kurds threaten to abandon Iranian
          ëiliiénship unless demands aWillét
          From Liz Thurgood
          in tehran
          More than 12,00D Kurdish re-
          fugces have tliVCp l v d to
          abandon their Iranian citizen-
          ship and march inLu Turkey OL
          Iraq if the Government does
          not allow them to return to
          their homes in safety.
          The ultimatum was delivered
          yesterday by the Kurdi Pi rein-
          gee committee which waS Let
          up after ft httng in The wes-
          inn towit of Nagliadeli two
          months ago. According to a
          committee spokesman, 12,473
          Kurdish men, wonton, and
          cl flJt CL I were made homeless
          by the fighting and are now
          wandering from town to town
          In search of help, frightened to
          return home.
          The Kurds have also Lssue.j
          a, flYC r at list of demands
          which 1 they saY. must ,be Eu!.
          filled before they wilt return
          1(1 Naghadch. these range
          from the prosecution of
          “members of the Shah 's r e -
          gime” now serving on the
          Jnlan Konittelis. 11w replace-
          ment of the Komitebs (made
          up of Persian J, with councils
          of Kinds and Turks 4 control of
          llirtjral gendarnieric. and
          Government compensation for
          damaged property
          The Thirdiich action appar
          i'ntly follows repeaLed elfou'ts
          In try to negotiate a- ett1eutont -
          with the Govcrmnent. the cOin-
          iniUte cabled the Prime Minis-
          ter'a office warning that: it
          would seèi political asylum in
          either iraq or Turkey it their
          demands were iiol met The
          deadline espires at midnight on
          Monday.
          “If neither the Iraqis nor
          the Turks wilt give us a home,
          we will ask other countrIes
          such as Afghnnisja , Kuwait,
          o” Pakistan,” said Mulnmnmiad
          Morad Rassouli, one ol' five
          committee itienibers visiting
          Tehran to try to see Dr Mebdi
          Bazargan. the Prime tlnIster.
          The ICurds have been told Ib M.
          a meeting cannot be arranged
          for at least two months.
          The demands coincide with
          fresh reports of Kurdish 1 1 1k-
          luippiness with the u wi, - re-
          leased draft Constitution. The
          Kui-ds. and Ii'a 's other rei ttess
          such as the
          Turkoinans and Arabs, h id
          been hoping that the 1M-
          article—document-- would offer
          the m autononty
          But the only concession the
          Guvernntent appears ready to
          make is greater participation
          in running their own affairs
          and the right to linguisti c -and
          cultural freedoms, -
          The refugees were made
          homeless when fierce fighting
          broke out between the Kurds
          and Turks two montbs—ite
          The Ira ni an Army moved In
          whit nd helicopters and
          the Kinds claimed that 200 of
          thei. aple died in the ensu-
          ing battle. The Ku.trd.s claim
          that the Gov ei t has
          offered no help.
          Meanwhile. Sheikh Sadeeli
          Khatkkall. reputedly close to
          the religious leaders, has put i
          price of S131,000 on the Shah/
          head. “Anyone who OHMS-
          slnaies the hal' .will receive •
          hero's welcome,' the Slieikh
          told Iranian newspapers yester-
          l i L l Y. I1 I I La L1IC Wilt glitter Ifl
          i i i tory.”
          Earlier, the Sheukim, who re-
          cently upset many Iranians by
          proposing the Persi O ll be
          Tenanmed the Islantie Gulf, din-
          closed that three gunmen had
          been seal to Mexien 10 kill ilie
          Shah. The Sb h's wile.
          Livipress Fara, could return
          home freely, he said. shoukl
          slw either kill the Shah her-
          self, or help in his assassins-
          tion.
          Avotalhth Khomeini's special
          envoy in The holy city of
          Najaf, Iraq. Ayatollah fle vani,
          has reporiedly been seized by
          the Ha'alhist regime in a con-
          honing wave of arrests,
          © Guardian News and Media Limited
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