'the End of the Regime Is Near'

Scan page 5

Masoud Rajavi, leader of Iran's Mojahedeen, and former president Bani-Sadr, explained their assessments and perspectives recently in interviews with the Paris daily Le Monde. We THE PRESIDENT and prime mininster of Iran are only the latest victims of the near civil war in the country.

Opponents of the regime are being slaughtered by the hundred. And at the funeral of the president and prime minister, Prosecutor General Ayatollah Amlashi demanded that "revolutionary prosecutors" should act like the ancient Imam Ali "who chopped off the heads of 4,000 in one day"

The Mojahedeen, the Islamic opposition movement, report, 'Today in Iran the life of all political prisoners is in danger. Up to now (August 25) over 800 people have been executed, and the number of executions is rising.

"Last week in three days the daily number of executions was more than 40...

"The charges for which innocent young people have been executed have been ridiculous: 'participating in demonstrations'. "possession of a leaflet", "believing in all the positions of the Mojahedeen'.

"Many of them have been... girls aged 10 to 15 -more of them have received a summary trial which normally last about two minutes (Reports in the western Press confirm this - except for the one paper which conceals these facts, Gerry Healy's Newsline. It responded to the killing of the president and prime minister by giving over a centre page to mourn these "martyrs" "killed in the second bomb blast in two months directed against the country's revolutionary leadership" and to print a statement by Ayatollah Khomeini - or, as Newsline reverentially calls him, the Imam).

The Mojahedeen have not claimed the major assassinations as their work;

but they have not disclaimed them either. Individual assassination of the regime's Bani-Sadr looking to the army? and Mary Corbishley leaders is their openly proclaimed policy. "Many of those responsible for. the execution of the people have received their just punishment and have been killed" they boast.

It seems that the Mojahedeen have wide popular support. Certainly the regime is weakening.

There have been desertions from the Pasdaran - the Revolutionary Guards, the Islamic Republican Party's private army. And there is opposition to the bloodbath within the Majlis, the IRPdominated parliament.

The Mojahedeen base themselves on their experience of guerilla struggle against the Shah's regime, and hope that their present campaign of assassinations will be followed by mass uprisings like that struggle was.

But the battle of terrorism and counter-terrorism can only encourage passivity and fear among the masses. Despite the fact that repression in Iran now is by no means so systematic or uniform as under the Shah, there is practically no report of mass action by the opposition - strikes, demonstrations, etc.

The more the disorder of the regime, the bloodshed and the passivity of the masses, the greater the chances of a military coup. Bani-Sadr, quite probably, is consciously counting on this. He must have strong links with army commanders; and for American-trained officers hostile to the IRP autocracy, Bani-Sadr represents the best alternative.

So the working class, which bears the brunt of the IRP's despotism and demagogy, could also be among the main sufferers from its overthrow. It needs to organise independently, to join the struggle against IRP tyranny but also to fight for its own solutions to the crisis. LESS than 48 hours after the return of the second group of French people from Iran, the strict measures taken by the French authorities to keep the press away from the Iranian leaders who recently took refuge in Paris vanished as if by magic.

The police who had for several days been taking care that no journalist should make contact with Bani Sadr or Massoud Rajavi, now are only concerned with the protection of the foreign guests, installed in a modest summer house in Auvers-surOise.

"The situation is now normal", ,. Massoud Rajavi, chief of the Mojahedeen, said to us. "We can now begin our work. I have not come to stay in France. I intend to return to my country as soon as possible after doing what I came to do in Paris."

What did you come to do? Firstly, to make known to the whole world the extent and the importance of the resistance to the bloody and savage dictatorship which prevails in Iran, to denounce Khomeini's lies, things which it was difficult for us to do while in hiding.

Our journey was also necessary to assure the safety of the President, Bani Sadr, and my own. That is not to say that we were in a weak position in Iran, but we did not want to take any risks as regards our security. What is the position with regard to the formation of the National Council or Resistance?

Up until now, because of the uncertainties of our situation in France we have not been able to do a great deal. But now we will be able to redouble our efforts to put onto a sound footing a really representative resistance organisation.

Everybody will be able to take part if they accept our principles of liberty and independence, on the condition that they have not collaborated with the Shah or Komeini.

Are you in favour of the Islamic republic?

We are for a democratic Islamic republic, but different from Khomeini's, which is essentially reactionary and anti-islamic. If we condemn Khomeini. it is not to award an! gord marks to tha Donateha but on the .. nia: :ur condemnation .:: Aaron a a direct OD OaT Conden!

marion ei ee Shah.

One of the most appali ing legacies of the Shar is Khomeint inisel.

Fi repeat upain. we wil no: rescive our problems through a return 1o the past.

What we want is to create an independent. non-aligned, tree. democratic and truly Islamic iran.

You mink then that the regime is aligned. Why?

I would say that it is on the way to becoming aligned and dependent. To assure oneselt of that it is only necessary 10 look at the commercial relations it has entered into with Israel for the purchase of armaments, the repression of progressive forces and the Way that the American hostage operation unfolded.

On the scene they were injuring rachother while behind the curtain they were holding hands publish extracts.

In other words you are accusing the present regime of being pro-American! I say that the Khomeini regime is a reactionary regime which is preparing the ground for a return of the exploiters, and then of the United States and all those whose ambition is to pillage Iran.

The Shah accused you being Islamic Marxists? Not just the Shah, also Khomeini. For them, everybody who is not reactionary and servile must in effect be a Marxist. We are Moslems, and our philosophical ideas are fundamentally different from Marxist theories. On the practical level, what is the nature of your activity in Iran?

Our essential objective resistance to a reign terror which understands other language than that You have been accused of being the originators of the terrorism.

We condemn terrorism. For us, terrorism is the action of a small group separated trom the people, who hope to make their point of view prevail by means of attacks on individuals. We consider that in no case can attacks against individuals lead to the modification of social conditions or to the objectives that we are struggling for.

For us, the name of terrorism is Khomeini: a bloodthirsty animal who pretends to be god on earth. Who is at the origin of the terrorism? The one who suppressed all our liberties, or us?

For our part we call our action 'resistance'. If you know any other way to resist Khomeini tell us and we will be grateful. Our resistance does not harm the innocent. We condemn vigorous!! those who place bombs in cars and in public places to discredit the revolutionaries.

You have neither conaemned nor approved the blowing up of the neadquarters of the istanic Republican Paris. However, a was on act oi terror as vote have charac terised them.

The IRP Is Known in iran 1s the knuckleduster party. Wo have in our possession a multitude ot documents proving that that party is at the origin of the repression and the mass murders. Ii is very unpopular and is hated by the population.

Did you or did vol not aynamite the headquarters of the IRP I have not yet received any терогі trom friends about that affair. But what !

would say here is that the russiance in Iran is totally leemunale.

Don't you think that an acr of resistar ce such as dynamiring the offices of the IRP will only drengthen the Rajavi most reactionary elements in the party, who are aiming to step up the repression? The only thing I would be able to say on that subject is that the end of the IRP is near. The intensification of the repression is proof of it.

Don't forget that towards the end of the Shah's regime we saw a similar acceleration of the operations of repression. History seems to be repeating itself.

Abridged from Le Monde, August 16-17. Translated by John Plant.

Khomeini control

Bani-Sadr declared that he was opposed both to Khomeini and to "the pro-Americans led from abroad". . He assessed the attacks on leaders of the regime as "inevitable" and stressed the weak position of the IRP. 'ou have yourself ofter. poken about the army, anc ssured us that 90% of then upported you. How do yor xplain the fact that the] lave made no move sincı iour sacking? Do you coun in them to regain power? Che army could-not mov secause it was at the front. nyself demanded that the! ontinue the fight. I was anı i remain opposed to the ide of a military rising. It is th people which must chang its own fate.

On the other hand, it wa me, and I am proud of i who changed the mentalit of the army, which is nor loved by the people an prestigious, because for th first time in its history it : participating in the defenc of Iranian independence. But the total war you ar waging against the regime i Tehran must contribute t the weakening of the wi which the army is waging? The army is not fighting 1 defend the regime, but 1 protect the country. An soldier in Iran would say tł same thing. You act and speak as i!:" IRP had no influence in country any longer. Are io so sure?

Khomeini himself shows r Otherwise why would he 3 carrying out such blood executions, the number = which increases daily. It clear that the Imam has lo: his popularity. In fact he ha only got about 15% to 2!t of the population with him. Are you sure of this figure Remember that the day afte your election you said !? IRP no longer exists' tu yet.

You are making a mistak The IRP no longer exists. is not in power. It is no mo: than the Rastakhiz par: under the Shah, a covi which has no political realit but justifies and legitimati the • actions of the Islam institutions, of Pasdarans, the revolutionar tribunals, the committee the organisations of th Moustazafin (disinherited). And the affair of it. American hostages? Let us speak openly. It w. this affair which opened u eyes and made me unde stand that the tendency : towards dictatorship.

The hostages affa changed many thing notably the balance power between the Mullai and the intellectual Previously it had been i intellectuals who made u of the Mullahs, and afte wards it was the Mullal who made use of the inte lectuals.

I began to explain : development to the peop: Despite my functions President I became leader of the opposition. :: in this role I succeedec changing many things. = that is why I do not conse myself the vanquished = the victor.

Scan page 6

mialist Organiser, Thursday 3 September 1981 Page 6