leader: israel's annihilation, only solution to m.e. problem (31.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 31, irna -- the supreme leader ayatollah seyed ali khamenei friday reiterated that the annihilation of the zionist regime was the only solution to end the sufferings of the palestinian people and solve the middle east crisis. "from islamic, humanitarian, economic, security and political points of view, today the presence of israel is a very big threat against the regional nations and states. "and there is only one solution to (solve) the middle east problem, namely the annihilation and destruction of the zionist state." addressing a large crowd of muslim worshipers gathered at the tehran university after holding a grand rally marking the international qods day, the leader further stated: "the palestinian refugees must return to their homeland. there are eight million refugees inside and outside palestine) who are the main owners of the palestinian lands. the majority of them are muslims and there are a small number of jews and christians as well. the owners of palestine, that is the palestinian nation (must) form a government which must decide whether to keep those who have migrated to palestine from other countries." he said muslims throughout the world had every duty to defend the palestinians in whatever possible manner. "part of the islamic land is under the occupation of the enemy and we muslims are all duty bound to defend the land and return it to its main owners," he said. ayatollah khamenei said what the iranian people did today was a great contribution to the palestinian cause. "one way of helping the palestinians is by keeping their memory alive. what you did today at the qods day rallies, was great. they (israelis) want to consign palestine to oblivion today. but you will not allow this to happen, the qods day will not let this happen as the great imam did not let it happen."
the international qods day was initiated by the late founder of the islamic republic imam khomeini over two decades ago. the leader also lashed out at the u.s., certain western countries and international human rights organizations for turning a blind eye to the atrocities committed by the zionist regime. "it is strange that the human rights organizations are dead. the americans and some westerners who claim to have the mission to promote democracy in the world, have disgraced themselves in this issue. because there exists a nation who has no power of influence whatsoever regarding the state affairs and no one would listen to them." the leader said that from security point of view, the question of palestine is a threat against the entire region. "israel is now in possession of nuclear arsenals and continues to produce (weapons). it has not heeded the warnings of the united nations either, mainly because of the u.s. support (for israel). the american regime is mainly to blame for the crimes of the zionists and the usurper state (of israel)." over the past 50 years that the zionists have been in power, ayatollah khamenei stated, the u.s. has vetoed 29 resolutions issued against israel at the u.n. security council. furthermore, he said, over the past decade since the disintegration of the former soviet union (1990), the u.s. has not allowed the security council to raise any resolution against israel. "the united states which appears in peace loving guises and sometimes shows its poisonous smiles to all world nations, including the innocent iranian people, is the number one culprit in the palestine issue. the hands of the united states are fully stained with the bloods of the palestinians." the leader also called on the palestinians not to vest any hope in the so-called peace talks with israel. "peace is only a ploy by the zionists to prepare for their future aggressions...
"peace is very good, but where and with who? someone has entered your house forcefully, occupied your residence, insulted your family and now talks about peace," the leader ridiculed israel for its peace claims. "the zionist regime has been founded on bullying, violence and cruelty and proceed on this very basis." from economic point of view, he said, israel is also a threat to the region. the zionists want to create a so-called "new middle east" with israel dominating the region economically. "they aim to gradually dominate the arab countries in the region economically and then the oil rich regions in the persian gulf. some of the (arab) governments too, are ignorant (of this fact). when you object to them, they say `we have not established relations but allowed their businessmen to be present.' that is exactly what they the supreme leader said what yaser arafat and his aides were doing to the palestinians in the name of serving them was "sheer treason". quoting a u.s.-based palestinian writer, the leader said: "arafat and his gang have not been able to collect the garbage from the streets of the gaza city yet but during this time, established five intelligence organizations which are spying against the people and against each other. can you call this a palestinian state? can you call this the return of the palestinians (o their homeland)? can you all this restoration of the palestinians'' rights? are they so shameless? there fore, when this guy (arafat) started his first talks with the israelis, i declared that he is both a traitor and an idiot. had he been a traitor but wise, he would have acted better than this."

elsewhere in his remarks, ayatollah khamenei stated that the reason that the lebanese and syrian governments held talks with israel was because they were under pressure. "they have their own problems, their own bottlenecks. nf course, the question of the nations is different from that nf the governments. the nations have always a lot to complain about. but the governments have to utter some words, hold some negotiations and adopt some stances, under certain pressures."
:irna 31/12/99 14:58

leader inspects exhibit, addresses information ministry staff (28.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 28, irna -- supreme leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah seyed ali khamenei inspected an exhibit set up by the ministry of information which displayed the activities and accomplishments of the ministry. in a brief address, the leader expressed satisfaction with the activities and progress made by the ministry and said the progress is the indication of many scientific and research works conducted by the ministry over the past several years. the leader said the personnel of the information ministry are proud of their scientific progress and the services they have rendered in the past (20 years) in the absence of which the islamic republic would have faced many serious difficulties. commenting on involvement of few members of the ministry in serial-murders in tehran last year, the leader said such a problem may happen in all intelligence agencies, but, the ministry should proud that ''it itslef has identified these few internal viruses and driven them out like decayed teeth.'' the supreme leader said the enemies of the islamic revolution work hard to strike a blow to the prestige of the information ministry staff and to this end certain segments of the press are accompanying the enemies. it is not surprising that any (government) institute that works against the interests of the global arrogance and the enemies of islam are exposed to more hostilities, the leader said. "the best reply to this sabotage is to intensify your efforts and do not leave for a moment your security umbrella, something which the enemies wish to see. they create storms to force you to be yield but you should reinforce your security umbrella firmer and much more better," the leader said. ''man's true personality becomes clear in difficult circumstances. you should build-up your spirit in the wake of the blow and to perform your duty more vigorously than before,'' the leader said. meanwhile, the personnel of the ministry performed their prayers led by ayatollah ali khamenei on monday evening and broke their fast along with the leader.
:irna 28/12/99 17:18

supreme leader receives top-level officials (25.12.1999)

tehran, dec 25, irna -- supreme leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah seyed ali khamenei in a meeting saturday with high-level officials emphasized the necessity of observing the religious piety for the officials in dealing with various issues, in their decision-makings and their behavior towards their juniors. the leader commented on the important role of the religious faith of the officials in preventing the conflicts, removing the bottlenecks and problems and advised the officials to avoid luxurious life, to economize on spending public funds and to try to implement adopted project plans. in the meeting, the supreme leader stressed the need for the inner repose rooted in strong divine faith for officials in order to take proper decisions when faced with social, economic, political and security hardships. reminding the officals of the important responsibility they shoulder vis-a-vis the society, he said what is of prime importance in the islamic system is tracing clearly defined lines detemining the right and the wrong. the leader stressed that one should know what is right and how one could translate it into action while being fully aware of the aims pursued by the unjust individuals. touching on the efforts made by the prophet mohammad (sawa) to clearly define the distinguishing lines between the right and the wrong, he said the main reason for appointment of the prophet to the prophethood and his divine efforts was to expand his realm of rightfulness and pushing back the paganism.

before the supreme leader's speech in the meeting, president seyed mohammad khatami addressed the audience and congratulated them on the occasion of the birth anniversary of imam hassan mojtaba (as) and the saint mary (as). underlining that the development is a sustainable phenomenon, he said dividing the various dimensions of the development would create many problems in the society. he said that all aspects of the development which refer to economic, political, cultural and social fields should advance in parallel with each other while being in keeping with the religious values and norms. the president pointed out that the economic development, increased productivity and improved level of national gross product would not be achieved so long as the the social justice and removal of hardships facing the low-income classes of the society are not considered. the authorities' sense of responsibility, freedom of thought and expression are considered as principles of the political development, he said and added that all these norms and values would make sense only within the framework of respect for true values and the constitution.
the real identity of the iranian nation is an islamic one and the development should not damage this identity since the true political development would not be achieved but through observing this islamic identity.
referring to the financial hardships facing the public and in particular the low-income strata of people, the president said the government and officials are paying special attention to removing such problems facing the public. as for the unemployment, the government will implement a plan named "emergency plan for unemployment". referring to the sixth round of the parliamentary polls, khatami said the people are the main backing for the revolution, the system and the society and all the nation members are duty bound to take part in the elections. the media should refrain from manipulating the public opinion so that a calm atmosphere be created for the voters to cast their ballots in the forthcoming polls, the president concluded.
:irna 26/12/99 00:05

leader hosts members of student organizations for iftar (20.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 20, irna -- a large group of members of various student organizations at universities of tehran here monday evening were guests to the supreme leader of islamic revolution ayatollah ali khamenei for iftar (fast breaking) reception.

ayatollah khamenei in his address to the audience stressed importance of spiritual values and piety among students and underlined their vigilance against plots hatched by enemies. the guests also said their evening congregational prayers led by the supreme leader.
:irna 20/12/99 22:40

president, cabinet members take part in leader's iftar reception (19.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 19, irna -- president mohammad khatami and his cabinet members on sunday evening were guests for iftar (breaking fast) reception given by the leader of the islamic revolution, ayatollah seyed ali khamenei. addressing the audience, the leader advised the government officials to abide by the principles of piety and frugality and wished them success in reaching their objectives and programs to remove the current social problems.

the guests also said their evening congregational prayers led by the paramount leader.
:irna 19/12/99 19:58

leader receives chancellors, professors and deputy ministers (18.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 18, irna -- the leader of the islamic revolution, ayatollah seyed-ali khamenei, on saturday received a group of chancellors and professors of iranian universities, superintendents of iranian academies and his personal representatives at colleges and universities. at the meeting, ayatollah khamenei offered his personal outlooks on the academic and educational roles of institutes of higher education and recalled the contribution of theological as well as lay education to the overall islamic education in iran, and also stressed the need to rely on indigenous expertise for national construction. among his visiting audience were also deputies of ministers of higher education, and of health and medical education.

the visiting officials later said a sunset and evening congregational prayers led by the leader of the islamic revolution.
:irna 18/12/99 21:00

leader slams u.s. for closing its eyes to realities in iran (17.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 17, irna -- the supreme leader ayatollah seyed ali khamenei friday lashed out at the united states for turning a blind eye to the realities about post-revolution iran. the leader who was addressing a large group of fasting worshipers at the tehran university campus, blasted the united states for continuing its hostility against the people of iran over the past two decades since the islamic revolution which toppled the former regime. "it is for 20 years that the americans have been openly and impudently acting against our country and people. they explicitly state that they are hostile to our system, our religion and our (political) position-taking because we have been threatening their interests in the region...
"on the other hand, there are individuals (inside the country) who want to prove, with their rotten pens, that the u.s. is not our enemy. they believe that, like other governments and individuals who have submitted to the power of the u.s., we too must bow down before that country!" addressing iran's enemies, particularly the u.s., the supreme leader stated: "a people who fought for 20 years to achieve victory, and then put up resistance for another 20 years and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of its youth, certainly possesses a deeply-rooted belief and thought that you cannot take away so easily. are your intelligence experts so superficial and naive?" the leader said that even when iran was under the full domination of the u.s. and no one dared to speak against america, the nation rose up and saved the country. "what makes you think that today that everything is under the control of this people and its youth, you would be able to regain those privileges? you are totally mistaken," he said, addressing washington. the leader also regretted that certain individuals inside the country were unknowingly working to restore the u.s. domination over
iran "without themselves benefiting from such a domination." "when the enemy claps for you, remember that you have done something wrong against your own people," the supreme leader warned pro-american groups inside the country.
:irna 17/12/99 14:55

leader says enemy wants to destroy nation's unity, faith, hope (17.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 17, irna -- the leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah seyed ali khamenei warned the nation of continued enemy attempts to undermine their unity, faith and hope. addressing a large group of muslim worshipers at the tehran university campus, the supreme leader stated: "a great and lively nation such as the people in iran, who are engaged in construction and scientific progress, must be vigilant and beware the enemy's designs. it cannot be presumed that such a nation with its great aspirations, would have no enemies. "we are talking about a nation who rose up against the foreign intervention, cut off the hands of the foreigners, put an end to their plunder of our oil resources, and toppled the regime which was working for the cause of the foreigners. we are talking about a nation who is following its own ideals today and is opposed to oppression, discrimination, and plundering." rejecting the assumption held by some people inside the country that the threat of the "enemy" was "imaginary", the leader said the enemies of the nation were following three aims against the iranians, amely to destroy their national unity, their faith and beliefs, and their hopes and future. "and interestingly, they do all this in the name of reform," said the leader. praising the nation for their unity and cohesion since the 1979 islamic revolution, the leader said: "it was due to this unity that our nation became victorious in the war (with iraq), and we owe all our progress to this unity. the enemies cannot stand this oneness and therefore, try their best to pit our people against one another... as you see, the internal agents of the enemies keep talking about `a great political turmoil' in iran and the foreign radios too add fuel to the fire... some newspaper headlines in our country which claim there is tension, even mislead the foreign experts who maintain no presence here."
the leader urged the officials and the people, particularly the clergy and the youth, to be ever vigilant and "never ignore the threat of the enemy."
:irna 17/12/99 13:57

leader says may 23 epic must be repeated in forthcoming polls (17.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 17, irna -- the leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah seyed ali khamenei urged the nation to repeat the epic of may 23 (the presidential elections of 1997) in the next parliamentary polls. "the next polls too, must become a source of honor and pride for the nation, just like the khordad 2 (may 23) elections," said the leader, addressing a large group of fasting worshipers at the tehran university campus and its nearby streets at the weekly friday prayers. the supreme leader added: "the presence of the people at the ballots must neutralize the plots of the enemies," he urged. "today, islam and the islamic system in iran are more powerful than ever and we owe this to the support of the people," the leader noted. recalling the may 23, 1997 presidential elections in which some 30 million people participated, the leader said that after the great event, certain foreign radios acted in a manner as though they were behind the creation of the epic instead of the iranian nation. "a couple of days after the elections, the elected president, mr. khatami requested a meeting with me... at that meeting i told him that the foreign radios are pretending as though the khordad 2 event was a move against the revolution, islam and the late imam. i told the esteemed elected president that the first thing he must do is to slap these radios in the face - something that he did in his first news conference. "ever since, thanks be to god, all the officials, have been reiterating the stances of the revolution, the imam and islam and have been calling for commitment to the islamic values. and this is a source of honor for us." ks/ks end
::irna 17/12/99 13:45

leader says cultural activities should serve islamic values (15.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 15, irna -- leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah seyed ali khamenei said on wednesday that cultural activities should serve the religious faith and the islamic values. in a meeting with the chairman and members of the high council for cultural revolution, the leader expressed dismay at negligence of the influence that culture has on social, political and economic developments. ayatollah khamenei said culture has definite impact on perception of human being and plays a determining role in the social and individual behaviors. therefore, if the lofty beliefs of a nation were undermined, the community's future would be endangered. the leader said the islamic revolution has brought enormous means
to promote the islamic culture and the officials in charge of cultural institutions including the high council for cultural revolution are required to adopt measures to neutralize the enemy's attempt to cast doubt over the popular beliefs and national determination of the iranian nation. the supreme leader also expressed displeasure with absence of due attention to the religious and revolutionary values in the current cultural and artistic activities. the leader said "the iranian people have sacrificed their lives for the cause of islam and tolerated different hardships for the islamic revolution, so the nation follows islam and the islamic values. in the meantime, the nation attained progress and honor thanks to the islamic teachings." the leader recommended that the cultural executives should take into account the approvals of the high council for cultural revolution and called on the ministry of culture and islamic guidance to give priority to the spirit of the islamic values in its performance. the leader also called on the ministries and organizations working in the field of culture not to create an atmosphere in which the faithful employees may be isolated. prior to the leader's speech, chairman of the high council for cultural revolution president mohammad khatami gave a report on the intensive works done by the council to study methods of fighting the cultural invasion.
:irna 15/12/99 16:23

leader calls for people's massive turnout in majlis elections (14.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 14, irna -- the supreme leader monday urged the people to massively turn out in the upcoming parliamentary elections. he also called on the officials to ensure that the elections will be held in a "healthy and sound climate." ayatollah seyed ali khamenei who was addressing a group of officials in charge of holding the elections, added that free elections in islamic iran were the secret behind the system's power and stability and "a manifestation of the people's presence in administration of the country." the sixth parliamentary elections will be held throughout the country on feb. 18. "we must all try that the elections will be held in the best possible manner and with the massive participation of the people. we are confident that the people will turn out massively in the polls and carry out their divine duty and that the event will become another source of honor for the islamic system," the leader also stressed the need for the rule of law in the course of the elections, and noted: "the constitution has devised a very wise strategy for holding polls by assigning the government to stage the elections and having a body out of the government to monitor the whole process to ensure its accuracy. both of these bodies enjoy legal rights and bases which they must stress upon." ayatollah khamenei further cautioned the elections officials against the outbreak of any sabotage and problems during the polls and said the government, particularly the organizations in charge of the elections, must be vigilant not to be accused of partiality. rather, he stressed, they should maintain total impartiality and refrain from making statements which might indicate their siding with a certain group. this, the leader maintained, will lead people to trust the officials in charge of the elections. ayatollah khamenei urged "qualified persons" to participate in the majlis elections "as a moral and religious obligation" and maintained that those who feel they could be of service to the country and contribute to formation of an "independent, powerful, evolutionary and religious parliament" must run. "and i hope the people will elect the best among all," he noted. referring to the islamic consultative assembly as a basic and important pillar in running the state, the leader said people should have a parliament to serve their cause, the principles of the islamic revolution, take up the lord's path and aim at further guiding the country towards islamic rules by approving or rejecting bills. ayatollah khamenei went on to say that the elections authorities should try to have a majlis which would hoist the banner of islam and seriously pursue the path of islam in order to ensure the well-being of both the people and the country by abiding by the laws and acting accordingly.

prior to the leader's remarks, secretary for the council of guardians, ayatollah ali jannati stressed the rule of law, ethics, and sanctity of the majlis and said the way must be paved for the people's huge turnout in the polls. minister of the interior, abdolvahed mousavi lari, also stressed that his ministry will observe the law and will be in harmony with the
guardians council.
irna 14/12/99 12:49

leader receives children of martyrs (12.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 12, irna -- the leader of the islamic revolution, ayatollah ali khamenei here on sunday received hundreds of children of martyrs. the group of children were fasting for the first ever in their life in the holy month of ramadhan, upon reaching the age of puberty.

the leader responded to sentiments of the audience and then led congregational sunset and night prayers after the meeting. the participants broke their fast in the presence of the
paramount leader.
:irna 12/12/99 19:35

leaders stresses efforts for domination of quranic culture on society (11.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 11, irna -- the supreme leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah seyed-ali khamenei here on saturday called for efforts to make quranic culture dominate over moral and political atmosphere of society. addressing a group of the outstanding reciters of holy quran, the supreme leader invited all to be in communion with the holy quran through recitation of and pondering on its divine verses. the leader stressed the importance of continued quranic movement in the country with the involvement of the youth.

he said notwithstanding the presence of many reciters of the holy qoran in the country, including the young instructors being familiar with quranic concepts, there is a long way ahead, adding that he had pinned his hope on the iranian youth in that area. ayatollah khamenei said during years after triumph of the islamic revolution in 1979 the country has got closer to quran. the quranic culture, however, has not been well-established in the moral and political life of iranian citizens. today, he said, there are many speaking in the name of islam, quran and religion and puzzling many others (through their statements), said the leader, adding that this indicates that people have not yet been able to be familiar with quranic concepts as they should and that such concepts have not been spread in iranian community well. the leader expressed satisfaction with growing familiarity of iranian community with the quran and quranic sciences. ayatollah khamenei led the sunset and evening congregational prayers after his address to the rereciters of the holy quran.
:irna 11/12/99 20:54

leader receives pakistan's chief executive (9.12.1999)

tehran, dec. 9, irna -- leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah ali khamenei here thursday underlined the consolidated historical and cultural bonds between the two muslim nations of iran and pakistan and termed such bonds as important factors in promotion of bilateral relations. the leader made the remark in a meeting with the visiting chief executive of pakistan, general pervez musharraf, who arrived here wednesday. ayatollah khamenei pointed to the sectarian sedition in pakistan, which broke out in the recent years, as an impediment hampering progress of bilateral relations and stated that the noble people of pakistan have proven that various sects can live together peacefully. but, the leader stressed, a number of seditionists have fanned the flames of sectarian disputes in pakistan which resulted in the martyrdom of several iranian nationals and representatives in pakistan. underlining the need for the improvement of the status quo and stressing the geographical and political strategic importance of pakistan, the leader expressed the hope that through wisdom and insight of government officials in pakistan, worrying concerns will give way to pleasing factors.

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