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Group Planning Unauthorized Tehran Protest Backs Down Amid Police Warning
21 June 2009
An Iranian group that had planned to organize a rally on Saturday backed down after authorities warned of consequences if they went ahead in defiance of the supreme leader's call for a halt to protest.
The Combatant Clerics Assembly said "permission was asked to hold a rally, but since it has not been issued, there will be no rally held." The interior ministry said no rally anywhere in the country was authorized and warned that "those who violate this will be confronted according to the law."
Another organizer of the planned rally, supporters of defeated candidate Sheikh Mehdi Karroubi, have not yet announced if they will demonstrate or not. Until Saturday morning, it was not clear whether Mousavi will go ahead with Saturday’s banned rally or not. However, according to AFP, an aid to another defeated presidential candidate, Sheikh Mehdi Karroubi, said the demonstration will go ahead as planned. "I have not heard anything indicating that the rally has been cancelled," he said on condition of anonymity. After the leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei on Friday called on demonstrators to end their movement in the streets and warned that candidates would be held responsible for any violence, Tehran authorities denied permission for the march, organized by Karroubi's campaign and a group called Combatant Clerics Assembly. The Iranian guardian Council had called on the four presidential candidates including defeated Mousavi and Karroubi to meet Saturday and discuss their complaints. However, both of them did not show up and did not give any reason for their absence, an official with the council was quoted as saying by ILNA. “However the council is still ready to receive them,” he added. The developments in Iran were not away from international meddling, like France, the EU, Britain, the UN, Canada and of course the US. France’s Nicolas Sarkozy warned Iranian leaders not to “commit what cannot be fixed later.” The EU, for its part, demanded Iranian authorities to allow what the European body described as “peaceful demonstrations” despite the fact that in many cases the protests had turned into riots. Seven rioters were killed when they attacked a military post trying to seize weapons from it. Public and private properties have been destroyed and set on fire, what prompted authorities to warn against CIA and other Western intelligence agents working on causing a major clash between the demonstrators and security forces.
Authorities have announced detaining many people with links to Western intelligence networks and uncovered a plot to set off several explosive laden vehicles across Iran. Britain went even further. The Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian Ambassador to protest Khamenei’s criticism of foreign interference in Iranian affairs, during his Friday speech and the “accusations” his eminence had made against the UK. Foreign Minister David Miliband also incited pro-Mousavi and pro- Karroubi demonstrators to defy the government and “determine their own future..” He wrote in the Sun newspaper that "Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tried to blame the unrest on the West....But we will not allow anyone to turn scenes on the streets of Tehran into a battle between Britain and Iran. My message to the Iranian people is simple: the future of your country is for you to decide.” Meanwhile, the United Nations was as usual concerned about human rights in Iran, thus putting itself in under more criticism of having double standards, as occupied Palestine, occupied Iraq and occupied Afghanistan are basked in the blessings of the UN’s commitment to human rights. Canada’s position was even more insolent as it refused Iran’s calls to stop interfering in its internal affairs. Canadian FM Lawrence Cannon said: “We will continue to challenge Iran on human rights,” he said. The United States, for its part, was not as critical as Europe for reasons related probably to the US overture on Iran. "The more the United States looks like they are going to interfere, the more it is going to be detrimental," said one official on condition of anonymity. But despite assurances by top officials that Washington would not inject itself into what is going on in Iran, President Barack Obama however warned Iran that the "world is watching" its actions, and said the United States stood with those seeking "peaceful" justice in the post-election tumult.
"I'm very concerned based on some of the tenor -- and tone of the statements that have been made -- that the government of Iran recognizes that the world is watching," Obama said in an interview with CBS News.
Asked whether he had a message to the demonstrators, Obama replied "I absolutely do.
"We stand with those who would look to peaceful resolution of conflict and we believe that the voices of people have to be heard." The White House said Washington does not believe that the post-election uncertainty in Iran will complicate efforts to reach out to Tehran over its nuclear program, the White House said on Friday.
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