Mousavi: Promises Iranians made in Geneva are shocking

Source: Kalemeh
Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Yesterday, Mahdi Karoubi met with Mir Hossein Mousavi at the latter’s office. They discussed the current situation in the country, the performance of the executive branches of government and some of the post-election incidents. Kalemeh, a website affiliated with Mousavi, reports that during the meeting, he and Karoubi discussed their plans and evaluated the future of Iran. The two arranged to increase their communication despite constrains.

At the start of the meeting, Karoubi recalled what happened at the Exhibition for Journalism. He expressed his disappointment about the undeserving reaction against him and Alireza Beheshti [1], which was planned by an organized minority. He stated: “It saddens me to see how bans on newspapers have supposedly ‘blessed’ the exhibition. An exhibition for journalism, which should be a place for deliberation and dialogue, has turned into a lifeless environment. In addition, some act so boorishly [2] – who knows where they are leading the country.”

On the same topic, Mousavi pointed to clips that he has seen from the exhibition and said: “Despite the bans on journalism, I saw a great crowd of enthusiasts there, who were supporting you and the green movement. Apparently, this annoys the minority to such an extent that they are committed to reacting negatively.”

Later, Karoubi alluded to the era when Mousavi was prime minister and to his own involvement with the people: “You are well aware of the things I have done. Because of the responsibilities I have had in the Outreach Committee [3] , the Martyrs Foundation [4] and the parliament, I have always been and will remain in contact with the people. I can see that they are in a very devastating condition. Poverty, corruption, and fraud have increased. These are consequences of incorrect and unsuitable organization and planning on the part of the executive and administrative branches.”

Karoubi continued by comparing past and present: “Unfortunately, the fraud that some of our officials are guilty of is one of the main forces of corruption within the country. I remember the days when government was clean – a bureaucrat would not have the money to pay for his family’s hospital expenditures. Today it’s different. My concern is that the new generation sees this and suspects that it has been so ever since the early days of the revolution. This generation must know that such widespread economic corruption is a very new phenomenon.”

Along the same lines, he added: “I grow even more concerned when I hear the claims that this government has revived the discourse of the revolution and of the Imam Khomeini. This is a disgrace to the way of the revolution and the Imam. People, and especially the new generation, must understand that we, the siblings of the Imam, are opposed to the conditions that govern the country today.”

He goes on to say: “Exaggerations regarding certain people and places – a common practice these days – could cause some to doubt their religious beliefs, especially the new generation. For instance, I have heard that they talk of the Jamkaran mosque as though it is as holy as Masjid-Al-Haram [5] or Masjid-Al-Aghsa [6]. Doing so will only destroy the people’s trust, even in their own beliefs. I have no idea what motivates some of these ‘honorable’ gentlemen to displace all values and strip people of their beliefs in everything from religion to national history.”

Referring to the current crises in running the country, Mousavi indicated: “Our painful concerns are mutual. I, too, am aware of the problems you alluded to, as well as many others. We are in agreement. For instance, the outcome of talks in Geneva regarding the nuclear issue is shocking. If we do bind ourselves to the promises they have given in Geneva, we would undermine the efforts of thousands of scientists across the country. If we don’t, we open the door for collective action against us in the form of sanctions. This outcome is the result of reckless foreign policy that has no consideration for rules or national interests. The interesting point here is that while they openly and repeatedly pay homage to Americans, they accuse children of the revolution and experienced public servants of relations with east and west. People should be told of these affairs so that they know what is going on at the government level. When I was the prime minister, I used to emphasize that military forces must not involve themselves in the financial affairs of state.”

Regarding the mismanagement of the country and incidents of internal and foreign affairs, he added: “I have two suspicions. Either some of these gentlemen are on a mission to ruin the country and obliterate the establishment or they are very short-sighted and only think of today. They can only do that which takes them from today to tomorrow. I think the latter is closer to reality. These men only think of today. What happens in the future as a result of their actions is of no importance to them. No other reasoning could explain and justify taking risks of this magnitude.”

Mousavi also pointed to the various forms of restraint that have been exerted on the people and broadcast live: “Some think that steps like these can change things back to the way they were – but they are dreaming the impossible. They fail to understand that no amount of threats, detainments, trials and even forced confessions or anything of the sort can change today’s society to what it was last year.”

He also added that “freedom of political prisoners is a national demand – their freedom can help resolve our situation.”

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[1] Close companion of Mousavi and son of the martyr, Ayatollah Beheshti (head of the judiciary branch during the war)
[2] A reference to the organized hardliners who attacked him at the exhibition
[3] Kommitte Emdad
[4] Bonyad Shahid
[5] Mecca, Saudi Arabia
[6] Jerusalem, occupied Palestine