Tehran hails 'revolutionary martyrs'

SAFA HAERI

Iran said that as a result of the suicide bombings in Israel, "the peace process will one way or another come to a halt, for the Islamic revolutionaries seeking martyrdom will accept nothing less than the complete freedom of their homeland from Zionist occupation".

State-run Tehran radio said that new measures by the "Zionist occupiers, and which include torture, destroying houses, raids on worshippers, brutal repression of the [Palestinian] freedom fighters, will not only yield no result, but rather foster and strengthen their fight against the occupation forces".

In their reporting of the attacks in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Iranian media refer to the victims as "Zionist soldiers".

No reference is made to the fact that the bombings took place in buses or public places, killing innocent people.

In Damascus last week, Iranian officials met leaders of organisations rejecting the peace process, expressing their satisfaction at past operations and assuring them of "all kind of support" for coming ones.

Those present at the meeting included Hussein Shaikholeslam, formerly a deputy foreign minister but whose real responsibility as a top intelligence officer at the information (intelligence) ministry is to co-ordinate the activities of all the so-called Islamic liberation fronts, particularly those in the Middle East targeting Israel and the United States.

The role played by Syria remains mysterious. On one hand, Damascus continues peace talks with Israel in the United States.

But at the same time it facilitates the controversial meeting between Tehran and Arab organisations opposed to the peace process.

"Despite the collaboration between Arafat and the Zionist regime, the recent operations in occupied Palestine will not only lead to the collapse of the peace talks imposed by the United States and Israel but will place the opponents in a much better position to stop the process," Tehran radio said.