Guards Corps commander says country should not change
its policies
Source: IRNA news agency, Tehran
21 May 99 - BBC Worldwide Monitoring
Lt-Gen Seyyed Yahya Rahim-Safavi, commander of the Islamic Revolution
Guards Corps, has said that there was there "no need" for the
country to change its policies, given that the USA continued to maintain
its efforts to undermine national unity. He said relations between the
Iranian people and the country's leader, Ayatollah Khamene'i, were "affectionate"
, and that President Khatami's recent Middle East tour was in line with
Khamene'i's policy. Safavi also touched on the anniversary of the liberation
of Khorramshahr in 1982, during the war with Iraq, saying it would have
been wrong to have ended the war at that stage. The following is the text
of a report by the Iranian news agency IRNA; subheading inserted editorially:
Tehran, 21st May: On Friday [21st May] the C-in-C of the Islamic Revolution
Guards Corps, Lt-Gen Seyyed Yahya Rahim-Safavi, said: Unfortunately,
there are people who utter words in harmony with the foreign [radio] frequencies
or write words with their inauspicious pens using the ink of foreigners.
They want to separate the most dignified foundation of the revolution [vali-ye
faqih; the rule of the supreme jurisconsult] from the people.
Speaking before Tehran's Friday prayer sermons and referring to the
current issues in the country and the American enmity towards the Islamic
republic after the [Iran -Iraq] war, Lt-Gen Seyyed Yahya Rahim-Safavi added:
Relations between the people and the leader [Khamene'i] are affectionate,
cordial and spiritual, and the enemy's endeavour to devoid the revolution
of its religious nature will not be bear fruit.
Talking about America's policies aimed at inflicting damage on the Islamic
Republic of Iran, he said: America wants to engender political and social
divisions in [our] ethnic, religious and political cohesion in order to
undermine our national unity. Lt-Gen Safavi said: Past experience has shown
that America managed to succeed only in countries where national unity
had been undermined. Victories, invincible resistance and solidarity of
the great Iranian nation have all emanated from the people's union with
the leadership of the system.
Referring to another pivotal policy of America for inflicting damage
on the Islamic revolution, he said: America is using all possible means
and methods to demoralize the active manpower of the country and introduce
a partition between the revolutionary values and the culture in society.
He went on: America knows that mere reliance on usual threats such as economic
sanctions and imposition of war are not enough and other methods should
be devised in order to isolate the Islamic Republic of Iran .
Lt-Gen Safavi emphasized: The hidden parts of America's strategy designed
against Iran is broader and more extensive than its overt parts.
He added: The nature of the Islamic republic, compared with the past
years, has not changed and America's stance is the same as before. Therefore,
there is no need for the Islamic republic to change its policies.
Referring to the principled policies of the Islamic republic about the
establishment of relations with other countries, the C-in-C of the Guards
said: Iran has stretched its brotherly hand out to all countries, and the
recent visit of the respected president of the Islamic Republic of Iran
to regional countries, for the creation of consensus and Islamic unity,
is an indication of Iran's principled policy. He added: This policy, approved
by the leader of the Islamic revolution, in line with germane words of
the late Imam Khomeyni, is for the creation of unity among Islamic countries.
Anniversary of liberation of Khorramshahr
Pointing out the factors leading to Iran's victory during the holy defence
[ Iran -Iraq war], the C-in-C of the Guards stated: The wise, spiritual
and authoritative leadership of the late Imam and his deep understanding
of the international relations; the transformation of the war to a popular
war whereby the power of the armed forces emanated from national power;
and the deep spiritual solidarity between the late Imam and the people
were the main factors of victory in the imposed war.
Talking about the importance of the Bayt al-Maqdis [Jerusalem] operations
[in 1982] in the context of war strategies, the C-in-C of the Guards said:
The holy defence [Iran -Iraq war] was one the biggest and the greatest
events of the Islamic revolution. Comparing the imposed war [Iran -Iraq
war] with other wars in the world, he said: The imposed war was the only
one during which the two superpower were in harmony with each other. The
war was one of the hardest test for the great Iranian nation.
Talking about the liberation of Khorramshahr [in 1982], Maj-Gen Safavi
said: The Bayt al-Maqdis operations were in fact the last link of a strategy
for the liberation of the occupied territories, and as a result of that
the main strategic region [of Khorramshahr] was liberated from the enemy,
and Iran gained the upper hand.
The C-in-C of the Guards said: The operations which led to the liberation
of Khorramshahr - because of its size and the fact that the largest number
of Iraqis were captured by the brave combatants of our country - was one
of the grand operations from a tactical perspective. It brought Basra,
the second largest city in Iraq, within artillery range of the Islamic
Republic of Iran .
Remembering the bravery and the sacrifices of the martyred Lt-Gen Sayyad-Shirazi
who was the commander of the [regular] armed forces during the Bayt al-Maqdis
operations, he stated: The liberation of Khorramshahr was the apex of the
cooperation between the [regular] armed forces and the Guards.
Referring to words uttered by a number of people as to why the war was
not ended after the liberation of Khorramshahr, Maj-Gen Safavi stated:
The logic of politics and military affairs dictated that we should not
be satisfied with a minimum advantage while there existed opportunities
for further victories. Elaborating on this matter, he continued: While
there was no political guarantee for a lasting peace, it would have been
unwise to grant the enemy with an ideal opportunity to reorganize its forces.
The C-in-C of the Guards said: From a psychological point of view, public
opinion and the Iranian nation was not ready to accept a cease-fire. The
cessation of the war at that time would have raised an ambiguous question
in the minds of the Iranian people: Despite many victories, why should
the war stop? And why should Saddam be the initiator and the terminator
of the of the war?
Referring to war as a cultural and the historical heritage of nations
and a bench mark for the future generations, Maj-Gen Safavi said: The [theatre]
of war is a place for the evaluation of a nation's level of resistance
and greatness. Remembering the victories of the warriors of Islam during
the holy defence, he concluded: The great Iranian nation had to show to
the world that any aggression against Iran would entail a harsher response.
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