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| Axis of Evil |
| Opposition leader accuses US of wanting monarchy |
| 2002-07-22 |
| A leading Iranian opposition figure accused the United States Monday of looking to restore the monarchy in Iran and backing Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late shah. "The United States wishes to restore the monarchy in Iran. They think that Reza Pahlavi is the alternative to the current regime," said Ebrahim Yazdi, who heads the Iran Freedom Movement (IFM), in comments to the daily Ehtemad. Yazdi, who returned to Iran in April from an 18-month medical stay in the United States and currently faces charges of harming national security, said Washington had appointed "some people to play the role of advisors" to Pahlavi, who resides in the United States. Actually, I don't think we care. Do you care? I don't care. I'm not even sure Reza Pahlavi cares, as long as what they get is different from what they have. They can be a monarchy, they can be a republic, they can be a parliamentary democracy. What we don't want is for them to be an autocracy, which includes most forms of theocracy that have ever appeared... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #4 He wants a secular democracy, that is true, and he says a lot of very encouraging things. He's patient and non-confrontational, and for now content to be "a catalyst for change". Nevertheless, he has not formally renounced a return to a constitutional monarchy, other than saying "this isn't about me". Much of his support in the United States is openly monarchist. Reza Pahlavi |
| Posted by: Dan Hartung 2002-07-22 23:59:13 |
| #3 Actually, he does care. He wants a democracy. The New Republic ran that article a while back. |
| Posted by: Joe 2002-07-22 22:47:31 |
| #2 I don't care if they end up running it as a McDonald's franchise, so long as the current murdering boobs are out of there. Whatever the Iranian people want as a government is fine by me, just so long as it's what they actually want. |
| Posted by: Mac 2002-07-22 17:41:18 |
| #1 From the news reports I've read, young Reza doesn't want to be Shah. Didn't he formally renounce this or something? He says he's committed to a parliamentary democracy, which is easy to say if you're on the outside looking in. Regards, |
| Posted by: Steve White 2002-07-22 12:44:36 |