Resalat (Afternoon Daily)
Mar. 30, 1988
Page: 3
Word Count: 1454
Summary: The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei made a
speech at a large gathering of pilgrims in the holy city of Mashhad, in Khorassan Province
on the first day of the new Iranian year. He pointed to the remarks and writings by
"some elements" in the country who consider the key to all the problems to be
relations with the U.S. and said: "Regrettably these individuals by abusing the free
climate in the country -- in
which everyone can state his opinion - are saying the things that the CIA is disseminating
in the world magazines and press."
Text:
Commenting on the New Year, the Leader stated: "Concerning Nou Rous (New
Year) in my
opinion what the Iranian nation has done is one of the most beautiful things that can be
done about a historical and traditional ceremony. Iranians have chosen the beginning of
Spring for the beginning of the year whereas Christians use the beginning of winter for
the beginning of the year! The date of birth of Jesus Christ is not specific and is
guessed, whereas the Prophet's Hejira has a specific date.
"About the traditions which existed before its advent, Islam destroys the wrong
traditions but changes the spirit of some other traditions. The Hajj rite existed before
the advent of Islam, but Islam changed its polytheistic content."
Economy
In my Nou Rous message I mentioned two points: Our enemies abroad make propaganda that the
economic condition of the Iranians is bad. They present such a picture that if one does
not know about this nation one thinks that people are drawing knife against each other
over a piece of bread and one thinks that there is famine here! This is done to make
people lose hope. They want to say the revolution could not solve the economic
problem.
Then in order to prevent anyone's thinking about acceptance of hardship in order to
eliminate any economic problem they make propaganda that such and such in Iran want to
call the people to economic austerity! They say something so that no one in the country
would dare to call the people to contentment.
On the other hand they do whatever they can in order to disturb the people's economic
condition. I am not saying we do not have any shortcoming among officials, executives and
ourselves. The point is that in addition to the shortcomings which may exist in the
conduct of an official, the enemy is also hatching plots! Some want to pretend we do not
have any enemy whatsoever! They write in newspapers and state it in their speeches that
there is no plot. No, the enemy is plotting from every direction. The price of
oil, which
regrettably is the biggest source of revenue, is down to almost two-thirds or perhaps
less. I am not saying the target is just Iran. I do not say that only the enemies have
done that. Regrettably the friends, ignorant friends who do not pay attention, have helped
them! Economic officials in the government are working out the plans in such a way that
there would be no blow at the fundamental affairs. The oil price was less than what it is
now at the war time and we went through that period well. When I was the president the
price was down to dlrs. 7.5 or dlrs. 8 whereas now it is about dlrs. 12. And in those days
we had the war too.
My dear ones, there is a lot of extravagance!
The tax collected on oil imports in industrialized countries is more than the price of oil
received by the producers. Isn't this an injustice? I put the slogan of an economy minus
oil to officials a couple of years ago and they welcomed it. Of course this will not be an
easy job and it cannot be done within a year or two years or five years. It must be done
gradually. There is extravagance in consumption of bread, water, electricity, construction
materials, various goods, toys and luxuries.
In the message I said I was not calling the people to economic austerity. Not at all! What
austerity? God be praised our nation does not need austerity. I call the nation on
economizing and avoiding of extravagance.
Dignity/U.S.
If a nation does not have dignity it will be in trouble! The revolution demonstrated to
the world that the Iranian nation stands up to the demands of the arrogant
powers. Whether
the Americans want it or not, whether the Zionists want it or not, and whether the enemies
of this nation want it or not the Iranian nation has come to be known like that - a strong
determined, fearless and brave nation. No one can tell the Iranian government and nation
to break relations with a country or to establish relations with another country.
About the Mykonos court affair the entire Europe joined hands, but eventually they had to
accept what we had said. Well, this is the dignity of the Iranian nation. Political
analysts are not blind and all know this has been thanks to the revolution and Islam.
They are staging diplomatic and political attacks that the Iranian nation has no
alternative and has to establish relations with the U.S. They are taking this to us
through a hundred ways. And this has not been related to just the present time
either.
When I was in New York to attend a UN meeting, one of the high-ranking officials of a
European country told me, "Eventually you must solve your problem with the
U.S.!" They were thinking our presence in the U.S. meant the right
conditions. I said
that was not possible. The foreign minister of a big European country came to Iran
when I was the president and said certain things. I said the same thing to him and I say
it to you the beloved now.
I told that foreign minister who had come to Iran on behalf of his government, or perhaps
the EU: "As the Islamic Republic we do want to have relations with the West. But the
West does not mean just the U.S. Americans want to pretend the West means the U.S." I
said we did not agree to that. Of course he became very happy. Europeans are a part of the
West, but they are very different from the Americans. The differences among them are
many.
We have stated time and again that we cannot wait for a country, a government, a foreign
minister or a president to advise us we do not have any alternative but to establish
relations with the U.S. No, we do have an alternative- standing by the principles based on
dignity. A writer misuses the open climate, which God be praised exists in our
country,
and calls the Iranian nation's steadfastness isolation. Is this isolation?
Those countries which had strong friendship with the U.S. received blows from the
capitalists of the U.S. Americans do not have any mercy for anyone, big or small, do they?
In the cultural and press climate, which has become very unhealthy in the recent months
and is becoming unhealthy, regrettably some are spreading poison! Of course our policy is
not to reproach anyone for what he has written as far as it is not against the law, but we
make exposures and introduce them to the people. If they do not give up, the people
themselves know what they should do to them!
Pointing to the passivity of the European governments before Iran's resolute decision in
connection with the Mykonos court affair, the Leader said the current propaganda by the
Americans and some local circles about necessity of having relations with the U.S. was the
continuation of their past efforts to tarnish the dignity and prestige of the Iranian
nation.
He added "in response to the claims by the U.S. and the circles coordinated with it,
we say we do not have to have relations. We stand by our stand so that everyone would feel
that one cannot speak to this nation by bullying." He pointed to the remarks and
writings by some elements in the country who consider the key to all the problems to be
relations with the U.S. and said: "Regrettably these individuals by abusing the free
climate in the country -- in which everyone can state his opinion - are saying the things
that the CIA is disseminating in the world magazines and press."
The Leader said, "We do not have relations with the U.S. and we did not become
isolated. And this was the U.S.
which became isolated in many instances including the Islamic (OIC) summit."
