Hossein Mohammadi
Following Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s trip to Lebanon, a group of Iranian émigré journalists and political and legal activists in a letter to Lebanon’s prime minister Saad Hariri point to a number of issues regarding the trip and stress that uniting with an illegitimate administration of Ahmadinejad is not in Lebanon’s interests.
In their letters, the authors point out to Ahmadinejad’s trip and address Hariri in these words, “As you know the ruling government of Iran is the product of a coup d’état that came about through the coordination and support of the largest political, economic and security organization in the Middle East, i.e., the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). While this coup has cost the future of Iran a great cost, but it has also produced a massive movement in our country whose one goal is to stop the state from interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, including your country and Palestine. ”
The letter also points out to the popular protests in Iran since the 2009 elections and writes, “The Green Movement of the Iranian nation which Mr. Ahmadinejad and his military colleagues are trying to suppress is a movement that stems from the demands and calls that are led by the goal of life in peace and tranquility and respect for human rights, and ethnic and cultural groups. This is a peaceful movement which sees the greatness and prominence of Iran not in supporting terrorism and factional groups but in the formation of democratic processes in regional countries and it does not support any adventurist measures which produce nothing but war, destruction, and the death of innocent people.”
The émigré writers, journalists and activists continue their letter: “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is stepping on to your land with no aim other than to intensify domestic differences and internal clashes with the goal of turning Lebanon into the battleground for the military group that reigns Iran to expand its ideological adventures. Examples of these adventures are activities by a faction affiliated to the Iranian government, i.e., Lebanese Hezbollah which a few years ago imposed the thirty-three day war on the Lebanese nation producing nothing other than hundreds of deaths, injuries and serious economic devastations. ”
The letter has some harsh words for the Iranian regime and describes the ruling government in these words. “Ahmadinejad’s administration represents a layer of power in Iran which shamelessly oppresses its own nation, students, journalists, civil activists and its political opponents through suppression and intimidation, while repressing the political atmosphere. Through empty promises and claims, and despite the opposition by the majority in society, this government expends the wealth of this country for the adventures in other countries with the aim of creating crisis and chaos there. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has come to Lebanon to pretend through a deceitful show that its deeply-crisis stricken and illegitimate government has allies like your government and nation. Whereas in fact, everybody knows that a unity with a government that is deep in crises that range from political, social and public illegitimacy among its own people to deep economic crises and international sanctions cannot provide the national interests of any country.”
The letter addresses prime minister Hariri and calls on him to stop allowing Iran to use Lebanon for its sinister goals. “Lebanon is a land known for its political and social freedoms. It is a country with a culture and a sincere leadership and management that is loyal to human and democratic values. Iran’s green nation desires a Lebanon which is developed, free and void of ethnic-factional affiliations and attachments to ideological regimes, which as in the past deserves the best praise and labels. Do not allow an adventurist and aggressive group attach its evil destiny to the territorial integrity and national unity of your society and turn the jewel of the Middle East into a battleground for its war machines as the deep goal of their strategy is to possess your territory.”
The signatories of this letter are:
Masoud Azari, Samnak Aghai, Abbas Anahid, seyed Koohzad Ismaili, Nazak Afshar, Ali Afshari, Nooshabeh Amiri, Parastoo Entesari, Mohammd Yazdi, Ahmadi Batebi, Mohammad Borghei, Soodabeh Berenjian, Shahla Bahardoost, Arash Bahmani, Azadeh Parsi, Sepideh Poor-Aghai, Aidin Jahanbakhsh, Ida Hosseininejad, Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, Hamid Hamidi, Mostafa Khosravi, Amir Rashidi, Alireza Rezai, Hassan Zarehzadeh Ardeshir, Nazanin Sarkesh, Salman Sima, Sadegh SHojai, Mohammad-Reza Shokoohifard, Mohammad Sadeghi, Hassan Talebi, Mazdak Abdipoor, Bagher Fatemi, Reza Fani Yazdi, Naseh Faridi, Fatemeh Fadaian, Ali Firuzi, Ezat Firuzi, Kobra Ghasemi, Saeed Ghaseminejad, Fereshteh Ghazi, Kaveh Ghoreishi, Reza Goharzad, Poona Mahmoudian, Amir Memarian, Roya Maleki, Ibrahim Mehtari, Shervin Nekui, Reza Valizadeh and Ali Honari.