[Transcript]  Mosaic News - 6/16/09: World News From The Middle East

Presenter, Female #1
Seven people were killed yesterday in clashes between Mir Hossein Mousavi’s supporters and the security forces. Today, the security forces carried out sweeps in Tehran, targeting reformist and opposition leaders. Meanwhile, the Guardian Council of the Constitution said that they are ready for a vote recount if irregularities were found in the Iranian elections, as claimed by reformists led by Mousavi. Abdul Kader Fayez has the details in the following report.

Reporter, Male #1
Seven people were killed on Monday in clashes that erupted in the Iranian capital between Mousavi’s supporters and the security forces. Iranians marched on Monday to protest the nation's disputed presidential election, citing irregularities, with pro-Mousavi supporters describing the events as “Great Green Monday.” According to the government’s accounts, the use of live ammunition was necessary and justified. This news comes after some protestors stormed into a military base belonging to the Iranian Mobilization Resistance Forces, otherwise knows as “The Basij Forces.”

Guest, Male #2
The government must provide convincing evidence justifying its violent action. Why did they have to resort to violence? This is outrageous.

Reporter, Male #1
Minutes after reporting that 7 were killed in Tehran, the Iranian authorities carried out sweeps among reformist leaders, including Mohammed Ali Abtahi and Sa’id Hajerayan. It was indeed a tense day in and around the Iranian capital. Amidst this, the Guardian Council of the Constitution, which is the country’s Supreme Legislative Authority, said they are ready for a recount if irregularities were found in the Iranian elections. These are the tenth presidential elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Guest, Male #3
We are ready for a vote recount. This is our responsibility, in accordance with the constitution. We are obligated to review election complaints.

Reporter, Male #1
According to some, the constitutional council has failed to address the death of the 7 reformist protestors, who were killed by the security forces in the riot. The tense situation on Iranian streets has prompted the Head of the Iranian Parliament, Ali Larijani, to criticize the authorities for the escalation. Larijani held Iran’s Minister of Interior responsible for the violent response against the students and the youth. Today’s announcements have not helped diffuse the tense situation in and around the Iranian capital. This news comes as angry Mousavi supporters and cheering Ahmadnejad’s supporters held separate rallies in the same area in central Tehran. It seems that Mousavi has no intention of turning back, at least not before achieving some political gains. It also seems that the president’s supporters are determined to move forward, amidst growing criticism from western embassies, south of the Iranian capital, where Ahmadinejad enjoys wide support.

Presenter, Female #1
Joining us from Tehran is our correspondent, Reda al-Basha. Reda, the protests are continuing in Tehran, where a number of prominent reformist leaders have been arrested. Ahmadinejad’s supporters and Mousavi’s supporters, both held separate marches in the same place in central Tehran. Mousavi has called off a massive protest to spare lives. What type of security measures have been implemented on the ground?

Guest, Male #4
Yes, Dana. Today, Mousavi’s supporters organized a protest in Vali Asr Square in central Tehran. However, pro-government supporters arrived at the same area to hold a separate rally. Now, both groups are protesting in the same area. The pro-government protest was in response to a call by a local organization. The gathering aims to counter the waves of protests and riots witnessed in the Iranian capital. As you mentioned earlier in the report, seven people were killed in the protests. Meanwhile, a call for restraint was issued. I think both the reformists and the conservatives, who support the Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, will welcome this call for restraint. Hopefully, they will be able to maintain control on the ground and help diffuse the crisis. As far as the arrests are concerned, a number of prominent reformist leaders, including Abtahi, have been arrested. Arresting these leaders may help to thwart attempts by some to bring the situation back to normal.

Presenter, Man # 1
The Basij forces are being accused of causing disturbances and setting things of fire during the election protests that took place in Tehran yesterday. These protests were followed by clashes with security forces killing one person and injuring many others. Who are the Basij forces? How many are there? And how were they established? The fowling report has the answers.

Reporter, Man # 2
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards, known as Pasdaran, is the product of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. It was established by lmam Khomeini in order to protect the new Iranian government at the time. During the past 30 years, the Pasdaran has become a major military, economic, and political force in Iran and is one of the biggest Iranian institutions that support President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was a member of the guards. A group of military officers took over the leadership of the Revolutionary Guard, but they left, and later enrolled in politics, such as Presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei. However, Iran’s supreme leader Ali Kamani remains the Commander and Chief for all armed forces. The Revolutionary Guard played a leading role during the war between Iran and Iraq and participated in many of the battles. The general forces known as Basij come under the umbrella of the Revolutionary Guard. The Basij has land, naval and air forces and it also has its own intelligence division, in addition to the Special Forces. The Iranian revolutionary guards include 90-120 thousand regular forces in addition to 800 thousand reserve soldiers. The Iranian revolutionary guards have small special units equipped with weaponry equivalent to the army’s traditional units. The land forces of the Revolutionary Guards take control of the Basij forces and other semi-military forces during war time. It is believed that the Revolutionary Guards air force use three medium range ballistic missiles. The navel forces of the revolutionary guards have 20 thousand regular forces including 5 thousand that are stationed in the Gulf. The Revolutionary Guards play a major role in Iran’s military industrial developments. It is difficult to differentiate between the activities of the Revolutionary Guards and the activities of the Foreign ministry as well as the ministries of intelligence and security. Political observers believe that the Revolutionary Guards play a big role in supporting the resistance movements against Israel such as Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. This has compelled the US to list them as a terrorist organization. Ramzi Al Masry, Al Arabiya.

[Summary]

Supporters for President Ahmadinejad held a massive rally in Tehran, one day after a march in support for defeated candidate Mousavi. Former Parliament speaker urged Mousavi to accept defeat and not let the election divide the people.
At least 7 people have been killed and dozens injured in an attack on a military post. The incident took place in central Tehran. There has been sporadic shooting in the area as well.

Iran’s parliament has set up a special committee to probe Monday’s street riots in Tehran. Police say they have arrested the main people behind the riots, who admit they had pre-meditated plans to create chaos.

The Guardian Council which is in charge of supervising the Iranian elections says it is ready to launch their plan to recount a part of the votes. The council spokesman said the disputed votes will be counted again. The outcome will be announced in 7-10 days.

Presenter, Female #1
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah said that the U.S. administration reaction over the speech of the Israeli Prime Minster, Benjamin Netanyahu, has revealed the political game, which the U.S. President Barack Obama is playing with Arab moderate nations. Nasrallah also called on moderate Arabs to reconsider their positions.

Guest, Male #1, Nasrallah
As far as Netanyahu’s speech is concerned: First of all, Netanyahu's speech frustrated the hopes and political bets of all Arabs, governments and all the so-called moderate Arabs. It put an end to the wishes of all those who were betting on the possibility of reaching a compromise in the region, and mainly the success of the US administration headed by Barack Obama to achieve such a compromise in the next few years. Even Arab moderates said that Netanyahu’s speech has destroyed all principles of consensus and closed all political doors. What did Arab moderates expect from Netanyahu? What did Arabs and mainly Palestinians expect from the Netanyahu Lieberman government? What increased the moderates' frustration was the US administration's reaction. Actually, the whole U.S. political game of passing time was quickly uncovered just after the U.S. administration commented on the speech. The US administration described the speech as “important and positive,” and hailed it as a step in the right direction. Is there anything positive in Netanyahu's speech?" If you read Netanyahu’s speech, you will not find anything important or positive in it. Netanyahu came to remind us of former Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon's famous comment on the Arab peace initiative when he said that such an initiative is not worth the ink it was written with. Netanyahu is telling the Arabs: “your peace initiative is not worth the ink it was written with. This is our provision for peace.” The speech puts the region in the middle of the real threats. The threats of settlement and the threats of forceful migration against the Palestinians in the 1948 occupied territories, by calling for the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. Netanyahu’s speech should constitute a shock and a blow to all people and governments in the Arab and Islamic world. The Arabs must reconsider their options by helping the resistance and forming a united popular front. They shouldn’t conspire against the resistance, try to besiege it, or isolate it. This is our position. The Palestinians are invited to unite and join hands in order to face the upcoming challenges. The Arabs are invited to wake up and stop dreaming about these false diplomatic bets, which are nothing but a political mirage. They should take a stand of awareness, determination, seriousness, contemplation and resolution.

Presenter, Woman #1
Pakistani army’s spokesman General Athar Al Abbas said that the army is ready to begin military operation in the tribal province of Waziristan, in order to eliminate the Taliban’s leader in Pakistan, Baitullah Mehsud.

Presenter, Man #1
The minister of media Gomar Zaman Kaira confirmed that Pakistan will not ask for aid from the armed tribes known as Al Ashkar or Sahwat to catch Mehsud, out of fear of creating a new monster to exterminate another, so to speak.

Presenter, Woman #1
Our correspondent Ahmed Zidan introduces us to the Sahwat in Pakistan.

Reporter, Man #1
The land of the big battle, Waziristan, is the aim of the Pakistani government and Al Sahwat, or known here as Al Ashkar, which is a tribal army that has officially claimed to fight the Taliban’s leader Baitullah Mehsud. Ashkar’s groups have spread in some markets in cities far away from the Taliban’s eyes. These groups are still very new.

Guest, Man #1
We’re seeking out all the tribes and their leaders and the respected religious leaders to join us, in order to achieve peace in Waziristan. The situation these days is not “Jihad”. We consider these activities that are carried by the Taliban as corruption.

Reporter, Man #1
But the essential question is whether these people are strong enough to encounter Taliban fighters, who are well trained and motivated by a religious belief to seek death in order to achieve their goals. That is different than from what motivated Ashkar’s followers, which are either tribal disputes or material benefits. But they are determined to prevent the Taliban from entering their regions.

Guest, Man #2
We forbid the terrorists and suicide bombers to come to our areas, and we want to stop them from doing these things.

Reporter, Man #1
The army does not hide its support for the Ashkar.

Guest, Man #2
The Ashkar is a good and welcomed development; it goes with the local residents’ desire to stand up against the terrorists. It’s a positive development.

Reporter, Man #1
Experts warn that this strategy may have negative implications on the relationship between Pakistani tribes. It may start new tribal disputes that will go on for decades. In addition, this strategy raises the question of the fate of the Pakistani Sahwat, once the Pakistani troops withdraw from the conflict areas.

Reporter, Man #1
Political observers think that the Pakistani army’s support to form the Pakistan Sahwat, or what’s described here as Ashkar to fight the Pakistani Taliban, may increase public support of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Presenter, Woman # 1
The multi-national forces have begun to withdraw from the joint operations center in Al Sadr city in Baghdad. Spokesman General Steven Landza for the multi-national forces said that these measures are being taken in compliance with the security agreement. According to this agreement, foreign forces must withdraw from cities and districts by the end of this month. He said that the Iraqi forces are highly qualified and that they are able to take over the security responsibilities.

Guest, Man # 1
What you see now is a joint security center that is being transferred over to the Iraqi forces according to the security agreement, which called on foreign forces to withdraw from cities by June 30th.

Presenter, Man # 2
The commander of Baghdad’s military operation, Amud Gamber, said that 14 thousand families have returned to their homes after “the rule of law security plan” was implemented in Baghdad. After meeting with tribal chiefs and local leaders in Al Shula, he said that security has been established in troubled areas.

Guest, Man # 3
About 14 thousand families have returned to Baghdad. When we began working on returning the displaced people, we were afraid that some problems would arise in the same areas. However thank God, we had a great deal of success in the areas where we thought there would be problems. We accomplished a great deal in Sabea’ Al Bur, Al Huriya, Al A’del, and Al Jamea’a. We also had great success in Al Dura and Al Rashid.

Presenter, Woman # 1
Intelligence information has led security agencies in Al Faluja to arrest a group of terrorists and confiscate large quantities of weapons and explosives. According to the police, the arrested terrorists have confessed their responsibility for the latest explosion which happened in the Al Garam area.

Reporter, Man # 4
The police have detained six terrorists. The security forces, thanks to precise intelligence information, were able to arrest these terrorists who committed a terrorist operation in the Al Garam area in Al Faluja, martyring one police officer and injuring three others.

Guest, Man # 5
On June 5TH at 1:06 PM, the police in Garma were subjected to an explosion by a group of terrorists. The unit contained first Lieutenant Tareq and other police officers. First Lieutenant Tareq was martyred and three others accompanying him were injured. The operation was carried out by a group from Al Garama. The number of perpetrators was six.

Guest, Man # 6
Due to cooperation by citizens and those who provided us with precise information, we were able to arrest the criminals; and detain them at the Al Faluja police station. The investigations continue. God willing we will bring them to Justice.

Reporter, Man # 3
During the raid, the security forces also found large quantities of weapons and equipment that were going to be used in terrorist operations.

Guest, Man # 5
During this operation we managed to find large quantities of weapons and equipment, including 19 missiles and a large number of other weapons. Cannon Turret, RBG, missile launchers, armored plat, Australian cannon, Sam 3 missile, hand grenades, and a large number of explosive devices.

Guest, Man # 7
The police in Al Faluja made sure to fulfill its duties. In the name of the Al Anbar province, I thank them very much and hope that they exert even more efforts to serve the residents in the province.

Reporter, Man # 3
The increase in intelligence information and acting on it has revealed that there is a great deal of cooperation between the citizens and the security forces. This has led to the arrest of a large number of terrorists. Zid AL Mustaf, Al Iraqiya.

Presenter, Male #1
In Lebanon, President Suleiman confirmed that the Arab Initiative is an opportunity to achieve a just and comprehensive peace. He called for the international community to pressure the Israeli government to accept the peace initiatives.

Reporter, Female #1
The president of the republic, Michel Suleiman, considered the Israeli position expressed by the enemy, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, as rigid on both the subject of peace and the solution of the Palestinian refugee issue. He requested more unity from the Arab leaders to preserve the spirit and will of the resistance and strengthen the position to counter it. In front of his visitor, President Suleiman confirmed that the Arab Initiative constitutes an opportunity for the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace according to what was confirmed during the last Arab Summit in Doha. What is required is an Arab awakening to confront all the challenges in case the Israeli government continues with its rigid position. Lebanon is becoming concerned and warns of the negative impacts of international efforts to achieve a just solution to the regions crisis. In front of his visitors from the international community, the U.S. and the European Union, Suleiman called for increasing pressure on the Israeli government to accept the peace initiatives. This is especially important since the aggressive Israeli military incursions in Lebanon and Gaza have proven that the will of Israel to carry on with its military confrontations is opposite to the Arab will for peace which Israel refuses. President Suleiman received a telegram from the Prince of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa II, congratulating him on the completion of the elections and their transparency. In another development, president Suleiman, contacted the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and congratulated him on his reelection in hopes of strengthening Lebanese-Iranian relations in terms of their national interests.

Presenter, Female #2
Prime Minister, Fuad Siniora, considered Netanyahu’s speech further confirmation of national unity and internal coherence.

Reporter, Male #2
Prime Minister Fuad Siniora considers the speech by the head of the Israeli government, Benyamin Netanyahu, to be dangerous, especially because the speech depicted Israel as a target that desires peace but the contents of his speech were contradictory to a statement of peace. Siniora sees Netanyahu’s words as dangerous for the following reasons: First, the words of Netanyahu are cutting the path of the new American government short. At the same time, his words are a false attempt to gain sympathy from the international community. Second, Netanyahu disregards discussions about the issue of Jerusalem and the Palestinian right to it. Third, Netanyahu completely disregards the right of return of the Palestinians which is in opposition to international law and the Arab Peace Initiative. Fourth, Netanyahu completely disregards the Arab Peace Initiative and takes the idea of two states out of context. Prime Minister Siniora concluded his statement by saying that the danger of Netanyahu’s words requires diligence and attention to national unity and internal coherence. He also discussed the necessity of strengthening peace initiatives on one side and the confirmation of firm and resolute positions on the other. Previous experiences have taught us that success in facing Israel comes from internal unity and holding on to the Arab Peace Initiative.