Extraordinary Q & A: Iran's Intelligence Minister
Thursday, December 11, 2003 - ©2003 IranMania.com
Tehran, Dec 11, (IranMania) – A rare chance interview took place between reporters and Iran’s normally silent Minister of Intelligence on Wednesday.
Iranian President, Seyed Mohammad Khatami headed for Norway on Wednesday. Reporters did not except the ministers to take part in the parliament session due to the presidents’ absence. But contrary to their expectations, the session was held with almost all the ministers’ participation.
However the presence of Iran’s Minister of Intelligence, Ali Younesi was quite startling, for he rarely responds to reporters’ questions. His lack of interest in responding to questions has led to discontent in journalistic circles. But in response to their complaints, the smiling president says, “Part of our country’s problem is rooted in this lack of attention of officials to respond.”
At any rate, the reporters grabbed the golden opportunity and bombarded Younesi with scores of questions.
Q - Mr. Younesi, recently some have violently attacked MPs or certain gatherings. Have you identified the perpetrators?
A - I don’t have a clear-cut list of them in my mind. The role of the Ministry of Intelligence is to identify and report the perpetrators. Such ‘pressure groups’ can be found in other countries as well.
Q - Yes, but here in Iran, these pressure groups are already known.
A - No, not only in Iran, in other countries they are also known.
Q - So why don’t you counter them?
A - We are countering them!
Q - If they were being countered, they wouldn’t have beaten up the head of National Security Commission?
A - Of course, such incidents are dangerous and have to be prevented. I am sure that the recent decisions made by the Judiciary will decrease the rate of this kind of incident.
Q - Do you think that the Judiciary is really determined enough to deal with this issue?
A - Certainly, if they weren’t dealing with it, the situation would have been worse.
Q - Mr. Younesi, officials have been claiming to counter such attacks for four years, but so far no serious measures seem to have been taken.
A - If we hadn’t been dealing with, there wouldn’t be such relative tranquility in society.
Q - If this issue had been dealt with then the president wouldn’t have issued an order to deal with it [referring to Khatami’s letter to the Intelligence and Interior Ministry on the 8th of December]
A - You think it hasn’t been dealt with, it has.
Q- Who have you penalized so far?
A - Many of these groups have been eradicated. No trace of the pressure groups which were active in the past can be found today.
Q - Maybe some of them have changed their ideology?
A - Well, such an issue indicates that they have been dealt with by the judiciary and Intelligence Ministry.
Q - Why haven’t you informed the public?
A - The ministry has nothing to do with such issues. We only act within the borders of our own domain.
Q - What can be said about the cases in which the Ministry of Intelligence is accused?
A - Such as?
Q - Zahra Kazemi [Referring to the Iranian/Canadian photo-journalist killed while in Iranian custody]
A - We have repeatedly announced that the ministry is blameless in this regard. Fortunately a committee has been set up by the Judiciary to look into the case and I can’t comment on the issue prior to their decision.
Q - You mean, the case is being reviewed?
A - Exactly.
Q - Would you please comment on the ‘parallel intelligence networks’ which seem to be active? [referring to ‘shadowy’ security organization not under the control of the government]
A - As the minister of intelligence I have always been again such parallel activity. I believe that the administration of the intelligence affairs is only the duty of the Ministry of Intelligence.
Q - The administration has ratified a bill on countering such bodies. Has the government taken any serious step toward this end?
A - We have not ratified any such bill.
Q - But that’s what Mr. Ramezanzadeh announced [The Government spokesman]
A - So you should ask him
Q - Recently the Judiciary has taken measures to provide education for prisoners. What’s your opinion?
A - We warmly welcome the Judiciary’s new initiative to adhere to ‘human issues’ and we ourselves are ready for all the prisoners we take to be subject to inspections to determine whether they have been abused in anyway.
Q - What is the viewpoint of the ministry on the criticisms against your ministry’s officials?
A - I personally confirm it. Unfortunately this kind of violation has always existed. Defendants have certain legal rights and these rights must be respected.
Q - An Evin Prison Interrogator is said to have been recently arrested in connection with Zahra Kazemi’s case?
A - You should ask the Judiciary and not me. I have no knowledge of this.
Q - In response to ‘parallel organizations to the ministry’ you said that there haven’t been any discussions in the
Government?
A - No, there has been much discussion on this issue. But the Government is not authorized to penalize such activity.
Q - No, but it can counter it in other ways. It can issue a bill to counter it or come up with other strategies?
A - Yes, we are in favour of such a move.
Q - Have you devised any strategies?
A - Yes we have.
Q - And, what is it?
A - I can’t tell you right now. The government is only a ratifier. The implementer is another institution.
Q - So why has the Government taken back the ‘Centralizing Intelligence Bill’ from the Parliament? This is not clear.
A - It has been wrongly referred to as the ‘Centralizing Intelligence Bill’. It was merely a bill dealing with some of the legal difficulties and limitations of the Ministry of Intelligence.
Q - So what’s now referred to as parallel intelligence networks…
A - We already have a law which centralizes intelligence activity in one organ, we have no need for a new law. This bill was mistakenly dubbed as the ‘Centralizing Intelligence Bill’ by the media. It was merely going to fill some gaps in the Intelligence Ministry’s role and it was delayed due to ‘created circumstances’.
Q - Are you in favour of the bill being pursued?
A - Yes this will be done. Even if not in our time, it will be carried out next time. [referring to the next government]
Q - These parallel intelligence networks are they part of the ‘governing regime’ or outside of the ‘governing regime’?
A - It is obvious that they are part of the governing regime.
http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=20507&NewsKind=Current%20AffairsThe government is not authorized to penalize parallel organizations to the ministry... and then he says, parallel intelligence networks are part of the governing regime.
Okay, what "newspeak" is he speaking here, and how does he get away with it!?
I wish for an EXPLOSIVE headline or two!
"Many of these groups have been eradicated. No trace of the pressure groups which were active in the past can be found today" (translation : "we murdered them")