PM BAZARGAN CRITICIZED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 01 TEHRAN 12130

Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic
Review 30 JUN 2006

E.O. 12065: GES 9/17/95 (LIMBERT, JOHN) OR-P
TAGS: PGOV PINT IR
SUBJECT: PM BAZARGAN CRITICIZED


1. (C) SUMMARY: DURING THE PAST FEW DAYS, PM MEHDI BAZARGAN
HAS BEEN THE TARGET OF CRITICISMS FROM VARIOUS SIDES. HE HAS
BEEN ACCUSED OF ANTI-CLERICALISM, OF INEFFECTIVENESS, AND OF
GENERAL BUNGLING. BAZARGAN HAS ANSWERED THESE ATTACKS BY
CLAIMING THAT THE SAME PERSONS WHO WERE CRITICIZING HIM ARE
NOT ALLOWING HIS GOVERNMENT TO FUNCTION. DEPSITE THESE
ATTACKS, IT APPEARS THAT BAZARGAN STILL ENJOYS THE SUPPORT
OF KHOMEINI AND WILL NOT BE REPLACED IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
END SUMMARY


2. (C) THE FIRST ATTACK ON BAZARGAN CAME FROM AYATOLLAH DR.
MOHAMMAD BEHESHTI, VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL OF EXPERTS,
MEMBER OF THE REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL, AND CHAIRMAN OF THE
CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLICAN PARTY. IN AN
INTERVIEW WITH PARS NEW AGENCY IN QOM ON SEPTEMBER 14, DR.
BEHESHTI BLAMED THE GOVERNMENT AND PM BAZARGAN FOR FAILING
TO IMPLEMENT A BILL ON THE FORMATION OF LOCAL COUNCILS.
ACCORDING TO BEHESHTI, THE REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL TWO MONTHS
BEFORE HAD APPROVED A BILL CALLING FOR THE FORMATION OF
COUNCILS AT PROVINCE, CITY, DISTRICT, AND VILLAGE LEVELS.
BEHESHTI SAID DR. BAZARGAN'S GOVERNMENT FAILED TO IMPLEMENT
THIS BILL, EITHER BECAUSE OF DELIBERATE PROCRASTINATION OR
BECAUSE OF GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE WEAKNESS. (DEPUTY PRIME
MINISTER BANI-ASSADI TOLD CHARGE SEPT 17 THAT BAZARGAN'S
OFFICE, IMMEDIATELY AFTER RECEIVING THE REVOLUTIONARY
COUNCIL'S BILL, HAD SENT A LETTER TO THE COUNCIL TELLING
THEM THAT THE BILL AS DRAFTED WAS UNREALISTIC BUT THAT THE
GOVERNMENT WOULD WORK OUT A FEASIBLE BILL ALONG THOSE LINES.


3. (C) LATER THE SAME DAY, THE MONOTHEISM PARY (HEZB-E-
TOWHIDI) ISSUED A SEVEN-POINT STATEMENT CRITICIZING THE
BAZARGAN GOVERNMENT FOR NEGLECT AND INDIFFERENCE. LITTLE IS
KNOWN ABOUT THE HEZB-E-TOWHIDI EXCEPT THAT IT IS AN ISLAMIC
POLITICAL GROUPING WITH POSSIBLE TIES TO AYATOLLAH SADEQ
ROWHANI. THE CRITICISMS DIRECTED AT BAZARGAN INCLUDED:

- (A) GOVERNMENT INDIFFERENCE TO CRITICISMS OF IRAN IN THE
FOREIGN PRESS, BOTH WESTERN AND NON-ALIGNED.

- (B) SEEKING POPULARITY BY PLAYING WITH WORDS AND BY
OPPOSING THE ADVICE OF THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS. "PERHAPS YOU
HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT THE IRANIAN ISLAMIC MOVEMENT IS LED BY
THE CLERGY."

- (C) DELAY IN IMPLEMENTING THE REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL'S BILL
ON FORMATION OF LOCAL COUNCILS.

- (D) NEGLECTING TO FOLLOW AYATOLLAH ROWHANI'S ADVICE ABOUT
THE NECESSITY OF PURGING THE GOVERNMENT OF ANTI-REVOLUTIONARY
ELEMENTS.


4. (U) THESE ATTACKS WERE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ATTACK ON
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 BY REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL AND COUNCIL
OF EXPERTS MEMBER ABU-AL-HASAN BANI-SADR. SPEAKING TO AN
AUDIENCE IN YAZD, BANI-SADR ATTACKED BAZARGAN'S ECONOMIC
POLICIES AND ACCUSED HIM OF HINDERING THE WORK OF THE
REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL. BANI-SADR ALSO ACCUSED BAZARGAN OF:

- (A) REFUSING TO ACCEPT CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM.

- (B) BUNGLING IN KURDESTAN AND THEN TRYING TO CLAIM CREDIT
FOR GOVERNMENT ACTION THERE.

- (C) OPPOSING THE NATIONALIZATION OF THE BANKS, A FAVORITE
PROGRAM OF BANI-SADR.

- (D) BURYING HIMSELF IN TRIVIA AND NOT ORGANIZING HIS WORK
PROGRAM.


5. (U) IN AN ATTACK APPEARING IN THE ENGLISH AND PERSIAN-
LANGUAGE PRESS OF SEPTEMBER 16, TEHRAN REVOLUTIONARY
PROSECUTOR AYATOLLAH AHMAD AZARI-QOMI CRITICIZED BAZARGAN
FOR ALLEGEDLY ANTI-CLERICAL STATEMENTS IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S
EULOGY FOR AYATOLLAH TALEGHANI AT TEHRAN UNIVERSITY ON
SEPTEMBER 11. AZARI-QOMI (WHO ANNOUNCED HIS RESIGNATION FOR
HEALTH REASONS) SAID THAT BAZARGAN HAD SAID THAT TALEGHANI,
UNLIKE THE MAJORITY OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS, WAS NOT OPPOSED TO
THE MANIFESTATIONS OF MODERN CIVILIZATION. ACCUSING BAZARGAN
OF WEAKENING REVOLUTIONARY UNITY, AZARI-QOMI SAID, "IT IS
VERY STRANGE THAT A DISTINGUISHED FIGURE AS MR. BAZARGAN WOULD
MAKE AN UNFAIR ACCUSATION AGAINST THE CLERGY. WAS IT NOT
TALEGHANI'S GOAL TO UNITE ALL GROUPS, THE FOREMOST OF WHICH
WAS A COMMITTED AND ACTIVE CLERGY? HOW CAN HE (BAZARGAN) PRAISE
TALEGHANI BY STIRRING UP THE PEOPLE AGAINST THE CLERGY AND BY
CONDEMNING THIS PROGRESSIVE AND ACTIVE GROUP AS REACTIONARY?"


6. (C) LOCAL PRESS ACCOUNTS OF BAZARGAN'S SPEECH DID NOT
INCLUDE THE STATEMENTS WHICH OFFENDED AZARI-QOMI. EMBASSY WILL
CHECK FULL TEXT OF SPEECH (WHEN AVAILABLE) TO ESTABLISH EXACTLY
WHAT PRIME MINISTER SAID.


7. ALTHOUGH THE PRESS HAS BEEN GIVING WIDE PUBLICITY TO THESE
ATTACKS, BAZARGAN'S REACTION HAS SO FAR BEEN LIMITED TO A
STATEMENT AT AN ECONOMIC SEMINAR (REPORTED BY ETTELAAT OF
SEPTEMBER 16) THAT THE SAME (UNNAMED PERSONS WHO WERE
CRITICIZING HIS GOVERNMENT FOR ITS INEFFECTIVENESS WERE THE
SAME ONES WHO WERE INTERFERING IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AND
PREVENTING HIS CABINET FROM OPERATING.)


8. (C) THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME (NOR WILL IT BE THE LAST
TIME) THAT BAZARGAN HAS BEEN UNDER ATTACK FROM MEMBERS OF THE
REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL RELIGIOUS LEADERS, AND THEIR SUPPORTERS.
ALTHOUGH THE ATTACKS COMING FROM VARIOUS DIRECTIONS AND FROM
VARIOUS PERSONALITIES, ARE NOT NECESSARILY PART OF ANY CONCERTED
ANTI-BAZARGAN CAMPAIGN, THERE ARE ENOUGH COMMON THEMESE IN THE
CRITICISMS TO INDICATE THE COMMON INTERESTS OF HIS OPPONENTS.
THESE THEMES INCLUDE:

- (A) IGNORING THE ADVICE OF THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS.

- (B) IGNORING THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL.

- (C) GENERAL INEFFECTIVENESS AND BUNGLING.


9. (C) IT IS WORTH NOTING, HOWEVER, THAT NONE OF THESE ATTACKS
MENTION AYYATOLLAH KHOMEINI BY NAME AND THAT NONE OF THE
ATTACKERS NOTE ANY CLAIM TO SPEAK FOR HIM. IN PREVIOUS
DISAGREEMENTS OF THIS KIND, BAZARGAN HAS HAD ENOUGH SUPPORT
FROM THE IMAM TO OVERCOME CALLS FOR HIS DISMISSAL. IT IS LIKELY
THAT AS LONG AS BAZARGAN CONTINUES TO HAVE KHOMEINI'S SUPPORT
(AND THERE IS NO SIGN OF HIS LOSING IT) HE WILL BE ABLE TO
SURVIVE SUCH ATTACKS. BAZARGAN'S SURVIVAL, HOWEVER, IS UNLIKELY
TO MAKE HIS GOVERNMENT ANY MORE EFFECTIVE IN DEALING WITH THOSE
WHO HAVE ALREADY TAKEN OVER MOST OF HIS FUNCTIONS.

LAINGEN