IRAN: EVE OF CORRUPTION TRIAL FOR MAYOR OF TEHRAN KARABASCHI

Описание: (6 Jun 1998) Farsi/Nat

Tehran's mayor Gholamhossein Karabaschi goes on trial on Sunday, charged with corruption.

In hardline Iran, Karabaschi gained huge popularity with students and young middle class Iranians for his moderate views and ideas.

But many of his policies have alienated Islamic hardliners.

Karbaschi's supporters say the allegations of corruption are politically motivated by Iran's conservative-led judiciary.

Sunday's trial is being seen as the latest round in the power struggle between these hardliners and the moderate supporters of recently elected President Khatami.

Since Gholamhossein Karabaschi became mayor he has helped change the face of Tehran.

Over the past eight years, since the end of the Iran-Iraq War, Tehran has been transformed from a war-ravaged city into a clean, efficient and modern metropolis.

Karbaschi's efforts have earned him international awards, including one from UNESCO which voted him one of ten most successful mayors of the year.

Now it seems that Karbaschi has become a victim of his own success.

Iran's hardliners, led by the Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdei have accused him of corruption.

SOUNDBITE: (Farsi)
"Who has the right to question the fatwas. It is non of your business. You can not even control your basic desires."
SUPER CAPTION: Ayatollah Yazdi, Iranian Judiciary Chief

Hardliners took to the streets in response.

UPSOUND: (Farsi)
"We will hit back at the enemies of the clergy."

SOUNDBITE: (Farsi)
"Fundamentalism is against everything that is modern. In our country, as well as the press and journalists and intellectuals, the mayor of Tehran has become a symbol of modernism. This is why he is being attacked by the fundamentalists."
SUPER CAPTION: Massoud Behnood, political analyst

Karbaschi was appointed mayor at the end of the Iran-Iraq war.

His brief was to reconstruct Tehran.

Karbaschi turned slum areas into parks and boating lakes.

In April of this year, fundamentalists imprisoned Karbaschi after they accused him of corruption.

But he was freed on bail after 12 days in jail following pressure from his supporters.

When Karbaschi was first accused of corruption charges nine months ago, he gave A-P-T-V an exclusive interview.

SOUNDBITE: (Farsi)
"I am not very pessimistic, I do not see things as that bad. These events are natural in any society. Someone does something, some people are for it, some are against it. In our municipality project there are a lot of people who oppose even our good work such as planting flowers, building parks, laying streets, renewing areas or even slum clearance. But I think the opinion of the majority must be taken into account."
SUPER CAPTION: Gholamhossein Karbaschi, mayor of Tehran

Although Karbaschi was a rising star under the late Ayatollah Khomeini, he fell foul of conservatives after he openly supported moderate Mohammad Khatami in the 1997 presidential campaign.

Khatami supports Karbaschi, although not blatantly.

In the power struggle between moderates and extremists, Khatami himself has to tread carefully.

The power of the fundamentalists must not be underestimated.

They still hold important positions and are a majority in the Islamic Majlis.

SOUNDBITE: (Farsi)
"I think that the value and significance of values is that they must be accepted willingly, and not by force. Certainly our society is consolidating the values of the Islamic Revolution by the way of logic, discussion and dialogue and development. We have to sit down and talk about what is best for us. The people want the best solutions from us."


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