BY: Safa Haeri, IPS Editor
PARIS 6TH  DEC. (IPS) The forthcoming Islamic Summit which is due in Tehran next week is, diametrically speaking, both « the biggest victory » scored by the Iranian « Mullahrchy » over their two most implacable enemies, the « great Satan », which is the United States and Israel as well as a personal success for the new president, the ayatollah Mohammad Khatami, and on the other end, an end to the revolutionary era, according to Iranian, Arab and Western analysts, diplomats and experts.
 Says Dr Alireza Nurizadeh, the « secretary » of the London-based Centre for Arab-Iranian Studies, one of the very few independent institutes dedicated to bring closer the Sunni Arab and Shi’a Iranian worlds closer, the fact that such a conference is held in Tehran is in itself a " fatal blow"  for the Islamic revolution.
 « This is the clearest signal that under the presidency of Mohammad Khatami, the policy of the ruling mullahs is moving away from revolutionary rhetoric towards pragmatism and international logic. Just think of a regime which used to shout day and night its eternal opposition to estekbar (imperialism), insist on its commitment to the destroy the "Zionist regime" and to fight to the end "Arab reactionary puppets", which means all Arab nations but Syria, Sudan and Libya. 
"Now imagine the same regime throwing red carpets for leaders of those same regimes, installing them in royal residences. Just think of Mr Khatami walking side by side with those personalities who have been vindicated and insulted with vulgarity until quite recently. If there is a foregone conclusion that the Summit will achieve nothing in solving any of the major issues facing the Muslims and the Arabs, by contrast, it will help putting the very last nail to the revolutionary process in Iran, and this is a major achievement, for, it can herald a more peaceful and prosperous region in the future ", Mr Nurizadeh observed.
 Since the commemoration of Persia’s 2500 years of almost uninterrupted Monarchy in Persepolis in 1971, this is the first time that such a « summitry » is taking place in Iran and to give it a maximum of lust and glory, the relatively impoverished Islamic Republic has set aside an « astronomic » sum of more than 80 millions US Dollars.
 There is not doubt that the combination of Israel’s policy under the very controversial personality of Mr Benjamin Netenyahu, who has rocked the Peace Process with the Palestinians in particular and the Arabs in general in the one hand and the astonishing victory of the ayatollah Khatami, considered by most Western and Arab countries as « moderate » in the last presidential elections in Iran has greatly helped Tehran in organising this 8th Summit of the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).
 This was confirmed by an Iranian political analyst in Tehran: « Boycotted by the US, having strained relations with the European Union and more or less isolated in the international scene, it was very important for the Islamic Republic to host this conference and give it the maximum of splendour. If we have succeeded, it is due to double effect of the victory of Mr Khatami , who seems to be liked by the Arabs in the one hand and the excesses of Mr Netenyahu, who is despised by them on the other » he said on condition of anonymity.
 There is a common acknowledgement among most of the participants that Tehran, because of its radical position towards the Peace Process and its support for Arab and Muslim extremist organisations in the one hand and the fact that it has no relations with the United States, the only nation which has a make it or break it role in the region on the other, is not the best place for such a meeting, specially at these crucial times.  
« Arab nations are certain that this particular Summit will achieve almost nothing but to enhance Islamic Iran’s position both in the region and in the world, something most of them have bitterly fought until recently, but since Mr Netenyahu threw the Oslo agreement into the see, and since Washington continue a double standard policy in the region by closing its eyes on Israel abusesagainst the Palestinians while it has them wide open concerning the Arabs, as one can see, let’s say in the case of Iraq, there was both a willingness, albeit reluctant and an obligation to come to Tehran », commented a senior Arab diplomat.
 « It is a great achievement for the Iranian ruling mullahs to bring the Sunni dominated Arab and Muslim states together in Tehran, the cradle of the Shi’ism. More than a good public relation performance, it is also a clear signal to the United States that there are limits to impose unilaterally their will on others », said Mrs Rosemary Holis, the dynamic Director of the Middle East Programs at the prestigious Royal Institute for International Affairs (RIIA) in London.
 But the absence of almost all influential and powerful Arab leaders, like President Hosni Mobarak of Egypt, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, King Hussein of Jordan or King Hasan of Morocco, who is also the Chairman of the "Al Qods" (Jerusalem) Committee has greatly diminished the importance of this meeting. Expressing the anger of the Iranian ruling mullahs, the radical daily "Jomhuri Eslami", which is the mouthpiece of the ayatollah Khameneh’i, wrote in a recent issue: "Shah Hussein and Shah Hasan are not coming. If the Sultan of Oman and the Sultan of Brunei refuse to come, the Tehran Summit will be a kingless one". (The use, in the media and by officials in the Islamic regime of Iran of the word Shah in front of the names has a pejorative intonation) 
Another reason explaining the absence of some important Arab heads of states is that their presence in Tehran could be interpreted as their recognition of the Iranian supreme leader the ayatollah Ali Khameneh’i as the "valy amr muslemin", or the Guardian of all Muslims, the title bestowed on him by his entourage. 
High on the agenda are the questions of Palestine, the bloody situation in Afqanestan, the Bosnian problem, the thorny question of Cashmere, the future of Iraq and above all the Jerusalem « time bomb », probably one of the few questions, if not the only one that enjoys the unanimity of all the 54 kings, head of states, prime ministers or representatives who will take part in the Tehran Islamic show. Creation of an Islamic Common Market aimed as a new economic bloc between the three big ones which are the US, the EU and Japan is one of the Iranian most cherished dreams.
 Addressed one by one, analysts argue that on the Palestinian issue, one of the very few ones where there is some convergence between the participants because, as stated before, of policies of Israel and the United States, nothing will come out concrete « whatever the OIC would have to say in its final communiqué ». On Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Muslims can do nothing but continue to give some money and weapons, for, the final solution s with the US and the EU. Iraq will continue to remain the pariah, on Cashmere, one notes that many OIC members, including Iran and Saudi Arabia have closer relations with India than Pakistan and on Afqanestan, which is not present on the Summit, nothing can be achieved since the Taliban are recognised by Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and Iran continuing to recognise the government of the former president Borhaneddine Rabbani. 
 (As a matter of fact, though Mr Rabbani and some other Iranian-backed Afqan leaders opposed to the Taliban are now in Iran attending an Afqan Peace Seminar,  they have not been invited to the Summit, a major concession to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan).
 Seen from Tehran, the Conference must give predominance to « Islamic values, enhance the role of Muslims in the present world dominated by the United States, fight to eradicate the Zionist regime, challenge the Western, most particularly the American cultural hegemony by reviving Islamic values and traditions, restore Muslims independent identity by cutting the roots of imperialism and colonialism and reinforce unity among all Muslim nations regardless of their religious divisions»
 As this Summit has become more an Iranian « affair » than a Muslim’s one with its Iranian side definitely overshadowing other Arab and Middle Eastern aspects, to some Iranian analysts, the event presents « far reaching » significance for the Islamic Republic.
 Iran is hosting this Summit at a time of high domestic turbulence, as the powerful conservative mullahs who were severely defeated in the last presidential race are bracing themselves to bring to trial Mr Hosseinali Montazeri, one of the last prestigious Iranian the grand ayatollah as well as the ayatollah Ahmad Azari Qomi, a senior cleric who, in recent weeks, have publicly voiced their opposition to the present leader, the ayatollah Ali Khameneh’i. Charged for « treason, complicity with foreign intelligence, subversive anti-state activities », the two men faces death sentence.
 In a letter to Mr Khameneh’i, ayatollah Montazeri is reported to have stated « you who can not assure the security of one man like me how are you going to guarantee the safety of so many important guests? »
 To do this, and afraid to see that supporters of the dissident ayatollahs and intellectuals may take advantage from the occasion to organise demonstrations against the leader and the regime at large, drastic security measures have been taken by the revolutionary guards to secure that the 5000 to 6000 guests who will attend the preparatory meetings of experts, followed by that of the foreign ministers (8 to 10 of December) before the start of the Summit itself on the 11th will see, at least on the surface, a peaceful nation under a united leadership.
To do this, and in order to empty the capital from its population as much as possible, the government as ordered all the ministries to give their employees a full week holiday, extending from Monday 8 to Thursday 12 of December.
"What we are going to have is a full scale, but underclared martial law. It will nighmare for those who can not escape the inferno", said one local resident, who asked if authorities in other nation do impose same drastic measures when they organise such international conferences? 
Unconfirmed sources in Tehran told the IPS that government has taken seriously a threat by a little known but radical organisation named "Ansar e Emam" to explode residence and hotels of the delegates from countries condemned by the ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeiny, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq and Morocco.

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