TEHRAN-ANKARA RELATIONS AGAIN IN TURBULENCE
PARIS 29TH Feb. (IPS) The already tense Iran-Turkish relations received another blow Tuesday after a former Prime Minister predicted the disintegration of the Islamic regime in near future.
Speaking to his party's parliamentarian fraction, Mr. Mesut Ilmaz said like any other dictatorial regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran has no escape but complete collapse.
Worse, he compared the present Iranian regime to those of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, saying the Iranian Islamic Republic will have the same destiny as the two other dictatorships.
His declaration follows those made ten days ago by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit in the aftermath of the Iranian Majles Elections, saying the victory of the reformists was the end of the Islamic revolution.
The statement drew sharp reaction from both Iranian press and officials, including former president ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who, in his last Friday sermon, said those who think the Iranian revolution was over are totally wrong.
"It appears that Iran will no longer attempt to export its revolution to other countries. Certain anti-secularist groups in turkey will no longer see the Iranian revolution as a source of inspiration'', Mr. Ecevit had pointed out.
Commenting on the statements, the hard line "Kayhan International" that speaks for the Intelligence community strongly condemned the remarks, telling the Turks that they must be reminded that their standards of democracy were based on "undemocratic traditions".
Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem had stated that ''both Turkey and the region would benefit if Iran develops itself to our standards of democracy, populism and human rights''.
Citing the treatments reserved to Necmettin Erbakan, the pro-Islamist former Premier and Mrs Merve Kavakci, a female MP who refused to take off her Islamic scarf in Parliament, the English-language paper said: "In light of the above facts, commenting on Iran's elections and its outcome by Cem and Ecevit in such a naive way, let's suppose, is not because of mischievousness on their part, maybe it is out of ignorance''.
For it's part, the pro-government "Iran Daily", also published in English said "apparently the Turkish officials did not understand that the legislative race was in fact continuation of the Islamic revolution.
"It seems that Turkey is the only country which has denigrated the February 18 parliamentary race. Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said last Monday that the Islamic system is a backward religious establishment and that the Islamic revolution collapsed after 22 years while Kamal Ataturk's revolution continues to grow after 77 years, Iran Daily observed.
"Apart from the blatant discourtesy in Ecevit's remarks, his poor knowledge about a neighbouring country is astonishing. Ecevit's concern stems from the outcome of the democratic parliamentary elections, which set a regional example of respect for the public within the framework of genuine Islam. Ecevit's warning to his people and his hopes that they would follow the guidelines set by Ataturk's revolution' are a by-product of the deep concern over the fate of Kamalism in Turkey", the paper added. ENDS IRAN TURKEY 29200