IRANIANS ARRESTED IN KOSOVO WERE INTELLIGENT OFFICERS
PARIS 6 AUG. (IPS) Iran announced Monday that two of its nationals, detained last week by the U.S. forces in Kosovo, are still in captivity and only one has been released.
"There is no new word on the fate of the two health workers, but, efforts are still under way to help release them", the foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi told a Tehran press conference.
But well-informed sources said the three men were arrested not last week but on 22 July on the eve of the US President George W. Bush visit to the province, when US and European forces in the region were on full alert.
"The men are all from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Intelligence special unit of "Al Qods" (Jerusalem) and not members of any humanitarian mission, as claimed by the Iranian authorities", said Mr. Nima Rashedan, an Iranian independent journalist close to the reformists.
US forces in Kosovo arrested the three immediately after their arrival in the city, coming from Tehran, disguised as belonging to a humanitarian mission and carrying press credit documentations issued by the Voice and Visage of the Islamic Republic (Iranian Radio and TV).
Iranian intelligence agents in Europe usually work under the cover of journalists covering for either the VVIR or "Keyhan", the unofficial organ of the leader’s special intelligence unit and their expenses are met by the Deprived Foundation, commonly known as the "Bonyad", a huge conglomerate that has offices in many European and Asian cities.
"This is not the first time that Islamic Iran sends spies and professional agit-props disguised as journalists or humanitarian aid workers to sensitive areas prior of US high-ranking officials", said Mr. Rashedan, speaking with the Persian service of Radio France Internationale.
The Islamic Iran has a long story of espionage, data gathering and propaganda activity in the Balkans, particularly in Bosnia-Herzegovina, sources said.
According to Mr. Rashedan, the agents were sent deliberately to Kosovo in order to sabotage efforts made by Mr. Khatami to normalise relations with the European Union.
"There are the same people who placed missiles parts in cucumber canes exported to Belgium. The same who before every of Mr. Khatami’s official visits abroad create crisis, by either killing Iranian dissidents or undertaking other acts of sabotage", he said.
"The two were released following a letter by (Foreign Minister) Kamal Kharrazi to the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan calling for their immediate release", the Iraqi-born Asefi told journalists.
But sources said all three men had been released by the Americans after the end of President Bush’s visit and went to the "Al Qods" base in Pristina.
Last Thursday, the state radio announced all the three Iranians, detained by the U.S. forces in Kosovo, have been released.
U.S. forces kidnapped them as they headed for Iran's medicare centre from the relief headquarters' bureau in the city of Pristina, according to the official news agency IRNA.
As Mr. Asefi accused American forces in the former Yugoslav Province of "kidnapping", sources told IPS that the Iranian "medicare centre" the Iranians refer to is in fact the main base for the Al Qods operations in the Balkans.
Iranians said they had objected to the actions of the KFOR forces since the relief workers were covered by regulations applicable for non-governmental organisations, but again, the informed source said the arrested men were intelligent agents and "they knew that they would be arrested, being well aware of the high state of alert of both the American and European forces in the region. ENDS IRANIANS KOSOVO 6801