Arrived in Tehran to inaugurate jointly with the Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi the three-day Asian conference on Racism, Xenophobia and Racial discrimination that started works Monday, Mrs. Robinson’s remarks made during meetings with senior Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi-Shahrudi, the leader-appointed Judiciary Chief and President Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Khatami angered the ruling conservatives, particularly the leader of the regime, Ayatollah Ali Khameneh’i.

At the same time, she expressed satisfaction that Mr. Hashemi-Shahrudi accepted her offer that the United Nations provides Iranian Judiciary "any technical assistance".

She also expressed her hope that with reforms taking place in the country, a convention against women discrimination will be approved soon.

"For his part, Ayatollah Shahrudi, told Mrs. Robinson that nowhere else in the world could real justice, freedom and human rights (as opposed to mere political rhetoric) be found except Iran", the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

The conference met with a storm of protest by the hard liners after conservatives-controlled newspapers published pictures of some female participants without the mandatory "Islamic" headscarves, reporting that during the meetings, "men and women were chatting and laughting friendly together and even shook hands", a gesture considered as "anti-Islamic" and banned in Iran.

Mr. Mohammed Shahi Arablu, a conservative member of the reformist-dominated Majles (parliament) said (Foreign Minister) Kharazi must explain about the lack of respect for Islamic values and morals exhibited by the women at the conference.

On Tuesday, the women reluctantly fell into line after warnings by Iranian authorities, but in an open letter addressed to Mrs. Robinson, criticised what they called the "invasion of (their) privacy" and the "attack against their dignity".

But in its Persian service, Radio Israel quoted Mrs. Robinson as having told journalists that she in fact "protested" to the Iranian authorities on the issue.

"The visit to our Muslim country by Mrs. Robinson is one of the saddest events that took place last week, as, contrary to its nice looking name, the United Nations are nothing but a tool in the hands of hegemonistic and imperialist powers", wrote the daily "Jomhuri Eslami" (Islamic Republic) that belongs to Ayatollah Khameneh'i and reflects his views.

Describing human rights "an other subjects of this kind" as "tools coined" in this Organisations to allow imperialist powers to "better implement their hegemonistic goals", the paper said "therefore, the mere fact that the Commissioner was authorised to come to our country, an essentially anti-imperialist regime, run against the principles of the Islamic Republic".

Comparing the attacks launched by conservatives against Mrs. Robinson to those made by the conservative newspapers, particularly the leader-controlled Iranian Radio ad Television on Herr Wolfgang Thierse, the President of Germany’s Bundestag (parliament), analyst said they reflect the wrath of the lamed Iranian leader from both the open support brought by the West to Iranian reformers in general and the person of President Khatami in particular.

"More than being literarily against the UN High Commissioner or the UN itself, the protests by the conservatives is, like any other issue on these pre-presidential election times, part of the larger and bitter feuding between the ruling conservatives who are fast loosing the grounds to the reformers and use any occasion to harass them", explained one political analyst. ENDS ROBINSON AND UN CONF 23201