TEHRAN – U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has requested that Congress allocate $75 million to support groups opposed to Iran in what she called development of democracy in the Islamic Republic. The U.S. decision has sparked condemnation among Iranians.
In light of this, the Mehr News Agency talked to some MPs and political figures on Tuesday to learn their views on the matter.
MP Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said that the U.S. financial support for the development of democracy in Iran was once the strategy of the Democrats, but now the Republicans have turned to this strategy because they have become trapped in a deadlock.
By funding Iranian opposition groups, the United States intends to challenge the peoples’ massive turnout in the February 11 rallies marking the 27th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution during which participants underlined Iran’s right to use civilian nuclear technology, he noted.
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http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=2/23/2006&Cat=2&Num=2