Iran Leader Denies Advocating Attacks

Iranian Speaker of Parliament Hashemi Rafsanjani said today that his remarks about Palestinians killing Americans and other Westerners had been distorted and that he did not advocate such attacks.

Tehran Radio quoted him as saying that his remarks on Friday, when he called for the killing of five Americans, Britons or Frenchmen for every Palestinian killed by Israel, had been misinterpreted.

“I really do not advise this and consider this (killing ordinary people) a weak point,” the radio quoted him as saying.

Rafsanjani said what he had meant was that Israeli oppression of Palestinians would naturally lead to violent reactions. He said his statement was based on his own analysis and did not necessarily reflect official Iranian policy.

“The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran remains the same: Terrorism is a scourge of the people.

“But we should not judge it one-sidedly, as the Americans and the British would--that is, allowing for state terrorism by the likes of Israel . . . but not the people’s reaction to it.”

Rafsanjani’s remarks last week, broadcast at the time by Tehran Radio, were denounced by the United States, Britain, France, Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

‘Dry Its Roots’

“I have always said that if the Americans want to eliminate terrorism they should dry its roots. . . . They should not allow Israel to do these things,” he said.

“The (Israeli) regime kills Palestinians every day. . . . The Americans have reportedly given (Lebanese Christian leader) Michel Aoun $700 million to pound Lebanese cities and make people homeless.