Thursday, Apr 21, 2005
Thursday, Apr 21, 2005 |
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Atul Aneja
MANAMA: Iran has stepped up its investigation about the ethnic unrest in its oil rich Khuzestan province that borders Iraq. Violence resulting from clashes between Iranian Arab groups and security forces that spread over the weekend has claimed at least five lives. Protesters clashed with security forces, set fire to police cars, banks and government buildings. Officials attributed the violence in the sensitive province to the circulation of a forged letter where a senior government official discussed relocation of non-Arabs to the area, in order to diminish Arab influence in the oil heartland. Most Iranians are of Persian descent, but the country has minority populations of Arabs and Kurds.
Strategic area
The province, which straddles the Iraqi oil fields across the border, is of prime strategic importance to Iran. Not surprisingly, the government has begun a detailed investigation about the unrest. Head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Parliament, Aladdin Borujerdi has announced that the Interior and Intelligence Ministers would submit a report on the recent events in the province. Mr. Borujerdi, a former government point person on Afghanistan, said Parliament would also receive a report by committee members who were visiting Khuzestan for an on-the-spot investigation. The Defence Minister, Ali Shamkhani, an Arab himself, has also travelled to the province to determine "the roots of the problem." Faced with the unrest, Iranian authorities have shut down the Iran bureau of the Qatar based Al-Jazeera television station. The Intelligence Minister, Ali Yunesi, said those individuals who provoked the violence had ties to "anti-government (television) channels."
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