Tehran, Nov 24, IRNA -- Iran's former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani here Sunday heaved praise on volunteer Basij forces in the face of adverse "sloganeering" and urged the militia to remain alert against enemies' plots to widen perceived gaps among the ranks of the nation.

"Basij forces must be careful since the Satan has mobilized all its cavalry and infantry to exploit the existing situation," he told a seminar of the militia forces.

Rafsanjani, the chairman of the Expediency Council which arbitrates in disputes between the Parliament and the supervisory Guardians Council, also slammed "those who chant slogans against Basij on the streets".

"They make a mistake since they want to destroy the country's security," the cleric said, adding enemies of the Islamic Revolution were behind this instigation.

"They (the enemies) know that if Basij does not exist, insecurity will spread like leprosy in the society," he said.

"They are not only the enemy of the Basijis, but the whole nation and some people are ignorantly follow them by chanting slogans," Rafsanjani stated.

There have been sporadic clashes as well as exchanges of salvo between Basijis and students recently as the latter have held protest rallies in Tehran and other Iranian cities against a court's sentencing of outspoken academic Hashem Aghajari to death.

Earlier Sunday, thousands of militia members gathered in front of the former US embassy, better known as the 'den of spies', as their colleagues throughout other parts of Iran rallied to protest against American "interventionist and arrogant policies".

On Saturday, hundreds of them gathered at the late Imam Khomeini's Mausoleum to "renew allegiance with the founder of the Islamic Revolution".

Rafsanjani called for all-out presence of Basijis in the country's affairs, saying "We should see to the situation that state bodies could be benefitted the most from these active and sincere forces".

"Now, the Basij has an important mission which is to have presence in all political, social and cultural developments of the nation," he said.

The former president said that security was key to the reconstruction of the country and Basijis' role must be seen in this context.

"Security is a need to attract investment and...to resolve the unemployment problem," he said, adding "Those, who think they can resolve the unemployment problem without reconstruction, they are mistaken."

Iranian Basijis rally against "arrogant American policies"

Commander of the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Yahya Rahim Safavi, said that the US sought to undermine Iran's security by invading Iraq.

"America is intending to endanger Iran's security by occupying Iraq and creating crisis and tensions in Tehran's relations with other countries of the world," he told 15,000 Basijis to the chants of "Death to America".

He urged the militia forces to maintain their defense preparedness and promote their cooperation with the public in establishing security in the country.

"Bajis must play a leading role in establishing enduring security in the country by boosting its power and defense readiness so that it could resist threats of America and the Zionist Israeli regime," he added.

On Saturday, hundreds of Basijis gathered at the late Imam Khomeini's Mausoleum to "renew allegiance with the founder of the Islamic Revolution".

Students Following the Line of Imam stormed the embassy in 1979 and held its staff hostage for 444 days, which prompted Washington to sever ties with Tehran and freeze Iranian assets in US banks.

Diplomatic ties between the two countries have remained tense since then with little signs of a thaw.

Iran became outraged after US Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, said in Washington recently that he saw signs of an early overthrow of the Islamic Republic by the Iranian people, or the government collapse.

"I suspect that during my lifetime we're going to see...that the young people and the women and the people who believe in freedom will overthrow that cleric government and it will fall in some way of its own weight," Rumsfeld was quoted as saying during a radio call-in show.

Iran's former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani hit out at the US defense secretary, saying Rumsfeld can take such an idea to hell.

"Mr. secretary can take this hope into hell," he told worshipers at Friday prayers two weeks ago.

President Mohammad Khatami said in Madrid last month that the United States had been hindering his government's goodwill gestures to mend ties with Washington.

"Unfortunately in recent years, Iran's every goodwill step has been met with unhelpful response of the American side for a variety of reasons," he said during a joint news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.

"Iran's last goodwill was indicated during the Afghan crisis, and if there was no Iranian cooperation, the problem would not have been resolved with a low cost," Khatami said.

US President George W. Bush raised heckles in the world after he lumped Iran into an `axis of evil' along with North Korea and Iraq, despite Tehran's cooperation in the ouster of Taliban in Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi has said that despite a slight change of tone in US rhetoric toward Iran recently, the two countries remained at odds as before even with more distrust existing between them.

Kayhan International Daily urges respecting Constitution to thwart enemy ploys

Kayhan International in its Viewpoint column stressed that the leader's statements covered such areas as US animosity toward Islam and Muslim nations, particularly Iran, US efforts to weaken the Islamic Republic and the means to counter Washington's plots.

The daily stressed that the animosity of the US toward the Islamic Republic is deeply rooted in Iran's efforts to globalize Islam, and promote a world campaign to counter oppressors and bullies by the international powers, "as their satanic and evil natures become known far and wide."

"The Americans are well aware of the fact that the focal point of the Islamic re-awakening and the spiritual support of the Islamic world are rooted in the Islamic Iran, blessed by the Islamic Revolution itself," it wrote.

"Waves of downtrodden Muslims, long burdened under the yoke of arrogant powers have now woken up and are trying to figure out a way to set themselves free," Kayhan International added.

The daily underscored the fact that Muslim nations possess a major part of the world energy resources, stressing that the US is trying to usurp those resources "by means of applying brute force".

"The Americans have not been sitting idle in the past quarter of the century and are constantly looking for ways and means to bring the divinely inspired Islamic system to its heels.

"In line with this evil wish, they are contemplating such plots as disunity between the Iranian people and the country's authorities as well as dispute and enmity among the political groups in this country," it warned.

Kayhan International wrote that the US is trying to create despair among the people, but reiterated that Washington policymakers have so far only managed to paint a darker international image of themselves through such ploys.

It further cautioned that the US is trying to push ahead its plans to propagate misleading information in Iran and spread their well-deliberated programs through the foreign based radio broadcasts, stressing that these efforts are never free from 'carrot and stick' promises and threats.

The daily recalled the remarks by US officials regarding recent developments in the Islamic Republic, stressing that White House officials, who are internationally known as progenitors of all dictator-lackeys around the world, are now shedding crocodile tears for freedom, democracy and human rights.

Kayhan International wrote that the US has never balked at creating impediments in the ways of developments in Iran, and is looking for pretexts to create hindrances in the way of constructive progress in the country.

The daily called on officials of the country to regard the Constitution as the official charter of the Revolution and the political will of the late Imam Khomeini (RH) and those of the dignified martyrs as the spiritual charter of the Revolution by stressing the compliance with both as the primary objective.

"Last but not least, the Supreme Leader has given us the good news that Americans are intoxicated with their power and therefore, under the influence of such intoxication, they are bound to make fateful mistakes and committing these mistakes may not be too far off," Kayhan International concluded.

... Payvand News - 11/24/02 ... --