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Italy backs Iran reforms, condemns rebel violence

TEHRAN: Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini on Sunday strongly backed the reforms under way in Iran and condemned the violence of the exiled opposition group Mujahideen Khalq.

Dini, on a visit to Iran, said Italy and other members of the European Union were encouraged by the election in Iran last month which swept President Mohammad Khatami's reformist allies to a majority in parliament.

"The way the elections were organised and the heavy turnout show they were based on pluralism," Dini said at a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi.

"This expression of popular sentiment shows that the Iranian people support their government policies. The way chosen by opponents abroad is doomed to fail," Dini said.

He was referring to the Iraq-based Mujahideen Khalq, Iran's main armed opposition group, which has waged a violent campaign to topple the Islamic system in power in Iran.

The Mujahideen, which is active politically in Europe and the United States, has in recent weeks launched several attacks on targets in Iran, including a mortar assault in Tehran which killed one person and injured several others.

"Iranian officials voiced concern about the Mujahideen sabotage activities. We have condemned such acts in the past and condemn them today," Dini said.

Iran, boosted by its improved international image after the elections, hopes to enlist European support to isolate the rebel group.

Italy is Iran's biggest trading partner in Europe and has cordial political relations with the Islamic republic.

It has also played a key role in persuading the EU to upgrade ties with Iran, which reached their lowest point after a German court implicated Tehran in 1996 in the murder of dissidents in Berlin in the early 1990s.-Reuters