Reactions to President Bush's Message About Iran in the U.S. Congress - 2002-07-17

Reactions to President Bush's Message About Iran in the U.S. Congress - 2002-07-17. Both Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress support President Bush's views on Iran. More details come from a report prepared by Mahtab Farid, a reporter for the Persian section of Voice of America. Gil Gutknecht, a Republican representative from Minnesota, considers President Bush's statement the clearest instance of separating the Iranian people from the ruling regime in Iran. He states that when President Bush used the famous term 'Axis of Evil' regarding Iran, some thought he was referring to the Iranian people. President Bush has clearly distinguished between the people who seek reform and true democracy in Iran and the leaders, particularly some clerics and ayatollahs, who obstruct any reforms desired by the people. The Republican representative from Minnesota said we have made it clear from the beginning that the Iranian government supports terrorism and we cannot accept such actions. Mr. Gutknecht stated: Once again, the President made it clear that we are with the Iranian people and cannot be with governments that support terrorism. When I asked Mr. Gutknecht if he thinks the U.S. government will intervene in Iran in some way, for example, by supporting the student movement or other movements, he said he was not sure if we would intervene directly. However, he is confident that the President's statement contained a clear message. That we have taken the right position and are with them, and I believe this will ultimately help their efforts to achieve reforms in Iran. The Minnesota representative expressed hope to convey his message to the Iranian people in a small sentence in Persian. Brad Sherman, a Democratic representative from California, also emphasized the clear distinction between the Iranian people and their rulers in President Bush's recent statement about Iran. Mr. Sherman said we demand nothing less for the Iranian people than what we want for ourselves, including that we not only want leaders who are freely elected but also want elected leaders who can genuinely implement the expected powers and authorities of the government. Mr. Sherman expressed concern about the idea of weapons of mass destruction being produced by extremist and unelected elements controlling the Iranian government. He stated that the extension of the investment sanctions law in Iran and Libya was also aimed at limiting the production of weapons of mass destruction, and further steps will be taken through the World Bank, which intends to provide Iran with loans worth $755 million. Mr. Sherman said: I want to see democracy in Iran. I want to see a government in Iran that represents the honor and dignity of the Iranian people. When this happens, I will also loudly support economic relations with Iran and World Bank loans for Iran. Mr. Sherman rejected any intervention similar to the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan regarding Iran, stating that Iran is different from Afghanistan or Iraq and that we will support democratic elements in Iran.