Shah hands Govt to military after worst violence in 25 years

Press, 7 November 1978, Page 8

Shah hands Govt to military after worst violence in 25 years

International _____

NZPA-Reuter Teheran | The Shah of Iran has appointed an Army Govern- ! ment led by his Armed Forces Chief of Staff (General Gholam Reza Azhari) after a day of rioting and arson in Teheran.

General Azhari replacec the civilian Prime Minister (Mr Jaafar Sharif-Emami) who resigned on Sundaj night after two turbulen months in office. The Shah said in a nation wide broadcast that the mill tary Government would b( temporary, with a mission to deal with violence an< unrest “which endangerec the integrity and indepen dence of the country” ant had become intolerable. A national government would be formed later ht said. The Shah met the new Cabinet at his Niavaran Palace yesterday morning, ths Associated Press reported. The Cabinet consists ol members of the security forces except one civilian the Foreign Minister (Mr Amir Khosro Afshar), whc was retained from the outgoing Sharif-Emami Government. Observers said the Shah’s decision to replace Mr Sha-rif-Emami with a military leader was not considered a temporary solution. However, it was believed the Shah would keep his pledge of holding free elections for a new National Assembly next June. Meanwhile, Agence FrancePresse reported that shots were fired yesterday in the central area of the capital near the university, the focal point of the week-end violence. It was not known w'hether they were warning shots or had been fired against demonstrators. The university was apparently empty eaflier yesterday after the authorities’ decision to order the closing

■d of all educational buildings iri until Sunday. ), Earlier, the martial-law ly authorities in the capital at warned citizens that martial . law would be strictly en-n-1 forced in an effort to keep i- anti-Shah mobs off the ie!streets after the most n serious unrest against the id monarch’s rule for 25 years, td Enforcement of tough n- regulations which include a id ban on gatherings of more than three people could n mean more bloodshed if opie position fever goes on mounting. w All schools and colleges I- have been closed in an effort le to stop potential demonstrations building up again after if a wild, day of violence on y Sunday when rioters screarnn, ing “Death to the Shah” Ir rampaged through the 10 | streets of Teheran, gutting t-1 the Information Ministry, i-isetting fire to the British I Embassy, and burning scores ’siof vehicles. 1 Banks, police stations, cis' nemas, shops, offices, and at a least one big hotel went up in flames as thousands of 4 young demonstrators went is on an orgy of destruction unchecked by troops for hours. Just before the start ot s-1 the 9 p.m. curfew, machinesi gun fire was heard in sevie eral areas, indicating that tl martial-law forces were 11 clamping down on mob vioi- ! lence in the capital. A Government spokesman ■r said no foreigners were hurt T; during the rioting. Many tori' eign guests at the Hotel Waldorf and Royal Garden -. i were rescued from the top -J floors by fire-engine ladders. s’l The British’s Embassy’s g four-storey main building

;s:was burned down before fire engines could reach it. Nov one was hurt. .Most shops il along the fashionable streets il of Shah-Reza, Takht-eJam-i-lshid, and Ferdousi and other! pl streets were heavily dam-. lejaged. it; The Pepsi-Cola factoiy; e and Volkswagen agency, rep-; resented by the Bahai sectl h leader, Habib Sabet, were' a among major targets of the! e rioters. Hundreds of night! d clubs, theatres, liquor shops! i- and other luxury buildings , n were destroyed or damaged. The Minister of Informas!tion (Mr Ameli Tehran) was •d beaten by demonstrators at iJthe Ministry building. ■ri According to reliable nisources, the military com-1 i- niand declined to intervene ”: forcefully in the latest rampelage by demonstrators be-! g; cause of sharp protests, i, i even by Government Minis- I h ters, over the shooting of ■s ; university students by troops during clashes on i_ I Saturday. , t i At least three persons pjwere killed during rioting on when soldiers fired t;through the gates of Teheran! n ! University at jeering, rockr throwing students. On Sunday. two Cabinet Ministers .»holding the portfolios of !_ Education and Universities ’ | resigned in protest. J There were no confirmed p I reports of fatalities in the ®! latest rioting, as Army troops withheld their ‘fire and shied away from clashes! 11 with protestors. There is no evidence that! 'I tough military action will ■ ' cool the tension and one! n ! militant mullah has declared j| ?! there would be a jihad (holy| ; | war) against the Shah if the s|Army took over the Govern-! g ment.