Rajai becomes P.M.

Press, 12 August 1980, Page 8

Rajai becomes P.M.

NZPA-Reuter Teheran The. Iranian Parliament yesterday approved the nomination of Mohammad Ali Rajai as Prime Minister. Mr Rajai. won a confidence vote in the Assembly by 153 votes to 24, with 19 abstentions. Mr Rajai, who is the Education Minister and was imprisoned for hir political activities under the Shah, will now select his Cabinet, a move seen as a necessary preliminary to debate on the 52 American hostages:

Mr Rajai is a Muslim fundamentalist. The election of the 46-year-old former mathematics teacher ended a two-month-long impasse between President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr and the clergy-dominated Islamic Republican Party, which forms the largest group in the Majlis, (Parliament). The president nominated Mr Rajai three days ago while making it clear he had strong misgivings. In New York, President

I Carter said yesterday he had had intelligence reports that Iran intended to hold the American hostages seized in November until after the presidential elections to try to influence the way Americans voted.

Asked if he thought the hostages’ release would come quicker if the Republican Party candidate (Mr Ronald Reagan) should win the election on November 4, which will mark .the anniversary of the hostage drama, he said he did not believe this mattered. . “I don’t, think the election of a certain persoh in our country as President will be the determining factor,” he said.

“We have had intelligence reports from quite early this year, that the Ayatollah Khomeiny. may be considering holding the hostages until after our election to try to influence Americans in how they voted. I don’t know if that’s. an accurate account.”

It was reported yesterday that the former secretary of

the Anglican Bishop of Iran, Jean Waddell, was being detained for questioning by the Revolutionary Prosecutor’s office at Isfahan in central Iran. '

Miss Waddell, aged 58, a Briton, was shot and seriously wounded in Teheran in May, a few days before the 24-year-old son of Bishop Hassan Deghani was murdered. The bishop himself left the country last year after an attack on his life. '.k .

A spokesman at the Prosecutor’s Office said she was being questioned about what he called spy charges. Ayatollah Sadeq Khalkhali announced yesterday, that 400 prisoners charged with drug offences were to be freed today to mark Id alFitr, the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the State radio reported. The ayatollah has- sent more than 100 drug traffickers to the firing squad since taking charge of an anti-narcotics drive in May. ;.