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Heard This Week - 01/04/2007




Heard in Iran This Week
on Radio Farda

(Washington, DC -- January 4, 2007) Radio Farda provided listeners comprehensive coverage of the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, the death of former U.S. President Gerald Ford and continued its evaluation of UN Security Council Resolution 1737, imposing sanctions on Iran for refusing to end its uranium enrichment efforts.

>> On December 30, Radio Farda broadcast RFE/RL's interview with International Crisis Group senior political analyst Joost Hiltermann about the impact of Saddam Hussein's death on Iraq. Hiltermann told RFE/RL that he believes Hussein's death may lead to a "short-term spike in violence, but in the longer term it will have very little impact." Hiltermann also said that Saddam Hussein will be seen as a martyr in some quarters and "he also still has a 'certain' reputation in the Arab world more broadly... so his execution will be seen by many in the Arab world really as an attempt by Iran, in particular, to settle scores for the Iran-Iraq War" (https://audio.rferl.org/ch21/2006/12/30/20061230-073000-FRD-program.mp3?start=03:08&end=06:55; English transcript at http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/12/A88585F1-8B38-4431-B3D8-D9E7AFC2900A.html)

>> Radio Farda's website provided visitors a special page filled with broadcast reports, reports, analyses and interviews about Saddam Hussein, his legacy and reaction from around the world to his execution (http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2006/12/30/f2_Saddam-execution-pakage.html). The page included links to Radio Farda interviews with London-based journalists Ali Reza Nourizadeh (https://audio.rferl.org/ch21/2006/12/30/20061230-033000-FRD-program.mp3?start=14:00&end=22:15) and Adel Darvish (https://audio.rferl.org/ch21/2006/12/30/20061230-153000-FRD-program.mp3?start=09:33&end=13:05) as well as listeners' views on Saddam Hussein's execution (https://audio.rferl.org/ch21/2006/12/30/20061230-133000-FRD-program.mp3?start=04:20&end=08:33).

>> Radio Farda interviewed Dr. Houshang Nahavandi, political analyst and pre-revolution Science and Higher Education Minister about Saddam Hussein's influence on the Iranian Revolution. Nahavandi told Radio Farda listeners he believes Iraq's 1980 attack on Iran helped the leaders of the Islamic Republic consolidate their hold on power -- "Any outside attack on a revolutionary regime stabilizes the revolution, as in the French Revolution." Referring to the trial of Saddam Hussein, Nahavandi told listeners that Hussein's trial had failed to meet international standards, no matter Hussein's guilt or innocence: "This will be to his benefit, turning him into a sacrifice for Iraq, though he did not deserve it" (http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2006/12/30/f2_Interview-Nahavandi-Iran-Saddam.html)

>> Radio Farda provided listeners in Iran extensive coverage of the death of former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford, including reports on Ford's presidency and the Watergate scandal (http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2006/12/27/f3-ford.html); his life in California (http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2006/12/29/o2_ford_cochla_life.html); and the funeral services (http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2006/12/30/f5_ford_funeral.html; http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2007/01/02/o2_ford_us_funeral.html).

>> The December 29 edition of Radio Farda's weekly "Viewpoints" program focused on Iran's international standing following the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1737. Morad Saghafi, the editor of the quarterly magazine Goft-o-Gu (Dialogue) in Tehran told Radio Farda that the resolution could be seen as the first step towards a unanimous policy on Iran. London-based journalist and political analyst Masoud Behnoud said the internal cohesion of the government has broken down and the resolution is, as a result, perceived in a variety of ways. Strayer University sociology professor Rasool Nafisi said he did not consider UN Security Council Resolution 1737 significant and thought it would have little impact on Iran's relations with the world. Nafisi also told listeners that Iran should not discount the possibility of a military attack -- if not by the U.S., then by Israel (http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2006/12/29/o2_nuke_iran.html).


For more on these and other stories about Iran, please visit:

http://www.radiofarda.com -- Radio Farda's Persian-language website
http://www.rferl.org/reviews/farda.aspx -- "Focus on Farda" bi-weekly review
http://www.rferl.org/reports/iran-report/default.asp -- "RFE/RL Iran Report" weekly analysis
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/iran.html -- RFE/RL English-language coverage of Iran

Radio Farda, a joint project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and
Voice of America (VOA), is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service.
Produced in Washington, D.C. and Prague, Czech Republic and
transmitted to listeners via AM, shortwave and satellite,
Radio Farda features fresh news and information at least twice an hour,
with longer news programming in the morning and the evening.
Radio Farda also broadcasts popular Persian and Western music.

Radio Farda programming is also available via the Internet,
at the service's website http://www.radiofarda.com
and at http://www.rferl.org
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