Interviewer: A reporter of Le Echo, a French local magazine
Question: [Honorable Ayatullah, in your previous messages, you had said that the Islamic Republic will be a democratic system and everybody will enjoy freedom. Is it possible to speak of democracy in a regime which is based only on one school and religion, that is, Islam? What will be the fate of non-Muslims and believers of other religions in such a regime?]
Answer: Democracy is inherent in Islam; the people are free in Islam, both in expressing their ideas and in practicing them so far as there is no plot and so long as they do not propose issues that may misguide the Iranian generation.
Q: [Will the Ayatullah revise the relations with foreign countries, particularly with France?]
A: Our relations will be based on mutual respect and will be preserved. We will treat France like other countries.