Speech [Incidents in Kurdestan - reconstructing the country - city council elections]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I should first express a few words about the unpleasant incidents in Kurdestan.

Neither the events in Kurdestan are unsolvable, nor is the government or the people unable to suppress the rebels. But since we consider the Kurdish people of our number and they do too, we are not separated. If we want to treat very intensely, we fear lest our Kurdish brothers would sustain great damages. Therefore, we want to purge the traitors moderately- suppress them neither mildly nor severely. Know that these traitors are nothing and have set up a defensive posture, posing in an inefficient manner as guerillas, killing people and escaping into the forests from where they are gone to hell, God willing. The government forces and combatants all would move forward and the borderlines would be taken under control, blocking the path through which they are aided.

I should notify the Kurdish people that although all of the rebels excluding the leading traitors, unfortunately some of them are seen having been deceived by the democrats, imagining that they want to serve them. They should, however, know that the democrats could do nothing but sabotage. In reality, they do not want to serve the Kurdish people. Their relationship with the foreigners, the Zionist regime, the United States and the former regime was undeniable. They are serving them and want the Kurdish people if they can the whole country to remain dependent on the foreign countries and under the former pressure.

The Kurdish people should be awakened, introducing the traitors and assisting the government forces to purge them. And we do not want to suppress them using an extraordinary power and acting so toughly, that may, God forbid, cause our Kurdish brothers to be trampled. Foregoing this, there is nothing to it for us to suppress them and to settle the incidents in one day or two. We must avoid this because of our Kurdish brothers and sisters who live there. If they are separate from the people leave the cities and go into the forests, then we would settle the question once for all. In any case, our Kurdish brothers should know that these rebels come from a clan that wants to sabotage not to serve the people. These are the ones who put pressure on you, killed the Iranian youth and set fire to the harvests. They dissuaded the workers from working with the aim of stopping the cycle of economy from running and serving the foreigners to give rise to disturbance and mischief. May they are uprooted as soon as possible, God willing!

As for Reconstruction Jihad, I feel a great pleasure watching brothers and sisters on T. V serving the weak people and thus multiply their strength. When you go to villages and serving them, they get encouraged to work harder. I hope all affairs would be improved with the power of Islam with which we were associated from the beginning until now and persisting in the future, God willing. The change introduced in our youth, brothers and sisters and the spirit of cooperation, serving the people and Islam are promising signs showing that all things would be accomplished with the power of faith prevailing among the nation.

I hope that the gentlemen everywhere deal seriously with the matters before us, including the city councils, lest corrupt people might find their way into the councils, which are in charge of all affairs in a town. If, God forbid, corrupt individuals find their way into the councils, they may corrupt a town and the country if not Islam. You should be careful enough to know and to study the records of those you want to elect. The people in every city know the reliable persons and trustees there. They should identify and elect ten to fifteen candidates, investigating into their records in the former regime and during the revolution from the beginning till now. Their family background and beliefs and how knowledgeable they are should be examined. Select such pious and faithful persons who are loyal to the Islamic Revolution and Islamic Republic of Iran and who are not tilted towards devious ideologies to assume charge of civil affairs, performing them according to the interests of the people their town, God willing. I express my gratitude to all of you and am delighted at this sense of your cooperation. I wish I could join the reconstruction effort once. But I have numerous

excuses, not to mention that I cannot basically render any physical service. The only service I can render is to pray for you. May God protect you and grant you success and assist you all, God willing! May peace, mercy and blessing of Allah be upon you!