"US seeks hegemony over the world by threats"

www.iranmania.com Saturday, January 11, 2003 - 2002 IranMania.com

Tehran, Jan 10 - Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said here Friday that US faced many troubles at home, including a whopping foreign trade deficit and insecurity, but it was trying to preserve its hegemony over the world by resorting to threats and terror, IRNA said.

"One should not be intimidated by America which is grappling with economic, cultural, social and educational problems at home," he told thousands of worshipers at weekly Friday prayers.

"The country (US) which always used to have massive surplus trade revenues, is now faced with about 4,500 billion dollars of foreign trade deficit, with interest rates not included."

Rafsanjani, who is the chairman of the arbitrative Expediency Council, said that the American government's budget deficit had piled up to 4,000 billion dollars over the past 20 years. Its debts to the private sector amounts to 32,000 billion dollars and current unemployment rate in the US stands at six percent, he added.

"America's security condition has also worsened very much. Phone taps have increased, surveillance cameras have been set up in sensitive junctions and subways of the country to control people and travel to America has become more problematic," Rafsanjani added.

"All these together have led to a 60 percent decline in foreign investments in America," the cleric said.

Rafsanjani said the American bullying had scared many countries, including certain individuals in Iran who believed in a concession to the United States.

"Many have now become scared. Even in Iran, there are certain puppets who think nobody can confront America and thus there must be a concession," he said, adding "America has instilled this terror into many hearts and is trying exploit this atmosphere of terror".

Rafsanjani denounced US' controversial policies, especially in the case of Iraq which Washington has threatened to attack if Saddam Hussein failed to expose the country's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

"America claims that it wanted to set the people of Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Venezuela free, but these people will never tolerate American hegemony.

"If Iraq is released from the yoke of the Baath party, will the freedom-seeking Muslim Iraqi people tolerate a hand-picked government in their country?

"Either disintegration of Iraq or its transformation into a federal or free government will prejudice American interests," Rafsanjani said.

"America has many problems in view of all these controversies and its dreams will never come to reality. Meanwhile, we will definitely gain victory if we pay the cost of remaining on the divine track with fortitude," the cleric added.