Paper deal for Schultz

Scan page 10

the Tudeh Party declared that the regime really consisted of two "lines": the Imam's line (supposedly "progressive" and "anti-imperialist) and the Hojatieh line (the reactionary Insofar as the Tudeh Party acknowledged the existence of repression in Iran at all, the repression was attributed to the influence of the Hojatieh line, whilst the alleged "gains' of the 'Revolution' were thanks to the Imam Ayatollah Khomeini. Was not the fact that he had once said 'God is a worker" proof that the Ayatollah was progressive?

The Tudeh party helped whitewash the regime and aided its witch-hunting of all forms of opposition, claiming that 'the working class of Iran has given its unequivocal of the former.

And even if the IRP regime did possess an "objective anti-imperialist content" , such an approach rested upon a fundamentally wrong political method, unfortunately not alien to any number of supposedly Trotskyist organísations. It isolated the anti-imperialist struggle from the general class struggle and elevated it above the latter.

This kow-towing before the IRP butchers meant that the Tudeh Party could continue to operate at a time when most other political organisations had already been banned by the IRP. But in February of this year 70 of its leading members including the General Secretary Nourredin Kianouri were arrested on the grounds that they were « Soviet spies"

Even then the Tudeh Party maintained its slavish subservience to the Ayatollah and Schultz - a paper victory GEORGE Schultz's desperate bid to rescue the Reagan plan for the Middle East has predictably failed. In any case, a paper triumph - with Israel and Syria signing the same document but each meaning different things - could have done no more than briefly butress Reagan's reputation in a pre-election period.

The Palestinians meanwhile are exposed to the mercies of a Phalangist regime in Lebanon and a rule of occupation on the West Bank and in Gaza. Their losses have been heavy, both during the civil war in Lebanon and during the war against Israel. Thousands are in detention. Many more are overseas, in In Lebanon the populatio of the camps relies for protection on the imperialists while those in the Beqa'a rely on the Syrians. Both imperialist and Syrian forces are themselves ready to attack the Palestinians if the time is right.

This year the annual fete organised by the French Trotskyist group Lutte Ouvriere is a joint event with the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire.

The fete - at Presles, near Paris on May 21-22-23 - is a weekend of relaxation, but also nf nolitics.

with revolutionary groups from many countries represented.

A contingent of SO supporters is going over: If you want to go, contact Ellen Taylor, 532 Abbeydale Rd, Sheffield 7 (0742 589307)

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retreat, only partially re- grouped for effective action.