IRANIAN MINORITY GROUPS SEEKING US HELP TO TOPPLE REGIME

WASHINGTON - Turkish Daily News - Gathering in Washington, representatives from four large Iranian minority groups urged the United States and the Western world to help them overthrow the Islamic regime in Tehran.

"The peaceful removal of this regime, which is the world's strongest supporter of terrorism, will help to stabilize the region, particularly in Iraq," said Mustafa Hejri, secretary-general of the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran (IKDP), one of the groups taking part in a conference here.



"To achieve this, the international community, particularly the West, must be united and speak with one voice. So far, the regime has gained the most from the differences in approach between Europe and America in dealing with Iran," he said. "They must redirect their support to the democratic opposition forces both inside and outside Iran."



The Komala Party was another Iranian Kurdish group at the conference. The Diplomatic Mission of Southern Azerbaijan, whose representative Ali Riza Nazmi Afshar said was speaking on behalf of the Azeri Turks of Iran, the Baloochestan People's Party and the Ahwaz Human Rights Organization -- representing the Arab minority in the southwestern region of Khuzestan -- were also participating.



The one-day conference, held at a congressional building on Tuesday, was organized by two groups, the Kurdish National Congress of North America and the Kurdish American Committee for Democracy in Iran; a flag of the ill-fated Mahabad Kurdish Republic -- created in western Iran in 1946 and destroyed later that year -- was hanging in front of the speakers.