-Caveat Lector- U.S. Calls for Iran To Release Jews By GEORGE GEDDA .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House today called for the release of 13 members of Iran's Jewish community who have been detained since April on charges of spying for the United States and Israel. Presidential press secretary Joe Lockhart said none of those detained spied for the United States, calling the allegation ``entirely without foundation.'' He said the administration is ``deeply troubled'' by the arrests. ``We call on the government of Iran to uphold its stated commitment to protect the rights of all religious and ethnic minorities by releasing these individuals and ensuring that no harm comes to them,'' he said. In Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon said none of the detainees worked for Israel. ``Israel is deeply concerned about their fate and demands their immediate release,'' Sharon said. The arrests were first disclosed Monday by state-run Iranian radio, which said the 13 were living among the Jewish community in the southern Fars province. It did not provide nationalities. Some of those detained were said to be rabbis. The suspects were accused of spying for the ``Zionist regime'' and ``world arrogance,'' references to Israel and the United States, respectively. Espionage is punishable by death in Iran. In 1997, Iran hanged two people convicted of spying for Israel and the United States. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., introduced a resolution condemning the arrests. ``It is critical that the United States and the international community put Iran on notice that the world is watching,'' said Sherman, a member of the House International Relations Committee. Assistant Secretary of State Martin Indyk, who heads the State Department's Middle East bureau, told the committee Tuesday in testimony that the Iranian arrests ``send a very disturbing signal. We call on the Iranian government to ensure that no harm comes to these individuals and to release them.'' State Department spokesman James Foley said the United States has known about the arrests for some time but chose not to make the information public. The Clinton administration has been attempting to open a government-to-government dialogue with Iran but has thus far been rebuffed. Iran believes that links between the two countries should be limited to people-to-people exchanges. Official relations were broken when the Islamic fundamentalist regime seized power in Tehran two decades ago. The revolution also brought an end to Iran's official ties with Israel. Sherman's resolution said more than half the Jews of Iran have been forced to flee the country since the revolution. It said five Jews have been executed by Iranian authorities over the past five years without trial and that there has been a noticeable increase in anti-Semitic propaganda in the government-controlled press in Iran. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
