WASHINGTON — The United States plans to beam propaganda broadcasts
to Iran.
The Bush administration has asked Congress for $75 million to support
U.S. efforts to build democracy in Iran. The funding, contained in a
supplemental 2006 budget request, would establish Iranian opposition radio
and television stations.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee that the money would also help Iranians study abroad. The
administration has already allocated $14 million for pro-democracy efforts
in Iran.
"The United States wishes to reach out to the Iranian people and support
their desire to realize their own freedom and to secure their own democratic
and human rights," Ms. Rice said on Wednesday.
Under the plan, the State Department would help fund non-governmental
organizations establish a democratic Iranian opposition. The department
would train and fund dissidents in Iran as well as highlight human rights
and labor rights violations in that country.
"Through its aggressive and confrontational behavior, Iran is
increasingly isolating itself from the international community," Ms. Rice
said.
The Bush administration has long been urged by Congress to support
efforts to undermine the Islamic regime in Teheran. But officials said the
State Department opposed most of the proposals out of concern that the
United States would be seen as supporting regime change in Iran.
But in late 2005, the State Department agreed to fund programs similar
to those enacted against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. Officials said
opposition broadcasts could become an important source of information for
Iranians as the regime tightens censorship in Iran.
"The Iranian people should know that the United States fully supports
their aspirations for a freer, better future," Ms. Rice said.
