thr 014                                                               


Press-US-Tragedy   /GNR/                                              


   Iranian govt, nation genuinely sympathetic with victims of US     


tragedy: daily                                                        


Tehran, Sept 17, IRNA -- `Iran Daily' on Monday reminded Washington   


that the Iranian government and people are genuinely touched by the   


tragedy that befell the U.S. last week.                               


    "Sympathizing with the victims of any tragedy is a moral duty     


and a humane act," it said.                                           


    "Whatever Iran and Iranians had to offer the bereaved families    


and victims of cowardice in the two American cities is real and       


meaningful, more so because we have on several occasions undergone    


the (same) pain, agony and distress over the loss of dear ones caused 


by terrorism and violence," it added.                                 


    America is today "faced with inundations of sympathy and          


solidarity by those nations that have for years been (themselves)     


victims of terrorism and unprovoked atrocities," continued the daily. 


    But it is obvious that "Americans never found the opportunity to  


sympathize with the victims of Vietnam, Hiroshima and Nagasaki...(and)


never even thought of sharing the plight of...the oppressed and       


innocent Palestinians" whose only sin is their demand for an end to   


Israeli military occupation, the daily regretted.                     


    "The peoples of America should now understand that their true     


sympathizers are those nations who have had more than their share of  


pain and agoy. If this important distinction is not understood in     


clear and unambiguous terms, then terrorists will continue their      


horrifying acts and the terrorism toll list will (continue to) grow," 


stressed the daily.                                                   


    America must know that "American Muslims are its genuine          


sympathizers" although they have never treated this segment of their  


population fairly, the daily continued.                               


    It denounced the imperialistic ways of certain sections of its    


media "which deliberately try to create a link between Muslims and    


Tuesday's terrorist attacks," saying such dangerous tactics are       


really intended to "conceal the true face of terrorism and its real   


sponsors from the global conscience."                                 


FH/LS                                                                 


End                                                                   


::irna    12:27