‘Black’ rally in Tehran,clerics offer talks

The exact motives,timing and conditions of the proposed meeting,reported by state media,remained unclear. The offer,from a legal panel largely controlled by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,was widely seen as a Government effort to buy time in the hopes of dampening the momentum of protests.

The Government also seemed to be building a case that challenges to the election represented a threat to national security,with the Intelligence Ministry describing an election-day bomb plot linked to foreign enemies,Reuters reported.

Posts on Twitter called for the gathering in Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Square at 4 pm. “All wear BLACK — we pray together,” a Twitter post said on Thursday. As that hour approached,people streamed toward the square. Main Opposition leader Mir Hussein Moussavi appeared with his wife,standing on top of their car to wave to protesters. The police kept to the sidelines,there were no immediate reports of clashes.

According to the BBC Moussavi,wearing a black shirt and suit,addressed the crowd with a loudspeaker sources told news agencies.

Moussavi had called on his followers to mourn those protesters killed in clashes with paramilitary forces over the past several days,and protesters wore black and carried black candles. Many held their hands,their fingers making a V for victory. Meanwhile,some protesters expressed growing fears that the Government’s tolerance of the persistent protests would expire soon.

The offer to talk with the opposition was broadcast by state television,which quoted the Guardian Council’s spokesman,Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei,as saying: “The presidential candidates will be invited to the meeting to be held early next week to express their ideas and ask any questions in the presence of the Guardian Council’s members.”

The meeting would include Moussavi,Mehdi Karroubi and Mohsen Rezai.

Iran has been in tumult since early Saturday,when,just hours after the close of polls in Friday’s presidential election,Iranian authorities declared a landslide victory for the incumbent,Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

In the unfolding battle of wills,the Government worked on many fronts to disrupt the outside world’s view of the unrest,banning coverage of the demonstrations,arresting journalists,threatening bloggers and trying to block websites like Facebook and Twitter,which have become vital outlets for information about the confrontation. None of this week’s mass gatherings have been given official authorisation and reporters have been formally barred from leaving their offices to cover them.

The senior prosecutor in the central province of Isfahan,where there have also been tense demonstrations,went so far as to say protesters could be executed under Islamic law.

Meanwhile,human rights groups accused the authorities of rounding up prominent figures,including former Foreign Minister Ibrahim Yazdi. International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran claimed he was arrested at a hospital in Tehran while undergoing treatment on Wednesday.

State television’s Press TV reported on its website that Moussavi was already set to address a rally on Saturday,called by a group of reformist clerics loyal to former President Mohammed Khatami who has thrown his support to the Opposition.