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SV PAN INT. Iranian President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr enters room and meets journalists (4 shots)
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SV Bani-Sadr speaking in Farsi, with officials leading chant at mention of Ayatollah Khomeini
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CU Woman taking photograph as Bani-Sadr continues speaking
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SV Interpreter speaking in English
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INTERPRETER: "At these decisive moments of destiny, we are witnessing the realisation of one of the most extraordinary phenomena of history. After thousands of years of internal tyranny and hundreds of years of domination, of destructive colonialism, a untied people, armed with faith, rose and under the leadership of Imam Khomeini, destroyed the system of oppression. Hardly a year has gone by, that the same people, unanimously and with indescribable enthusiasm, int he freest forms possible, participated in making another historic decision, and has thus put me in charge of the challenging duty of the first President of the Islamic Republic of Iran."





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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: Iran's President-Elect Abolhassan Bani-Sadr faced newsmen on Sunday (27 January) for the first time since winning an estimated seventy percent of the vote in Friday's (25 January) Presidential election. He promised immediate measures to fight inflation and unemployment, but said it was up to the United States to break the twelve-week deadlock over the forty-nine hostages held by students occupying the U.S. Embassy in Teheran.

SYNOPSIS: President-elect Bani-Sadr, a French-trained economist, met the newsmen in his campaign headquarters in Teheran. He said he would act this week to cut prices and start job creation schemes, especially in the rural area, as part of his plans for rebuilding Iran's agriculture.

Mr Bani-Sadr stressed that Iran's foreign policy position would be equidistant from the United States and the Soviet Union. He said Iran opposes attachment to one of the superpowers.

About the hostages, he said that when the United States gives up its policy of expansionism, and what he called its violation of the sovereignty of other countries, it will be heading towards a solution. Later in the day, President-elect Bani-Sadr made it clear that he would not accept a parallel government of the radical Moslem students who are holding the hostages. He said the students were free to express their views, but the government must govern.

An interpreter delivered in English Mr Bani-Sadr's opinion of his victory.