TEHRAN While Intelligence Minister Ali Younessi has thrown his weight behind the closed-door proceedings underway for the 1998 serial murders of intellectuals and political dissidents, the Islamic Iran Participation Party (IIPP) emphasizes that the trial should be open.

"We are sure that the decision made by the judge (Mohammadreza Aqiqi), fully corresponds to security issues and we endorse the closed-door trial," Younessi said.

"Without an open trial, the fate of this case will remain open for the public opinion and one cannot be hopeful of its final result," the IIPP said in a statement. The statement of the IIPP and the remarks of the Intelligence Minister indicate a sharp rift in executive. On the one hand the rational elements in the executive support the closed-door trial and on the other those in the executive -- the IIPP -- who follow double-standard openly talk of open trial while in their own closed door meetings and in their private parleys they support the closed-door trial.

"I clearly see a contradiction in the stances of the IIPP with regard to the serial murders," an editorialist said, adding, the main objective of the IIPP is to win the public support, while they are well aware of the fact that such an important case cannot be dealt with in an open session.

It is double standard, he said adding if the IIPP really believes that the trial should be open, why the intelligence minister announces his support for the closed-door trial? he asked. "You see, the IIPP is the party which has formed the government and has the majority in the Parliament," he said, therefore the stance of Younessi is that of the government which belongs to the IIPP.

One of the slogans of President Khatami was transparency. Therefore, he should advise his colleagues in the IIPP to follow a transparent policy and shun double standard, he added. Talking to Iran Persian-language daily, Younessi said, "We have reached agreement to submit the bill on intelligence ministry to the Parliament after a full-scale review and without any haste." He dismissed sporadic criticisms raised by certain press against the bill, saying the former government has made the necessary amendments to the bill which, he said, relinquishes any right from the press to be critical of it. He said the objections result from misunderstanding of the bill. Younessi said that the bill aims to restrict the ministry to act within the framework of the law. "We seek to make the information transparent. We don't want to shrink the authorities of other entities," he said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme National Security Council last week passed an enactment which asks the press not to criticize the independence of the court dealing with the serial murders, but it has not still announced it to the press.