Maryam Rajavi attends ceremony inaugurating the “Hall of Tehran”

On Sunday, January 17, 2010, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, accompanied by Mr. Jean Pierre Muller, the mayor of Magny-en-Vexin, a town in the Province of Val d’Oise, took part in a ceremony, dedicated to inaugurating a hall named after the Iranian capital Tehran in tribute to the Iranian people’s uprising and resistance.

The event began shortly before the annual meeting of the residents Magny-en-Vexin on the occasion of the New Year.

The mayor, his deputies and members of the town’s council welcomed Mrs. Rajavi.

During the ceremony, Mr. Muller addressed the deputies, the town council members, Dr. Saleh Rajavi, NCRI’s Representative in France and the resistance’s delegation. In his remarks on the dedication of “Hall of Tehran”, he said, “Madam President, it is indeed an honor for us to welcome you to our town today… I requested that today, before the ceremonies in our town to welcome the New Year, we meet you so that you can take part in the inauguration of “Hall of Tehran. With utmost honor and pleasure, I present you with the Gold medal on Magny-en-Vexin, on which your name has been engraved. It is a token of our appreciation for your efforts in the cause of freedom in Iran.”

After Mr. Muller’s opening remarks, Mrs. Rajavi thanked the Mayor for his remarks and the initiative he and his colleagues took. She said, “For me it is a great honor to take part in the dedication of the ‘Hall of Tehran’ in Magny-en-Vexin municipality. In the name of the Iranian people, the Iranian Resistance and the residents of Ashraf, I thank you for this magnificent initiative, which will be recorded in the annals of our nation’s history. This is so because Magny-en-Vexine has taken the lead in defense of human rights, freedom and democracy in Iran. I take this opportunity to present to you a painting which symbolizes the Iranian people’s uprising; it visualizes the resolve of the Iranian people, especially young people and women, to attain freedom. I pray for that day.”

Mrs. Rajavi also presented a series of symbolic gifts to Mr. Muller, including a symbol of Tehran, which showed a woman with the victory sign, a medal with the map of Iran and a torch engraved on it, a book about Tehran and a replica of the Freedom Tower in Camp Ashraf.

After the inauguration ceremonies, Mrs. Rajavi attended the New Year gathering for the town. Many mayors, political leaders and elected officials from other cities and towns in France, including the leadership of the Val d’Oise Province’s Council, as well as a number of deputies from the French National Assembly and former ministers also attended the meeting.

In his New Year speech, Mr. Muller thanked all those in attendance. He expressed regret over the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti and emphasized that in face of insanity, ruthlessness and brutality of some regimes and officials, France must find its rightful place in remaining faithful to her values, no matter how difficult that might be. “Our responsibility and our duty is to struggle against the enemies of freedom, wherever they are, not only to preserve the world order, but in defense of common interests for freedom and respect for the right to life,” he said.

Addressing Mrs. Rajavi, Mr. Muller said, “Madam President, I have said what I am about to say, before, including in the ceremonies in Auvers-sur-Oise, marking the passing of Lord Slynn: Your struggle for freedom and a free, democratic Iran in the face of the oppressive and abhorrent regime of the mullahs is our struggle and must also be the struggle of all democrats who want to give meaning to the mantra of our nation, liberty, equality and fraternity and to uphold it everywhere. Doubtless, on the day that all of us are anxious for, the day whose coming we feel is very close; the Iranian people will attain the invaluable gift of freedom. In any case, this is one of my dearest wishes, a wish for the children of Iran.”