European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 21, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns David Ignatius the stars and stripes tuesday March 21,1989 Khomeini death reports greatly exaggerated the oddest thing about Ayatollah Khomeini s death threat last month against British author Salman Rushdie was that Khomeini was alive to make in. After All was t Khomeini supposedly at death s door last year and the year be fore that and inc year before that one of these Days undoubtedly Aya Zollah Ruhollah Khomeini is in tact going to die. But As he awaits that inv liable moment the 87-year-old iranian ruler must be having a laugh at the pre mature death notices that have appeared in the Western press during the past dec Ade. Almost from the moment he too Power in february 1979, Khomeini has been portrayed in newspaper accounts As a disease Ridden old Man with Only Short Lime to live. Speculation about the Post Khomeini Era began just a few months after the Start of the Khomeini Era itself. For reporters he words ail ing and Khomeini seemed to go to Gether As neatly As mercurial and  " make no mistake by every account the Ayatollah iia very sick  Cia believes he has prostate Canter which has probably spread to his liver in Addi Tion to heart disease bad eyesight and general feebleness. He s probably got Al most  months to live. Of course he Cia was saying that a year ago but ils assessment is bound to come Rue eventually. Before Khomeini docs finally shuffle off this mortal Coil it May be instructive to take a stroll Down infirmity Lane. A review of press reports that have a pc Rcd during the past decade suggests Ither thai the Ayatollah has More lives than a persian eat or that somebody has been pulling our legs. Khomeini s health was apparently none too Good a decade ago when he returned Home from exile. Hii health was so frail on the Day of his triumphant return to Tehran in 1919, that he fainted at Icie Hirabad Airport journalist Robin  in an article in the new yorker last year. within a year of King Power Khomeini was said to be suffering from heart ailments. In january 1980 the Imam had moved to Tehran id receive treatment for a heart condition and he suffered a minor heart attack. In the Spring of t9bq".ym the iranian journalist Amir Taheri in his Book the spirit of  Jim Fain the first reports that Khomeini was t just sick but actually dead came in 1984.united press International reported on aug. 6 that a person claiming to be a iranian student studying in the United states told up he had heard the iranian Leader was dead on a Public news Broad cast from Tehran monitored on Short wave radio. L an iranian spokesman promptly de Nied the report. But that did t Slop Ira expert Shimcen t. Hunter from opining in the new York times two weeks late that the Post Khomeini Era in Iran has   Khomeini reportage surged for Ward in november 1985 when Iran announced that an Assembly of mullahs had chosen Khomeini s successor Ayatollah Hussein All Montazeri. The announcement by the slate news Agency i una., gave Rise to speculation that Ayatollah Khomeini oped s3, might have died or be seriously til wrote the London times on nov. 2s, the Aya Iol Lah emerged several Days later to deliver a speech attacking the Western news Media. ""., Khomeini s problem was that he had suffered n heart attack in the summer of1985, according to the associated press which reported on nov. 6, 19 86 one iranian analyst speaking on condition of anonymity said he Learned from an unimpeachable Tehran source that Kho Meini Long ailing suffered another heart attack last  reports thai Iran s Ayatollah Kip Meini is. Seriously ill Are circulating in Western  noted the Washington Post on nov. 20,-i9s6 and the Wall Street journal reported on dec. Ii 19s6 precious metals prices Rose in a flurry of Early buying triggered by a weaker Dollar and widespread rumours that iranian Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had  by 1987, the Ayatollah was reportedly falling apart. Abc news broadcast on Jan 12 that Khomeini is losing the use of his tags his eyesight is failing and he cannot control his bodily functions. Inti mates far his death is a matter of Days or weeks  a brain tumor was Khomeini s prob Lem reported the French Magazine l express in september 1987. Citing iranian sources the news weekly added that an austrian surgeon named or. Fillinger would be operating on Khomeini in no vember to remove the tumor and that several viennese clinics had been alerted. Those viennese doctors returned to the news pages in december 1987, when the London times reported that two austrian doctors and a British colleague had left Vienna for Tehran. The times said Khomeini was in a coma. An Irani an spokesman described the report Ai utter  Bill Khomeini s main problem was really cancer of the prostate. That at least was the Cia s judgment in an intelligence report disclosed by lbs news on june 9, 1988. A subsequent new York times account said the Cia believed Ayatollah. Khomeini s cancer has spread to his liver. In addition the Irani an Leader has difficulty tolerating the medications he. Must Lake for his ail ments which include heart trouble High blood pressure and poor eyesight. He is also believed to have undergone dialysis treatment presumably for kidney prob lems. A Cia commentary added to he report concludes that based on the medi Cal information Ayatollah Khomeini will probably die within the next few months. That was nearly 10 months ago. Since then. Khomeini has met with various foreign diplomats including soviet for eign minister Eduard Shevardnadze and has issued his death threat against Rush die Obero Tusly the Ayatollah could go any minute. But his daughter said in an interview in Tehran last month. That Khomeini takes three 30-minute walks a Day to stay fit and at night docs leg lifts and Torso twisting exercises in bed. Dive Feitlin i tax