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Prayer Time
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Dawn: 4:33
Sunrise: 6:00
Noon: 11:54
Evening: 18:10
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Weather Guide
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WED |
THU |
Tehran: |
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High: |
29 oC |
29 oC |
Low: |
15 oC |
16 oC |
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Athens |
18 |
18 |
Ankara |
10 |
9 |
Paris |
11 |
10 |
New Delhi |
23 |
23 |
Rome |
13 |
15 |
Riyadh |
22 |
22 |
Frankfurt |
6 |
5 |
Cairo |
22 |
22 |
Kuwait City |
20 |
19 |
Karachi |
25 |
24 |
Copenhagen |
6 |
6 |
London |
12 |
10 |
Moscow |
6 |
5 |
Madrid |
10 |
11 |
Vienna |
11 |
7 |
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Identification
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Published by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
Address:
Iran Cultural & Press Institute, #212 Khorramshahr Avenue Tehran/Iran
Managing Director: Mohammad T. Roghaniha
Executive Editor: Amin Sabooni
Editorial Dept. Tel: 8755761-2
Editorial Dept. Fax: 8761869
Advertising Dept. Tel: 8753119, 8757702, 8733764
Internet Address:
www.iran-daily.com
E-mail Address:
iran-daily@iran-daily.com
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Oil Over $50
Graphic showing the changing price of oil. (AFP Graphic)
LONDON, Sept. 28--Oil prices raced to new record highs above $50 on Tuesday as rebel threats against Nigerian oil facilities threatened to inflict further strain on global supplies.
US light crude touched a high of $50.47 a barrel. At 0935 GMT, the contract was trading at $50.13, up 49 cents. London's Brent crude set a new peak at $46.80 a barrel, before easing to $46.50, up 57 cents, Reuters reported.
Oil has been financial markets' star performer this year, surging 55 percent as rising consumption and the fallout from years of under investment in supply infrastructure tempts heavy buying from big-money funds.
Producers are pumping at just about full tilt to feed demand as China's economic expansion powers the fastest growth in 24 years. Worries about supply security in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Russia have magnified the price surge.
Prices hit new highs after rebels fighting for sovereignty in Nigeria warned oil companies to shut production in the Niger Delta before they declare an all-out-war on Oct. 1.
Companies working in the delta shrugged off the threat.
Royal Dutch/Shell and Italy's Agip, a unit of ENI, said it saw no reason to stop oil operations. Shell has already cut 30,000 to 40,000 bpd due to security curbs.
The big question now is whether prices will push higher still.
German Finance Minister Hans Eichel warned ahead of Friday's Group of Seven meeting in Washington that global growth would be at risk if oil prices remained at current levels.
In real terms, stripping out the impact of inflation, oil prices are now near levels hit during the Arab oil embargo of 1973-74, though much lower than the record $80 annual average high following the 1979 Iranian revolution.
OPEC, which controls more than half of global crude exports, is producing about 30 million bpd, levels not seen since the late 1970s.
OPEC President Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Tuesday the group was powerless to bring prices down. It raised production quotas with effect from November 1, but the move had little impact as OPEC is already pumping well over official limits.
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No Sign Of Nuke Work At Lavizan
VIENNA, Austria, Sept. 28--Analysis of soil samples taken by UN inspectors at Lavizan, a site in Tehran that US officials suspect may be linked to an atomic weapons program, shows no sign of nuclear activity, western diplomats said.
Satellite photos of Lavizan taken between August 2003 and May 2004 showed that Iran had completely razed Lavizan, a site which Iran said was a former military research laboratory, but which it said had nothing to do with atomic-related activities, Reuters reported.
"The environmental samples taken at Lavizan have come back negative so far," a Vienna-based diplomat who follows the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said. Negative means the samples contained no traces of nuclear materials.
Washington accused Iran of removing a substantial amount of topsoil and rubble from the site and replacing it with a new layer of soil, in what US officials said might have been an attempt to cover clandestine nuclear activity at Lavizan.
But another diplomat close to the IAEA told Reuters that on-site inspections of Lavizan produced no proof that any soil had been removed at all.
The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian atomic energy program, a charge Tehran has repeatedly denied.
The IAEA has been inspecting Iran's nuclear program for two years. Although it has uncovered many previously concealed activities that could be linked to weapons activity, it has found no "smoking gun" to prove Washington's case.
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Iranian Satellite TV In Germany
BERLIN, Sept. 28--The first-ever commercial Iranian satellite television network outside Iran, named 'Mohajer International TV', went on the air in Germany, an IRNA correspondent reported Tuesday.
The 24-hour program will feature music, movies, documentaries and cultural reports.
The privately-funded network, comprised of a 10-man team, is based in the tiny southwest German town of Hermeskeil.
The program can be received throughout Europe as well as the Near and Middle East.
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Nuclear Issues, Iraq Discussed With Annan
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (r) shakes hands with Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi prior to a meeting on Sept. 28 at the United Nations. (AFP Photo)
Kharrazi Meets Turkish Counterpart
NEW YORK, Sept. 28--Visiting Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi here Monday stressed that Iraq's neighboring countries can play a key role in establishment of security in that war-torn country.
In a meeting with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan held on the sidelines of the 59th UN General Assembly, he expressed hope that the planned elections will be held in Iraq as scheduled so that no pretext is left for the presence of occupiers in that country, IRNA reported. Besides the latest regional and international developments, the two officials reviewed Iran's nuclear activities.
Annan expressed hope that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would remove the existing concerns over Iran's nuclear activities through cooperation with that agency.
Kharrazi stressed that the Islamic Republic is determined to continue its close cooperation with the IAEA.
"Certain countries have a political attitude toward Iran's nuclear program," he said, adding that they try to ignore Iran's legitimate right to pursue peaceful nuclear activities.
Also on Monday, Kharrazi and his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul in New York expressed hope that elections in Iraq would lead to restoration of security and stability to that country.
In a meeting held at the UN headquarters and on the sidelines of the General Assembly, the two ministers emphasized the effective role of Iraq's neighboring countries to help strengthen security and stability in that country.
They also hoped that the two capitals could promote their "contacts to its highest level so that Iranian President Mohammad Khatami could make his postponed visit to Ankara in due time".
Khatami's visit to Turkey was postponed over a new legislation approved by the Iranian Parliament questioning two contracts Tehran had earlier signed with Turkish companies.
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Musharraf:
West Must Resolve Disputes With Muslims
ROME, Sept. 28--Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday the war on terror would only be won if the Muslim world rejected extremism and if the West resolved its political disputes with Muslim nations.
Speaking at the start of the three-day visit to Italy, Musharraf also said the West had to turn its attention to the core issues that cause terrorism, Reuters reported.
"The Muslim world needs to reject extremism and militancy and go on the path of social and economic development," he said after talks with Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
But he added that the West had to play its part.
"We expect of the West--the European Union and the United States--to resolve all political disputes involving Muslims and also assist us in our social and economic development," he said.
Musharraf, speaking two days after the killing of an Al-Qaeda militant in Pakistan, said he had told Ciampi of Pakistan's own efforts to combat terrorism.
"But I did indicate to him that the core issues which give rise to extremism, militancy and terrorism need to be addressed by the world," he said. On Sunday, Pakistani security forces shot dead Amjad Hussain Farooqi, described as one of the principal members of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network in Pakistan.
Musharraf, who will also meet Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Pope John Paul, said he did not support the notion of a clash of civilizations but that the theory itself was doing harm.
"I think these theories develop cleavages between Islam and Christianity, and are very harmful and detrimental to the interests of the world at large," he said.
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US Wants Iran To Support Iraqi Gov't
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28--US State Department's Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli said Iran has influence over certain parties in Iraq and it should use that influence to help support the program and agenda of the Iraqi government.
Speaking at his daily press briefing, Ereli also said that the message to the Iranian government is clear and consistent, which is that they have an interest in a stable and secure Iraq, Usifno.state.gov reported.
Noting that he does not have too much factual information, the deputy spokesman said, "I think we've made clear that Iran does have influence in Iraq. That's quite clear. But to be more specific about, you know, how that influence works, what they're doing where with whom, that's very difficult for me to say."
Ereli stressed that the US is working to help Iraq channel its neighbors' cooperation in a positive, peaceful direction.
However, as is the wont of American officials, Ereli could not restrain himself and referred to Iran's "actions or activities that contribute to instability, that contribute to terrorist activity, that is of concern to us". This he is sure of, despite his confessed lack of "factual information".
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Blair Vows to Revive Mideast Peace Process
BRIGHTON, UK, Sept. 28--British Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed on Tuesday to make reviving the Middle East peace process a priority after US elections in November, saying he was frustrated with a lack of progress.
"After November, I will make its revival a personal priority.
"Two states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in an enduring peace would do more to defeat this terrorism than bullets alone can ever do," Blair told his Labour Party conference in Brighton, Reuters reported.
Many within the party are angry with the prime minister for backing US President George W. Bush over the war in Iraq while failing to hold Bush to account on delivering a commitment to the so-called 'roadmap' toward Middle East peace.
"This party knows the depth of my commitment to the Middle East peace process and shares my frustration at the lack of progress," Blair said.
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Unhelpful
By Hossein Ahmadi
A rare and controversial proposal by several MPS calling on the government to seek permission from the Majlis before signing foreign contracts has transformed into a heated debate among economic and political circles with the mass media not far behind.
Based on the proposal the outlines of which were ratified in the chamber last Wednesday, the Khatami administration is obliged to have parliamentary approval prior to signing contracts with foreign firms or companies seeking over 49 percent equity in joint ventures.
If the proposal becomes law, it would apply also to deals on advanced sales, airport services and aeronautical and aerial transport as outlined in Article 130 of the Third Economic Development Plan, and post/telecommunication contracts as stipulated in Article 124 of the plan.
Head of the Majlis Research Center has asserted that the bill, which has drawn the ire of the embattled president and his government, has been presented to block finalization of contracts with the Turkish TUV and TurkCell companies. Most experts and impartial observers maintain the serious consequences and adverse effects of the strange development are not lost on the national economy.
In general terms, the fallout from imposing legal restrictions on foreign deals can be divided in two categories. The first has to do with the unwanted and unnecessary increase in investment risks in the country.
At a time when we are in serious need of foreign capital due to prevailing Stagflation, and the fact that outlines of the 20-Year Comprehensive Development Plan and the fourth economic development plan draw largely on interaction with the global economy; introduction of such proposals is like adding insult to injury.
Stability, security and profits are crucial when it comes to the flow of foreign capital. Foreign investors who have the broad option to pick and choose from 192 countries will definitely not go where the climate is unfriendly and laws change as weather wanes.
Renewed demands that foreigners must make available at least 51 percent of the equity and consequently more profits to their Iranian partners has no appeal.
Furthermore, one of the major irritants and major obstacle to decent growth levels in recent years are the systemic changes to laws and regulations guiding foreign investments. Whenever a new government or Majlis comes to office, laws and regulations are in for an overhaul in almost total disregard for the rights and concerns of the investors.
At the time when we see long-awaited improvement in foreign investments following tireless efforts by the government and pro-reform lobbies, including significant tax rebates and ratification of the investment-friendly legislation, controversial amendments to laws and writing new regulations, even if it is only against TUV and TurkCell, would disappoint potential foreign investors.
The second point is that red tape and bureaucracy will deepen only to make a bad situation worse. While many observers rightly believe one national priority is to eliminate bureaucratic bloat and torpor, the parliament's new demand will only further complicate the conditions at airport and hamper flight services. Believers in different theories and isms know that efficiency and effectiveness is what counts today as they are among key instruments of economic power and progress. Those who think otherwise are divorced from reality and have really not understood the challenges of the new millennium.
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