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Prayer Time (Tehran)
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Dawn: 5:34
Sunrise: 7:04
Noon: 11:57
Evening: 17:11
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Weather Guide
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MON |
TUE |
Tehran: |
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High: |
8 oC |
8 oC |
Low: |
0 oC |
-1 oC |
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Athens |
7 |
6 |
Ankara |
-8 |
-8 |
Paris |
0 |
0 |
New Delhi |
10 |
10 |
Rome |
8 |
8 |
Riyadh |
11 |
12 |
Frankfurt |
-2 |
-3 |
Cairo |
6 |
7 |
Kuwait City |
3 |
5 |
Karachi |
15 |
15 |
Copenhagen |
1 |
1 |
London |
1 |
5 |
Moscow |
-10 |
-13 |
Madrid |
4 |
2 |
Vienna |
-4 |
-3 |
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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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Russian stance Criticized
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Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
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TEHRAN, Dec. 12--State Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said here on Sunday Iran expected Russia to adopt a better stance in the International Atomic Energy Agency with regard to the fulfillment of Iran's right to peaceful nuclear technology.
Rafsanjani made the remarks during a meeting with Russian Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov, IRNA reported.
"The implementation of several Iran-Russia agreements such as the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is projected to face further delays," he said, adding that Iran is eagerly awaiting the practical implementation of these agreements.
Stressing that it is necessary to consider a suitable framework for more cordial and scientific cooperation between the two countries in all domains, Rafsanjani said, "Cooperation between Russia and Iran can create a significant balance in international relations."
"Unfortunately we do not use our vast potentials against Western countries who use any means at their disposal to achieve their desired goals," he said.
He pointed to Russia's contribution to the development of Afghanistan, Central Asia and Caucasus, and said the current situation in Ukraine is alarming.
"The US continues to pursue the objectives of the Cold War and is trying to enter strategic regions to gain access to oil and is penetrating into the Caspian Sea," he said.
He stressed that Iran-Russia cooperation would preclude such an eventuality. Sergei Mironov, for his part, praised Iran's stances regarding international issues, saying the two sides have mutual concerns regarding many issues.
He added that a new timeframe has been set for the completion of the Bushehr power plant.
Mironov also conferred with President Mohammad Khatami on Sunday.
Khatami said Iran suspended its nuclear activities voluntarily to show its good intentions, but it also expects Europe to fulfill its commitments so that it could eventually utilize the peaceful nuclear technology. "The US political pressures have constantly hindered the resolution of Iran's nuclear dossier and there still exist unfair pressures on the International Atomic Energy Agency. This is while it has become clear that Iran has had no diversion in its nuclear activities," he said.
Mironov stressed that since Iran is a member of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, it has the right to use peaceful nuclear technology. He also recalled that Iran is the source of stability in the region and Russia considers it a good partner.
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1,100 Iranian Scientists Assisted Nuclear Program
TEHRAN, Dec. 12--An official on Sunday said Iran acquired nuclear fuel technology because of the endeavors of 1,100 Iranian scientists and experts, whose average age is 27.
Speaking to Fars News Agency, Second Vice Chairman of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mohammad Nabi Roudaki added that in talks with the European UnionÕs Big 3 Iran must stress that it acquired nuclear fuel technology by virtue of the efforts of its domestic forces.
"The red line with regard to peaceful nuclear technology is getting access to the fuel cycle. The negotiating team should not transcend this red line. We must now be viewed as a country that has access to nuclear fuel. We cannot move backwards while we have experts in the country ... The negotiating team should not be intimidated by the US threats."
The official referred to the remark of International Atomic Energy AgencyÕs Chief Mohamed ElBaradei that there is no evidence to indicate Iran is seeking access to nuclear weapons in the face of continuing anti-Iran allegations by the US and said, "We must discuss this contradiction with the Europeans."
Roudaki noted that in recent years several countries have managed to gain access to nuclear fuel technology in the wake of their constant interactions with the IAEA.
"The people and officials should not be worried about this issue. Because some countries even waited longer than us to get the final greenlight from the agency," he said.
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ElBaradei:
Iran Is No Imminent Threat
US Spying on IAEA Chief
MADRID, Spain, Dec. 12--Iran's nuclear program does not constitute an immediate threat, the head of the UN atomic watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, said in an interview published here on Sunday.
"Iran does not represent an imminent nuclear threat," ElBaradei told El Pais newspaper, explaining why the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) decided not to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for threatened sanctions over its nuclear program, AFP reported.
"For the time being, the Iranian government has not prevented our inspectors from accessing any military building or installation. Until 2003, the Iranians sought to hide things. But their collaboration is good now," ElBaradei said in the interview, given in Vienna on December 9.
"There is still one large military installation left to inspect. I hope that we will be able to access it soon, but there has not been any ban or negative response," he said.
Meanwhile, US President George W. Bush's administration has listened in on phone calls between Mohamed ElBaradei and Iranian diplomats, seeking ammunition to oust ElBaradei as head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency, the Washington Post said Sunday.
"The intercepted calls have not produced any evidence of nefarious conduct by ElBaradei," the Post said, quoting three unnamed US officials who had read the transcripts, AFP reported.
"Some people think he sounds way too soft on the Iranians, but that's about it," one official was quoted as saying.
The United States wants the UN International Atomic Energy Agency, which ElBaradei heads, to report Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions over what Washington says is a covert nuclear weapons program.
But ElBaradei says the "jury is still out" on whether Tehran's program is peaceful or not.
The Egyptian diplomat, 62, also earned the ire of Washington by questioning US intelligence on Iraq. The Bush administration opposes his winning a third term in 2005 as IAEA chief.
The official US position is that heads of international organizations should not serve more than two terms, as ElBaradei will have done by next year.
Washington has no clear candidate to replace him but is nevertheless "searching for material" to support its argument that he should step down, the Post said.
"Anonymous accusations against ElBaradei made by US officials in recent weeks are part of an orchestrated campaign" to oust him, the paper said, quoting "several senior policymakers" who spoke on condition of anonymity.
These accusations include an unproven charge that ElBaradei withheld damning evidence on Iran's activities from the IAEA board, it noted.
Washington's top favorite to replace ElBaradei is Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, but he has been unwilling to challenge the IAEA chief, the Post said.
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German Opposition Against TurkeyÕs EU Entry
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Edmund Stoiber
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BERLIN, Dec. 12--A leading German conservative vowed on Sunday to block Turkey's entry into the EU amid growing controversy over its quest for membership ahead of a European summit on opening entry talks.
The comments, from Christian Social Union (CSU) party leader Edmund Stoiber, came a day after Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan accused the German opposition of using the issue of Turkish EU membership for domestic political purposes, Reuters reported.
Stoiber and Christian Democrat (CDU) leader Angela Merkel, who hope to win the 2006 election, have pushed for "privileged partnership" status for Turkey rather than full membership--a path that Ankara and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder reject.
Stoiber and CDU leader Angela Merkel have pushed for "privileged partnership" status for Turkey rather than full membership--a path that Ankara and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder reject.
"Erdogan should know that Angela Merkel and myself will do our best to ensure that on Dec. 17 in Brussels a decision is taken that leads to very open-ended dealings with Turkey," Stoiber told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).
"In any case, when we are in government in 2006 we will do everything, in conjunction with partners like France, to prevent full Turkish membership in the EU," he added.
Turkey is hoping European leaders, who meet in Brussels on Dec. 16-17, will set a date for starting full membership talks. But the prospect of admitting a relatively poor, mainly agrarian and mostly Muslim nation of 70 million has divided Europe.
A survey published by the EU executive on Friday showed that majorities in Austria, Finland, France, Germany and Luxembourg oppose further enlargement of the bloc. Governments in Austria, Denmark and France are pressing the EU to spell out an alternative to full membership.
Germany's conservative opposition, which has lost ground in the polls in recent months amid infighting and a messy compromise on healthcare reform, is searching for issues that can help it drive Schroeder from office in 2006.
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Labour to Back Sharon
BEIT-UL-MOQADDAS, Dec. 12--Israel's opposition Labour Party said on Sunday it had no preconditions for joining with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, paving the way for a broad new government to push through his Gaza withdrawal plan.
Sharon needs Labour to rebuild his coalition, avert early elections and overcome rightist rebels opposed to withdrawing from Gaza under a plan seen by Western countries as a possible step to peace with Palestinians after Yasser Arafat's death, Reuters reported.
Centre-left Labour and Sharon's right-wing Likud began coalition talks on Saturday. Labour leader Shimon Peres, a veteran peacemaker and firm backer of Sharon's "disengagement plan", said a deal could be clinched within days.
Labour was expected to demand as many as 10 cabinet posts, but the party's chief negotiator ruled out preconditions.
"Let this be clear: There will be a government," Haim Ramon told Army Radio on Sunday. "The question is whether we will sit in this government with significant cabinet portfolios, or if we enter this government without portfolios."
"It must be remembered that we decided on this process because we want, along with the prime minister, to take the people of Israel out of Gaza," he said.
Sharon wants to evacuate all the settlements in the Gaza Strip and four of 120 in the West Bank next year in a bid to ÔdisengageÕ from fighting with the Palestinians. Both territories were captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.
Sharon lost his parliamentary majority by firing his biggest coalition partner, the secularist Shinui party, on Dec. 1 in a spat over funding for religious groups. Far-right allies had left earlier over the Gaza plan.
Fearing early elections, he has been scrambling to rebuild his government and push through the initiative. Likud reversed its earlier ban on talks with Labour in an important victory for Sharon last week.
But haggling over ministry portfolios, differences over the 2005 budget and the entry of two Orthodox Jewish parties could still delay a deal.
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KoizumiÕs Popularity Plummets
Over Iraq Troop Extension
TOKYO, Dec. 12--Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's support rating has plunged to 37 percent as a growing number of people oppose his decision to extend Japan's troop deployment in Iraq, an opinion poll report said Sunday.
Support for the cabinet fell eight points from a month ago to below 40 percent for the first time since he took office in April 2001, while the disapproval rating rose nine points to a record-high 45 percent, the Mainichi Shimbun said, AFP reported.
The poll was taken in the two days after Koizumi's cabinet decided Thursday to extend the mission of Japan's 550 troops in Iraq for another year.
"It appears that the premier's support rating reflects his decision to extend the troop deployment without receiving the understanding of the people," the paper said.
The poll of 1,115 people showed 62 percent opposed to the extension, up from 51 percent a month earlier, while 31 percent were supportive, up from 27 percent.
A full 84 percent said the premier's explanation for the extension was ÔinadequateÕ.
The Self-Defense Forces troops have been in southern Iraq on a non-combat humanitarian and reconstruction mission since the beginning of the year, Japan's first dispatch to a country in the throes of combat since World War II.
The public is increasingly unconvinced over the government assurances of the troops' safety, with 56 percent saying that the area where troops were operating was ÔunstableÕ, the paper said.
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Changing Realities
By A. Shayan
Ever since George W. Bush won a second term, there has been a lot of speculation about the new US foreign policy direction. Some believe Bush and his new conservative aides may try to spread sedition across the Middle East, and after the holding the already controversial Iraqi elections and establishing some sort of security there, will focus on the inconvenience from Iran.
Others maintain the second Bush White House may settle for tactical change and policy will not differ much from the past four years during which the superpower went to war in two countries. Strategists are quoted as saying that militarism has not produced the results desired by Bush's hawkish team members, and Iran being different from Iraq and Afghanistan in more ways than one, Washington's military bullying will not work with Tehran.
In today's world there is a whole lot of difference between 'wanting' and 'being able' to turn things around.
This also applies to formidable military and economic powers.
Many countries often pursue negotiations and prefer use of force as the last resort. At times senior officials and ministers of two countries entangled in a major conflict embrace each other in front of television cameras. Today the public behavior of politicians does not necessarily reflect their inner feelings.
The same could be said about Iran and the US, the two countries that have had very hostile relations for almost a quarter century and the latter has done everything it takes to make life as difficult as possible for the Islamic Republic.
America wants to put a permanent end to Islamic political systems in the Middle East or alter their overall thinking to match the policies and practices of the western world. This is one main reason why Bush's war party sees post-1979 Tehran as a major obstacle.
It is obvious that elimination of the Islamic system from future political equations in the strategic Middle East is America's one big desire. However, the fact is that the neocons do not have the ability to do so, and the US now lacks both international credibility and clout to use military force against Iran.
Iran is an important player in the oil-rich region and is well aware of its responsibilities. Its cordial ties with Syria, Lebanon and even Turkey have compelled other regional countries, that do not support the Islamic system, to accept that Iran has untapped potentials on the international scene.
Iran's relations to China, its pivotal role in OPEC and its interaction with European and African states are worthy of attention. Some US think tanks have recently talked about accepting Iran's nuclear activities and underlined that the West should learn to coexist with Iran as a nuclear power.
Iran's military and defense capabilities should also not be overlooked. The experience and lessons of the 8-year war with Iraq, inter alia, proved to the West that Iran is more powerful than what it had contemplated.
Yes, Bush's America wishes to dislodge the present set-up in Iran, but the present international climate and Iran's military prowess are realities Washington cannot afford to ignore.
Tehran should use the governing mood to its benefit and build its political and economic relations with truly free and independent nations. We need to strongly interact with other countries and build confidence on the global stage to be able to strengthen our position in the Middle East and beyond.
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