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Prayer Time (Tehran)
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Dawn: 5:25
Sunrise: 6:49
Noon: 12:18
Evening: 18:07
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Weather Guide
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THU |
FRI |
Tehran: |
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High: |
9oC |
10oC |
Low: |
1oC |
1oC |
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Athens |
4 |
4 |
Ankara |
1 |
-3 |
Paris |
0 |
0 |
New Delhi |
7 |
6 |
Rome |
-2 |
-1 |
Riyadh |
12 |
11 |
Frankfurt |
-6 |
-4 |
Cairo |
18 |
15 |
Kuwait City |
10 |
8 |
Karachi |
9 |
6 |
Copenhagen |
-6 |
-6 |
London |
1 |
0 |
Moscow |
-4 |
-5 |
Madrid |
-3 |
-3 |
Vienna |
-3 |
-4 |
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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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ElBaradei: No Proof Of Nukes
WASHINGTON,
Feb. 16--There is no evidence to support the claim that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei said in an interview published Wednesday by The Washington Post.
"On Iran, there really hasn't been much development, neither as a result of our inspections or as a result of intelligence," said the International Atomic Energy AgencyÕs director general, AFP reported.
ElBaradei called for greater US participation in diplomatic efforts to engage Iran and North Korea in talks about their nuclear programs.
"North Korea and Iran are still the two 800-pound gorillas in the room and not much is happening," ElBaradei told The Washington Post at his IAEA office in Vienna.
The daily said the interview was with four US newspapers.
The IAEA chief praised Britain, France and Germany for talking Iran into suspending its nuclear enrichment program for weapons-grade uranium.
"If I look at the big picture," he said, "there is no enrichment in Iran, and this is quite satisfactory, and I hope it keeps this way until we reach an agreement" for a permanent stop.
Iran and the EU embarked in December on negotiations towards a long-term agreement to give Tehran trade, technology and security aid and guarantees in return for it taking steps to reassure the international community that its nuclear program is strictly peaceful.
ElBaradei criticized Washington's refusal to talk with Iran, dismissing the argument that this would legitimize Tehran's Islamic government, which the United States accuses of supporting terrorism.
"I don't see talking to a regime as legitimization," ElBaradei said. "They talk to North Korea, and I don't think that legitimizes the North Korean regime."
He insisted that the only way to end the crisis with Iran was for the United States to join in the talks with its three European allies.
"I don't think the Iranian issue will be resolved without the United States putting fully its weight behind the Europeans," he said.
On North Korea's announcement last week that it had built nuclear weapons and was pulling out of six-nation talks about its atomic program, ElBaradei said his agency could not verify Pyongyang's claim since its inspectors in the Stalinist nation were expelled two years ago.
However, he considered the North Koreans' announcement a sign that they were feeling ignored: "This is their trump card, and they will try to squeeze every drop of blood out of it."
ElBaradei urged the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia to coax North Korea into accepting IAEA inspections once again, "the sooner, the better."
On Washington's intention to have him step down when his second term as IAEA chief ends in mid-2005, ElBaradei said his relations with the United States have been good: "I would hope we would continue to cooperate no matter what."
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Deilam Blast Not Missile Attack
TEHRAN, Feb. 16--The blast reported in the mountainous area of Deilam, 160 km from the Bushehr nuclear plant, on Wednesday was not a missile or aerial attack, Bushehr Governor General Esmail Tabadar told Iran Daily.
ÒAn expert group traveling in a helicopter examined the area where the explosion occurred and found no traces of a missile,Ó he said.
The explosion occurred at 10:10 am.
According to informed sources, the blast is linked either to the exploration activities of the Oil Ministry or construction work near Kosar Dam.
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Kyoto Treaty Takes Effect
KYOTO, Japan,
Feb. 16--The Kyoto Protocol, the landmark treaty requiring cuts in gas emissions which cause global warming, took effect Wednesday with the support of 141 nations but a boycott by the biggest polluter--the United States.
The 34 industrialized countries, which have ratified the treaty, are legally bound to slash output of greenhouse gases by 5.2 percent before 2012, with targets set for each nation based on their 1990 levels, AFP reported.
The treaty was reached in this ancient Japanese capital in 1997 amid fear that the rise in global temperatures could eventually lead to droughts and the extinction of some species.
"Today marks the end of a long process for the survival of all species on the planet, including our own," Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace laureate, told a commemoration ceremony.
The United States pulled out of Kyoto in 2001 in one of President George W. Bush's first acts in office, saying it would hurt the US economy.
The United States and Australia, the only other major industrial country to reject the treaty, account together for 30 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.
Developing countries will be asked to make commitments in the next phase of Kyoto negotiations to begin later this year.
More than 300 environmental activists marched through Kyoto under persistent rain to celebrate the start of the pact despite years of doubt, with some dressed as monkeys or penguins or wearing mock tiger ears to highlight the global warming's impact on animals. The world's average temperature rose by 0.6 C (1.08 F) from 1900-1990 alone, and could increase by another 5.8 C (10.4 F) by 2100, depending on how much carbon dioxide is in the air.
But even for countries that have signed on to Kyoto, meeting the goals could be difficult. Failure would mean a country would have even tougher pollution cut requirements at a later date.
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Political Climate Disappointing
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Fatemeh Karroubi
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TEHRAN, Feb. 16--A prominent activist said on Wednesday the only way to ensure the peopleÕs extensive participation in the next presidential race is for Òdignitaries to confess to their past wrongdoingÓ.
Speaking to IRNA, Secretary-General of the Islamic Assembly of Women Fatemeh Karroubi said, ÒThe current political atmosphere is rather passive. Instead of dynamism and optimism, there is lack of trust, indifference, humiliation and disappointment.Ó
She stressed that the faulty performance of the officialdom and the pursuit of monopoly by various political parties have led to the peopleÕs humiliation.
ÒIn the past few years, the legitimate demands of various groups such as women and the youth have not been fulfilled. This is while it is the duty of the government to promote dynamism and prosperity,Ó she said.
Karroubi also noted that the crisis of mismanagement, inequality and social rift as well as weaknesses of the administrative system have disheartened the people with the status quo.
ÒIn order to overcome the present situation, we must seek fundamental remedies. The officials should be candid and carefully examine the performances of different institutions and managers,Ó she said.
Elsewhere in her remarks, Karroubi said the people showed up at ballot boxes in large numbers in 1997 when Mohammad Khatami gave appealing slogans, but the government has not been able to administer the country in an effective manner.
ÒWhen people arrived on the scene in 2001 for the second time and voted in large numbers, they did not obtain favorable results either. As a result, indifference and disappointment gradually spread in the society,Ó she said. Karroubi pointed out that despite domestic and foreign restrictions, the country is currently enjoying stability and a relatively reasonable democracy.
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Mahathir:
America May Use Israel Against Iran
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Feb. 16--Former Malaysian Premier Mahathir Mohamad predicted Wednesday that the United States might use Israel as a proxy to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, the official Bernama news agency reported.
ÒNorth Korea, however, would be spared an attack over its nuclear program partly because it is not a Muslim country,Ó said Mahathir, a fierce critic of Israeli and US policies who retired in 2003 after leading Malaysia for 22 years, AFP reported.
He noted that Israel had attacked a nuclear plant in Iraq in 1981, adding that "the US seems to want other people to fight for them", Bernama reported.
Mahathir said Washington had only attacked Iraq because it knew deposed leader Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction, suggesting that the United States would be more wary of North Korea, which claims to have produced nuclear arms.
"North Korea, the agenda is different. It is not just weapons of mass destruction, there is also this element of hatred against Muslims. There is a religious element in this thing. If it is non-Muslim, the US will not attack," he said.
Mahathir has regularly charged that US foreign policy, under the cover of fighting terrorism, has a strong anti-Muslim bias.
He said one of the root causes of terrorism was the dispossession of the Palestinians in the creation of Israel, but the problem would not be addressed by powerful countries because Israel had a strong hold on them, he said.
His remarks are an echo of a charge he made shortly before retiring that Jews rule the world by proxy, getting others to fight and die for them.
That statement, to a summit meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference in Kuala Lumpur, provoked a storm of protest around the world.
Since his retirement, however, Mahathir's remarks on world affairs have lost much of their sting, although he is still regarded as an elder statesman in Southeast Asia.
US President George W. Bush--who once lumped Iran in an "axis of evil" with Saddam Hussein's Iraq and North Korea--said last month he could not rule out using force if Tehran failed to rein in its nuclear plans.
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Anti-Syria Protests in Lebanon
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 16--Mourners holding banners saying "Syria Out!" crowded around the flag-draped coffin of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and his family warned the pro-Damascus government to stay away Wednesday as hundreds of thousands of people turned his funeral into a spontaneous rally against Syria.
Along the funeral route through downtown Beirut, the Lebanese flag was hung from balconies and pictures were posted of Hariri, who was assassinated Monday by a massive car bomb that also killed 16 others, AP reported.
Angry mourners shouted insults at Syrian President Bashar Assad to "remove your dogs from Beirut"--a reference to Syrian intelligence agents, part of an overall contingent of 15,000 troops deployed here since 1976.
Suspicions over Syrian involvement in Hariri's death further charged the atmosphere, and pressure mounted from abroad to find his killers, with Washington recalling its ambassador from Syria and the UN Security Council demanding justice.
More than 200,000 people crowded into the square around the mosque, which Hariri built. It is also where the billionaire businessman, who was Lebanon's prime minister for 10 of the years since the end of the 1975-90 civil, was buried after noonday prayers.
Many in Lebanon accuse Syria of at least having a hand in Hariri's killing.
Syria denies the accusation and has condemned the assassination. State-run Syrian TV carried the funeral live, picking up from Lebanon's national TV coverage.
Hariri, 60, resigned last year amid opposition to a Syrian-backed constitutional amendment that enabled his rival, Lahoud, to extend his term in office.
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Condolences
Feb. 19 and 20 mark the 9th and 10th days of the month of Muharram. On the two days known as Tasua and Ashura, Shiite Muslims mourn the martyrdom in Karbala in 680 AD of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and his 72 companions.
Shiites mark the annual solemn occasion across continents.
In his selfless defense of Islamic values and righteousness, Imam Hussein, the third Imam of the prophetÕs household, also known as the King of Martyrs, was slain at the order of Yazid ibn Muawiya.
Iran Daily remembers the sacrifices of Imam Hussein (AS) and expresses its heartfelt condolences to his followers.
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Abbas Optimistic
By M. P. Zamani
Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas is optimistic that a new era in the Middle East has dawned.
Following last weekÕs summit with Zionist premier Ariel Sharon in Sharm-al-Sheikh, and a temporary truce from Palestinian resistance groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Abbas perhaps has good reasons to feel hopeful.
But Abu Mazen's optimism just might prove to be short-lived.
A plan to handover Tuesday the West Bank town of Jericho from Israeli control to the Palestinians has been delayed amid differences on the scope of the withdrawal and security arrangements, reports say. The handover was meant to be a gesture of confidence building from Tel Aviv as agreed at the Red Sea resort summit, hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The Palestinian Islamist groups have also made it clear to the Palestinian Authority that they are not bound by the summit agreements; nor that they have given up their right to respond to any provocation from the Zionists.
In fact, AbbasÕ declaration of a ÒceasefireÓ with the Israelis at the summit marked on the PA side, the implementation of the first articles of the so-called roadmap, a brainchild of the Quartet-UN, US, Europe and Russia created in 2003--so as to put the Middle East talks back on track.
However, as has been the case in the past, the Jericho deadlock is yet again a replay of the Zionist regimeÕs tactics of prevarication. When has Israel ever stuck to its side of the agreements? If even the Jericho handover, which in fact many analysts believe is merely symbolic since the situation there has been largely free from violence, cannot move forward, how in the world will Israel get on with the more complicated disengagement from Gaza, where Jewish extremists have openly threatened Sharon?
Since the Oslo accords were signed more than a decade ago, Israeli and Palestinian officials have met several times at summits hosted by American and Arab leaders. At every meeting, declarations were made as part of building trust between the two sides, kindling hope among the regionÕs peoples that such initiatives would be a step forward in the process of a just and comprehensive Middle East peace.
But the truth of the matter is that the pledges have remained only on paper and inevitably the blame has been pointed at the Palestinians for backtracking, particularly by Washington.
The Middle East situation has long since worsened and even the much acclaimed roadmap to peace doesnÕt inspire much confidence or hope since it is not the plan per se, but how sincerely it is implemented by the occupying regime and the peace brokers.
President Abbas no doubt needs all the support, in his initiatives to lead the Palestinians to their long-denied right to statehood.
But, like his predecessor the veteran leader Yasser Arafat, he is not in a position to take hard decisions since the strings are still being pulled by the powerful Zionist lobby in Washington. And in the occupied territories itself, the influence of Islamist groups and the support they enjoy among the masses simply cannot be ignored.
Truce with the Palestinian Islamic liberation groups is a step in the right direction for the simple reason that without solidarity among all Palestinians, it would be difficult to sustain their struggle for independence and freedom.
However, the ceasefire with the Israelis may again prove premature just as AbbasÕ optimism.
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