Pope Benedict XVI

Mohammad Khatami

TEHRAN, April 22--President Mohammad Khatami on Friday congratulated Pope Benedict XVI for his election as the new leader of the Catholic Church and hoped he would be able to help create “a world more beautiful than today’s world“ through the teachings of Jesus Christ (Peace Be Upon Him).
“I received with much pleasure the news of your election as the leader of world Catholics. I hope you will be successful in promoting peace, freedom and justice as well as in helping create a world more beautiful than today’s world through the human-loving, freedom-giving and justice-seeking teachings of Jesus Christ (PBUH),“ Khatami wrote in his message, IRNA reported.
For this to happen, he added, there must be certainty in principles of religious teachings. “Any relativism toward this issue will inevitably lead to skepticism and weakness in faith and moral,“ he wrote.
The president also noted that the unity of truth and the fact that common moral commandments are not relative create no obstacles for Dialogue Among Civilizations.
“Rather, this dialogue will cause the expansion of scientific and philosophical discourse and also strengthen faith and morals of people,“ he said.

Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi (2r) in talks with an Indian cultural delegation comprising Hindu and Muslim leaders in Tehran on Thursday. (IRNA Photo)

TEHRAN, April 22--Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi held talks on Thursday with an Indian cultural delegation comprising Hindu and Muslim leaders on issues of mutual interests.
Kharrazi said exchange of delegations would help promote mutual understanding in various cultural and religious forums and is vital for expansion of ties between nations, IRNA reported.
“Upgrading the standard of living and safeguarding religious values have roots in the Islamic Revolution of Iran and Tehran shoulders a grave task to hold dialogue and cooperate with various religions around the globe,“ he said.
Kharrazi further said due to its rich culture and civilization, excellent relations between the two nations can have a positive impact on the whole region.
The prominent leader of Hindu with about 200 million followers in India, Adoksha Janand, said, “As the main principle in our ideology, we call for welfare, prosperity and happiness for all mankind. We believe in interactions between politics and religion, as Iran was also inspired by a religious and spiritual leader.“
The Hindu leader noted that the visit helped them realize that all propaganda against Iran is false.
Chairman of the International Union of Spiritual Knowledge, Sharma, said Iran and India have very close cooperation in various fields, mainly in cultural and spiritual affairs.
“We strongly believe in convergence among divine religions and will upgrade such ideas by holding seminars and conferences,“ Sharma said.
“We vehemently deny any connection between Islam and terrorism, and condemn US atrocities across the globe.“

THERAN, April 22--Secretary of State Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said continued bickering among political factions encourage him to run for presidency.
“I should feel a greater responsibility to run, if the current spat within political factions on the choice of candidate continues,“ he told a group of senior managers and experts on Friday, ISNA reported.
Rafsanjani, who is one of Iran’s most influential politicians, said the way things are going, it’s unlikely that political groups could reach a compromise.
He said having a popular president would be another success for the revolution and the system.
“We should hope that every political camp is able to agree on a single nominee and ensures that the president-to-be gets the public’s full backing,“ he said.
Rafsanjani then said training qualified and skilled managers is one of the most important and worthiest achievements of the Islamic Republic system. “Undermining executive managers is the biggest injustice to the revolution,“ he said.

AHVAZ, Khuzestan, April 22--A massive gathering of Ahvazi residents held a solidarity rally on Friday to condemn the conspiracies of enemies.
Ethnic Arabs were among thousands of Iranians who joined a rally against “foreign plots“ in the sensitive southwestern oil province of Khuzestan, a week after clashes between Arab protestors and security forces there, IRNA reported.
Ahvaz interim Friday prayers leader, Mohsen Heidari, addressed the rally and condemned instigators of recent events in some Arab neighborhoods of the city.
“The Iranian Arabs of Khuzestan have proven their devotion to Islam and are bound to safeguard the Islamic Republic,“ he said.
He said the province’s people have proved their loyalty to the system by participating in many arenas of the Iran’s revolutionary history.
At the end of the rally, a resolution consisting of 7 articles was read, in which demonstrators declared their readiness to confront the enemies’ conspiracies effectively.
“National unity, Islamic solidarity and allegiance with the leadership that once led to our Islamic Revolution’s victory are still pursued by the Iranian Arabs in Khuzestan,“ it noted.
The distribution of a forged letter, attributed to the previous head of Presidential Office, allegedly calling for ethnic demographic changes in the province intrigued, led to the recent chaotic events.
Meanwhile, judiciary officials released late Wednesday 155 people arrested after ethnic troubles in Ahvaz, the city’s prosecutor said on Thursday.
He said 333 people had been detained in the unrest.
“Since some of the families of the detainees came to pay bail and place surety, we think more of the accused will be released in the next 48 hours,“ Iraj Amirkhani added, noting that most of the detainees were below 20 years of age.
“All of these people have been arrested at the scene of troubles for destroying public property,“ he said.
Abtahi himself has denied having written such a letter.
“Anyone who reads the letter will realize that such a decision...cannot be implemented in Iran,“ he said. “I have never had the prerogative to order a demographic change.“
During clashes between police and ethnic Arabs last Friday, several state buildings, including banks and police cars, were damaged.
Iran’s Culture Ministry ordered Monday the temporary closure of the Al-Jazeera bureau in Tehran, pending a probe into the role of the Arabic television channel in provoking subversive elements to create trouble.

TEHRAN, April 22--Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Muhammed Al-Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah in a meeting with President Mohammad Khatami on Thursday conveyed the message of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Jabir Al-Ahmad Al-Jabir Al-Sabah to him.
During the meeting, President Khatami referred to the favorable mutual relations in various fields and assessed the outlooks of both countries on regional and international issues as “close to one another“, IRNA reported.
Khatami expressed satisfaction with the agreements reached between the two countries in various fields, including the transfer of gas from Iran to Kuwait.
“What is taking place in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq is of great concern to us and this makes the Middle East the most critical and sensitive region not only for the regional countries but also for the world. The region needs security and tranquility more than anything else. We should be able to respond to future generations in converting it into an advanced region,“ he said.
In his message, the Kuwaiti emir invited Khatami to pay an official visit to his country.
For his part, the Kuwaiti foreign minister referred to Iran’s decisive and strategic role in the region and called for consolidating bilateral relations. He hoped that the talks currently held between the officials of the two countries on matters of mutual concern, in particular that of the maritime boundaries, will lead to a satisfactory outcome.