TEHRAN, May 17--Majlis speaker Gholamali Haddad-Adel said the presence of former president, Akbar Hasehmi Rafsanjani, greatly influenced the presence of rightist candidates in the ninth presidential election slated for June 17.
Speaking at a press conference in Markazi province on Tuesday, Haddad-Adel said some rightists who wanted to register in the election refrained from doing so because of Rafsanjani’s candidacy, IRNA reported.
He expressed hope that the final list of candidates and their consensus will pave the way for electing a popular president.
Commenting on Iran’s nuclear dossier and the government’s mandate to continue uranium enrichment, the speaker pointed out that after Guardians Council approves the bill on uranium enrichment, the government will have a greater say in nuclear talks.
Asked about the plan for stabilization of prices, he said the plan will curb inflation.
“Some newspapers have exaggerated the differences of opinion between Majlis and the government over price stabilization,“ he said.
Haddad-Adel noted that he will inform Management and Planning Organization and the cabinet about the problems faced by people and officials of Markazi province.

Jamal Karimi-Rad

TEHRAN, May 17--The Judiciary plans to set up a special body for implementing penal verdicts, IRNA said.
Judiciary Spokesman Jamal Karimi-Rad announced on Tuesday the formulation of a bylaw for establishing the Organization for Execution of Penal Verdicts to replace the State Prisons Organization.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, he said the organization will take over cases in which the final verdict has been issued.
“The organization would comprise a prison section, penal institutions and a rehabilitation and training center,“ he said, adding that reprieves and conditional releases handed down by judges of this organization will be target-based with the objective of preventing recurrence of crimes.
Karimi-Rad said the judiciary’s deputy head will be appointed as head of the organization for a period of four years, and the deputies of justice departments will handle the job in other provinces.
“Since respect for legitimate freedoms and rights is a priority for the judicial system, several delegates have been dispatched to provinces to investigate the rights situation and report possible violations which will be publicly announced once confirmed,“ he said.
Karimi-Rad said the defense team representing Zahra Kazemi’s family appeared in the appeals court on Monday to request that certain officials be summoned for questioning and the scene of the crime be reenacted.
“The court will rule on July 25,“ he said.
Kazemi, 54, died of brain hemorrhage in custody in July 2003 reportedly caused by a blunt object. She had been arrested for taking photographs of Tehran’s Evin Prison.

TEHRAN, May 17--Iran and other Caspian Sea littoral states are in the final stage of a long-running dispute over the sea’s geographical division and resource sharing.
Iran’s Special Envoy for Caspian Affairs Mehdi Safari announced on Tuesday that breakthroughs were made in talks between members of a working group devising a Caspian legal regime convention.
Safari said 75 percent of issues have already been settled, noting that the remaining 25 percent contain matters of high importance for all sides.
“Reaching a final agreement could not happen immediately and by holding periodic sessions but requires regular and intense meetings,“ he said.
Safari noted that all the littoral countries are interested in wrapping up the matter as soon as possible.
On Iran’s share, he said Tehran has time and again insisted on an equal and fair division of the Caspian Sea.
“Iran has held constructive talks with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, and we plan to hold more meetings along the same line,“ he said.
On Monday, Safari expressed his opposition to the militarization of the Caspian Sea and transfer of pipelines through the sea.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the 17th meeting of the Caspian Sea working group on the sea’s legal regime, Safari said completion of the Caspian Sea legal regime is a long process.
“The Islamic Republic has proposed the convention for confidence-building and stability in the region to the Caspian Sea littoral states,“ he said.
Safari pointed out that Iran, Russia and Kazakhstan are against the presence of foreign forces in the sea, adding that efforts will be made to reach agreement with the other two states.
The working group convened in Tehran on Monday in the presence of Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and the special representatives of Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.

TEHRAN, May 17--Deputy head of Majlis Article 90 Commission, Mehdi Kouchakzadeh, clashed in Majlis lobby on Tuesday with the reporter of a morning newspaper and other correspondents joined in the melee.
Kouchakzadeh suddenly grabbed the journalist by his jaw while warning him to be more careful in future, IRNA reported.
Kouchakzadeh, also an MP from Tehran, was about to attack the same reporter when other journalists prevented him from doing so.
After this incident, an MP from Jiroft, Ali Zadsar, requested correspondents not to cover the clash between Kouchakzadeh and reporters.
Reporters wrote a letter to a member of Majlis Cultural Commission, Mohsen Kouhkan, and agreed not to cover the event. But when reporters asked Kouchakzadeh about the reason for his quarrel, he denied the clash altogether. This made reporters change their views and they decided to cover the news of Kouchakzadeh’s assault on the parliamentary reporter.

TEHRAN, May 17--Majlis condemned on Tuesday the United States’ desecration of the Holy Qur’an at Guantanamo Bay prison, expressing disgust over such an act.
Addressing the Majlis open session on Tuesday, Majlis Speaker Gholamali Haddad-Adel stressed Muslims will not tolerate blasphemy against their sanctities, especially the Holy Book of Islam.
“Muslims’ hatred against the US is now evident more than at any other time. This incident has revealed the identity of American statesmen and their enmity toward Islam,“ he said.
Newsweek reported the desecration of the Holy Book at Guantanamo Bay, where Afghan prisoners are held. The incident stirred up violence in Afghanistan.
American troops opened fire at Afghan protesters, killing at least 16 Afghans and injuring dozens of others. US officials in charge of Guantanamo Bay detention center denied desecration of the Muslim Holy Book and said they would look into the case to bring to justice those responsible for the ugly act.
They accused Newsweek of carrying a ’false’ report.

Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi (l) shakes hands with President of Belgium's External Relations Commission Karl Pinxten in Tehran on Monday. (IRNA Photo)

TEHRAN, May 17--President of Belgium’s External Relations Commission Karl Pinxten here Monday met Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi to discuss bilateral ties, as well as regional and international affairs.
Describing Tehran-Brussels relations as “friendly and deep-rooted“, Kharrazi said, “Iran is fully committed to the articles of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and all our nuclear activities are within the framework of the treaty.“
He stressed that in its effort to build international trust and observe full transparency regarding its nuclear programs, Iran has already engaged in comprehensive cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.
“In line with that effort, we have also been engaged in our comprehensive talks with the EU3 (France, Germany and Britain), in the last phase of which next week we hope to reach a solution that satisfies both sides,“ he said.
Kharrazi stressed that under no circumstances, Iran would agree to abandon the technological and scientific achievements of Iranian scientists.
“While willing to maintain constructive interactions with the international community based on globally recognized norms, Iran has always enjoyed positive and logical relations with other nations based on mutual respect and both sides’ national interests,“ he said.
Pinxten, for his part, referred to Iran’s distinguished status in international relations and said Brussels has always welcomed broadening of ties with Tehran and encouraged the EU, too, to follow suit.
He also hoped that the next week’s talks between Iran and EU3 would bear satisfactory results for both sides.
The two sides also discussed latest developments in Iraq and the Middle East.
Also on Monday, Pinxten met with four Iranian MPs representing religious minorities.
The MPs represented Iran’s Armenians, Jewish community as well as Assyrians and Chaldeans.
Maurice Motamed, the Jews’ representative in Majlis, condemned the exaggeration of religious minorities’ problems in Iran and said, “We do not deny problems, but the problems belong to our society and to solve them we do not need others’ help“.
The Assyrian and Chaldean representative said followers of divine faiths in Iran live with their fellow citizens peacefully and practice their religious rites in full freedom. Pinxten said he was satisfied over his talks with Iranian officials. He said the goal of his four-day visit to Iran at the head of a four-member delegation is mutual understanding and discussing practical ways of boosting bilateral parliamentary cooperation.

LONDON, May 17--British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Monday he was hopeful about the outcome of new discussions between the EU3 and Iran.
Commenting on Iran’s nuclear activity at a press conference in London, Straw said, “As for the outcome, I remain ever hopeful. There have been many predictions that these discussions might fail in the past. So far, despite the difficulties, which are as everybody understands they have been made trickier by the impending presidential elections in Iran on 17 June, I remain cautiously hopeful,“ IRNA reported.
The British foreign secretary also said he did not want to comment on the outcome of unfinished discussions yet. He would not give any more details, but insisted that the position of the international community and those of the three lead countries concerned--Germany, France and the United Kingdom--remain clear.