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Rafsanjani:
US Policies Doomed to Fail
TEHRAN, Dec. 16--Tehran’s interim Friday prayers leader, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, rejected the US administration’s allegation regarding Iranian interference in Iraq.
Addressing thousands of worshipers gathered for Friday prayers at the Tehran University campus, Rafsanjani described US allegations against Iran as a ’joke’ and said with the help of 160,000 troops, the US is engaged in terrorist acts that cause insecurity and disrespect to the nation and now accuse Iran of interfering in Iraq’s affairs, IRNA reported.
Stating that US policies regarding Iran are already doomed to fail, he pointed out that the US is accusing Iran while it has not arrested even a single Iranian agent in Iraq.
“The US is the very embodiment of acts that negate religion and diplomatic manners,“ he said.
Rafsanjani, who is also chairman of State Expediency Council, further said the trend of world developments is moving in a direction that is opposed to colonialism, arrogance, invasion and monopoly of superpowers.
Describing the slogans of human rights and democracy by Western countries as “a hypocritical weapon“, he said, “The world is moving toward democracy, freedom and people’s decisive votes.“
Referring to US efforts to expand its domination and influence in Iraq, he said, “No nation in the world wants to get rid of an internal autocracy to go under foreign dictatorship.“
Rafsanjani praised the role of religious authorities in Iraq, especially Ayatollah Ali Sistani, in promoting national unity and solidarity.
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Iranians Determined
To Retain Independence
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Mahathir Mohamad
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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia,
Dec. 16--Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said by defending their country against the US ally Saddam Hussein, Iranians have shown a national resolve to retain their independence.
Speaking at the Perdana Global Peace Forum in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, Mahathir referred to US double standards and said it is well known to the world that the US always seeks pretexts like “support for human rights and democracy“ to politically target independent states such as Iran, IRNA reported. Supporters of Israel regard the Iranian president’s protest against the systematic killing of Palestinians by Israel as anti-Semitic and offensive, but consider Israel’s campaign against Palestine as right and worthy of international support.
Effectively, the state of Palestine has been destroyed by Israel.
Referring to US measures to legitimize their unilateral measures against other countries, Mahathir noted that they even enact laws to show their animosity and opposition to these countries.
These laws are intended to hold Iran “accountable for its threatening behavior and to support a transition to democracy“. This sounds like blackmail.
Mahathir further said the country has been accused by those who possess nuclear weapons and claim that it is their exclusive privilege to benefit from such a right.
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Pakistan Against Nuclear Pressures
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Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf (l) greets Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Rawalpindi, December 15.
(Reuters Photo)
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 16--Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki discussed with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday expansion of mutual cooperation.
At the meeting, the Pakistani president supported Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities and said his country refuses to back pressures being exerted on Iran, IRNA reported.
The Iranian minister underlined the implementation of the gas pipeline project to transfer Iranian gas to Pakistan and India.
Referring to untapped economic potentials between the two countries, he called on the OIC to become more active in the region.
Mottaki stressed that Iran’s peaceful application of nuclear technology is a legitimate right.
He thanked Pakistan for its timely stances on political propaganda against Iran and said the two friendly and brotherly countries enjoy all-out cooperation which is expected to further develop in future.
Mottaki, who arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for a two-day visit, held talks with Pakistani leaders, including President Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, and Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri.
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Ayatollah Sanei:
Confront Superstitions
TEHRAN, Dec. 16--A religious authority on Friday expressed grave concerns over a new wave of efforts for spreading superstitions.
In a meeting with the staff of Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) on the occasion of the news agency’s seventh anniversary, Ayatollah Yousef Sanei referred to attempts by certain circles to propagate religious fallacies to fulfill their vested goals.
“We should do all we can to reveal their true intentions and raise public awareness about what constitutes a false notion and anti-religious teachings,“ he said.
The religious authority admitted that this is a difficult task, because it implies standing against reactionary interpretations of Islam.
“I believe telling the world what Islam has to say about human rights--that Islam defies physical and mental torture of humans and animals--is a major task of the media,“ he said. Ayatollah Sanei then referred to the crash of a military C-130 airplane in Tehran which killed many reporters and army personnel on Dec. 6 and stressed that the tragedy should always be remembered and the memories of those who lost their lives must be kept alive.
ISNA lost a reporter and a photojournalist in the crash.
“It is our duty not to let the incident be forgotten and prevent similar accidents from recurring,“ he said, complaining that the tragedy was given insufficient coverage at the national level.
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Political Toleration Declining
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Emad Afrough
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TEHRAN, Dec. 16--Head of Majlis Cultural Commission said on Friday reasoning is the most important parameter in the context of tolerating opponents.
Emad Afrough also told ISNA that parameters such as historical background and environmental conditions play an important role in institutionalizing the habit of tolerating political opponents.
While assessing the current ambience regarding toleration of opponents, Afrough noted that although the motto of “political development“ was popular in recent years, those who were supposed to develop the habit of tolerating the opposition did not manage to do so.
“Opponents and proponents have both used political mottoes for achieving their own objectives,“ he added.
Afrough further said these political mottos have always served as a tool for deceiving people and gaining political power.
Noting that people are not prepared to hear the views of their opponents, Afrough said conditions have even deteriorated in certain cases.
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Iraq Elections
SHARQ: Iraqi people cast their votes for the third time after the fall of Saddam Hussein. This time around they took part in parliamentary elections to select the members of the parliament for a four-year period. The Iraqi people voted in Iraq’s parliamentary elections in order to select a transitional government. An important characteristic of the voting exercise that was held on Thursday is that the Iraqi Shiite sources of emulation did not have any direct role in the undertaking. Furthermore, Iraq’s grand Shiite religious authority, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, has emphasized that the Iraqi people will have the right to take over all social affairs after the lawmakers are elected.
Failure
ABRAR: A visit by Khaled Mashaal, head of the political bureau of Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, to Iran and his subsequent meetings with Iran’s senior officials hints at the importance of the Palestinian nation for Iran. Mashaal’s visit took place at a time when the global reactions towards the recent statement of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who said the state of Israel should be established within European territories remains an important issue. Zionists might try to use Mashaal’s visit as a propaganda tool against the Iranian regime. However, since Iran has perpetually been a supporter of the oppressed Palestinian nation, the new wave of propaganda warfare by the international Zionist lobby is doomed to failure.
Unfavorable
DONYA-YE EQTESAD: The latest statistics concerning the number of subscribers of cellular phones in the world shows that Iran is presently not in favorable conditions. According to a recent survey by the Economist, average subscribers of cellular phones in European countries exceeded 95 percent of the population. This is while the same figure was 80 percent in Japan, 65 percent in North America and 39 percent in Latin America as well as 21 percent in Middle East and African countries. The sad part is that only 10 percent of Iranians have mobile phones.
Justice
MARDOMSALARI: Some time has elapsed since the tragic crash of a C-130 military airplane during which more than 120 innocent people were killed. An important thing that should be made clear with regard to this catastrophe is finding its root cause. At any rate, the people of the country are waiting to see those people whose ignorance resulted in this ugly incident are brought to justice. Furthermore, if the government does its best to assure that the people responsible for this accident are tried in a fair court, it will be very helpful to prevent recurrence of similar incidents.
Opportunity
IRAN: Iraq’s parliamentary elections provided the Iraqi people with the opportunity to freely elect their representatives for the first time in the history of the country despite the ongoing violence there. Emergence of differences of opinion among people in a country that is comprised of different tribes is quite natural. It is crystal clear that those who have worked hand in hand with the occupiers (Americans and Britons) are not qualified to be elected in Iraq’s parliamentary elections. Iraqi people are well aware that a powerful parliament can help ensure Iraq’s development and political stability. Another important consideration is that a powerful parliament can eventually facilitate the withdrawal of American and British troops from Iraq.
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From: Alon@alonben-meir.com To: Iran-daily@iran-daily.com Subject: Latest Palestinian Poll Date: 2005/12/08 06:45
In recent weeks I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Nabil Kukali whom I got to know and appreciate his professionalism, integrity and commitment to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He is a notable and highly respected pollster. As the head of the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO), he has provided the most relevant, credible and useful insight into the Palestinian sentiments. It is with pleasure that I share with you his most recent Palestinian poll.
The poll aims at probing the affinities, directions and inclinations of the Palestinian people for the continuation of the peace process with Israel, their attitude towards the conclusion of the accord for opening of Rafah border crossing, the elections of the Palestinian Legislative Council scheduled for January 2006, the leaderships of the Palestinian parties, the popularity of the political parties and factions, and the opinion of the Palestinians about the fairness and impartiality of the Central Elections Committee. This poll has been fully financed by PCPO’s own resources.
In the latest public opinion poll prepared by Dr. Nabil Kukali and published by PCPO:
* A great majority (59.5%) of the Palestinians support the return to the negotiation table with the Israelis.
* For the first time a fall in the popularity of Hamas by 4.4% and Fatah maintains its rate of popularity.
* A great majority (54.5%) of the Palestinians support the Rafah border crossing accord.
* An overwhelming majority (76.1%) of the respondents are going to participate in voting for the PLC-elections scheduled January 25th, 2006.
* A good majority (51.7%) of the Palestinians believe that the Central Elections Committee supervising the PLC-elections is fair and impartial.
* A majority (52.6%) of the Palestinians support at various degrees the emergence of a third political stream on the Palestinian ground.
* A plurality (61.6%) of the participants support the stand of the national powers and leftists on one united list for running the coming PLC-elections.
* 33.7% believe that Mr. Marwan Bargouthi is the most appropriate person for leading the Fatah list to the PLC-elections.
* 37.1% believe that Dr. Mahmoud Azzahar is the most appropriate person for leading the Hamas list to the PLC-elections.
* 28.8% believe that Dr. Mustafa Bargouthi is the most appropriate person for leading the leftists’ list to the PLC-elections.
For this poll, which was prepared during November 16Ð21, 2005, a random sample of 830 Palestinian adults from the West Bank, including East Beit-ul-Moqaddas and Gaza Strip, has been interviewed face to face.
Dr. Nabil Kukali, director of PCPO, said that the most important thing this poll has shown is that the majority of Palestinians supports the return to the negotiations of the final settlement with the Israelis and that the rate now by far surpasses that of the Israelis, namely by 16.8%, according to a poll prepared by Teleseker and published by Maariv newspaper.
The said Israeli poll has specifically unfolded that 43% of the Israelis support the return to the Oslo path and negotiations with the Palestinians for reaching a final solution, whereas 53% oppose that, Teleseker said.
Dr. Kukali commented that the poll result showing a noticeable fall of 4.4% in the popularity of Hamas has been recorded, compared with a previous poll conducted on 3/8/2005, and that this fall is the first of its nature since 1997, since from that date onwards the support to Hamas was increasing rapidly. On the other hand, the Fatah Movement has maintained its rate of popular support.
With regard to the Independents list, the poll results have shown that no public consensus has been formed yet on the leading candidates.
“All interviews took place on the basis of random choices of respondent’s homes, i.e. face to face“, Mr. Elias Kukali, a staff member of the Research & Studies Section at the PCPO, said. They were taken from a total of 118 election sites. These election sites are randomly chosen by using the method of the simple random sample. The sampling error throughout the survey is found at ± 3.40%.
Elias Kukali added that the percentage of female respondents was 47.9% whereas that of the male respondents reached 52.1%. He said that the composition of the sample according to the type of residence was as follows: 48.9% city, 34.6% village, and 16.5% refugee camp.
Elias Kukali further said the distribution of the random sample among the residential areas of the respondents was 64.2% in the West Bank, including East Beit-ul-Moqaddas, and 35.8% in Gaza Strip.
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
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