TEHRAN, Jan. 22--Majlis Speaker Gholamali Haddad-Adel said on Sunday French President Jacques Chirac’s recent threat of a nuclear strike on any state that launches a terrorist attack on France is shameful.
Haddad-Adel, speaking during Sunday’s open session, further said the French people must be ashamed of the statements by their president who is seeking pretexts to use nuclear weapons, IRNA reported.
Chirac had said France’s doctrine of nuclear deterrence has been extended to protect the country’s strategic supplies.
The Majlis speaker noted that Chirac’s comments were shocking, prompting strong outcry by France’s European allies and political circles throughout the world.
Germany’s Green deputy, Winfried Nachtwei, said Chirac’s comments were irresponsible.
The French president’s statements were also censured by German dailies.
“Chirac’s comments are clearly counterproductive,“ the economic daily Handelsblatt said.
The Westdeutsche Zeitung in Duesseldorf said, “Chirac’s threat is not only unwise, but also counterproductive because it gives the impression that diplomatic means are very limited in the face of nuclear ambitions.“
Haddad-Adel maintained that Chirac’s comments are aimed at making up for the recent unrest that damaged France’s prestige.

TEHRAN, Jan. 22--Former President Mohammad Khatami said there is no doubt about the importance of promoting Dialogue Among Civilizations, though there might be reservations about its feasibility.
Speaking on the last day of a three-day seminar on creating societies via dialogue, Khatami stressed that before an initiative is made for forging a civilizational dialogue, the language of dialogue should be learnt.
Participants in the meeting included Iranian, British and German Christians and Muslims, according to a report by Mehr News Agency on Sunday.
“No one doubts the necessity of Dialogue Among Civilizations, though there might be some doubts about its feasibility,“ he said.
Khatami stressed that exchange of ideas among different religions is an integral part of promoting Dialogue Among Civilizations.
He then referred to a Qur’anic verse which says the pious are those who believe in the holy books, angels and prophets, and there is no distinction between the prophets and said the verse explicitly states that God deems the pious to be those who believe in his ’prophets’ and not just one prophet.
“Violence is a common problem facing religions today,“ he said, noting that violence threatening the West and the East comes in different forms and shapes, one of which is terrorism.
Khatami noted that the problem is not about the large number of religions, but lack of knowledge and understanding about each other that poses a challenge. “What needs to be done is eliminate historical misunderstandings,“ he said.

Kourosh Niknam

TEHRAN, Jan. 22--Zoroastrian MP Kourosh Niknam said a budget increase has been proposed for religious minorities during 2006-07.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Majlis open session, Niknam added that 1.75 billion rials were allocated for religious minorities, IRNA reported.
Niknam noted that the budget for religious minorities was earmarked at the close of former President Mohammad Khatami’s tenure.
“We are trying to increase the budget this year,“ he said, adding that the proposed three-billion-rial budget has not yet been approved.

Mehdi Chamran

TEHRAN, Jan. 22--Chairman of Tehran City Council said on Sunday Tehran Municipality’s budget for the next Iranian year (starting March 21) submitted by Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf shows an increase of 25 percent in comparison with the previous year.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a closed session of Tehran City Council, Mehdi Chamran estimated that Tehran Municipality’s budget will reach 18 trillion rials, IRNA reported.
“This is while the budget allocated for Tehran Municipality was 14 trillion rials last year,“ he said.
Asked about payment of debts to Tehran Municipality, Chamran noted that the government already owes 500 billion rials to Iran’s municipalities.
“The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has considered paying its debts to the municipality. We have to see what decision Majlis will take about the budget considered for paying the debts to the municipality,“ he said.

The number of Afghans living in Iran has been reduced from 2.3 million in 2001 to 900,000 in the current Iranian year (to end March 20). (IRNA File Photo)

SHIRAZ, Fars,
Jan. 22--All Afghan nationals have been ordered to leave Iran as of September, otherwise they would be treated as illegal immigrants, a senior official announced on Sunday.
Ahmad Hosseini, director general of Interior Ministry’s Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrant Affairs (BAFIA), also noted that the government will declare its policies concerning repatriation of Afghan immigrants following an experimental plan, which is since November, IRNA reported.
The official added that all Afghans participating in the plan will be offered temporary permits and repatriated to Afghanistan in turn.
“The number of Afghans living in Iran has been reduced from 2.3 million in 2001 to 900,000 in the current Iranian year (to end March 20),“ he said.
Hosseini, who is also an advisor to the interior minister, stated that Afghan immigrants who voluntarily decide to go back to their country were repatriated in cooperation with the Iranian government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
He called on the Afghan government to exert more control on its borders in this regard, adding that the repatriation process is slow due to the cold weather and school examinations.

TEHRAN, Jan. 22--Chancellor of Islamic Azad University said on Sunday tuition fees will be reduced by 12 to 17 percent.
Abdollah Jasbi noted that reduction in tuition fees will be made on the basis of a long-term loan granted to the university students, IRNA reported. “We are looking for new resources to further reduce fees,“ he said.
Asked whether disabled university students are exempted from paying tuition fees at Islamic Azad University, he noted that there is no such law.
Jasbi pointed out that disabled people have never been exempted from paying tuition fees.

TEHRAN, Jan. 22--Alireza Moayeri is appointed Iran’s envoy to the Geneva-based United Nations office.
According to a report released by the Foreign Ministry’s Media Department on Saturday, the appointment was proposed by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and approved by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, IRNA reported.
Moayeri earlier served as the deputy foreign minister for educational and research affairs, Iran’s ambassador to Paris and the presidential advisor for international affairs.

BASRA, Iraq, Jan. 22--Iran returned to neighboring Iraq on Saturday the body of an Iraqi sailor fatally wounded in a skirmish with Iranian coastguard forces and an Iraqi official urged Tehran to ensure such hostilities are not repeated.
Iraq claimed an Iranian naval ship attacked at least one of its coastguard vessels on Jan. 14 in the Shatt Al-Arab waterway or Arvand River, along which the Iran-Iraq border runs into the Persian Gulf. Iraq said its ship was chasing a merchant vessel that was smuggling oil when it came under attack.
Iran detained at least eight other sailors, who were returned to Iraq on Friday.
The body of Faris Youssef Hassan, who Iraqi officials said suffered fatal wounds in the clash, was handed over Friday evening at the Shalamcha border police station near Basra, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, said Iraqi coastguard commander Brig. Abbas Al-Mousavi.
Al-Mousavi said his Iranian counterpart attended a ceremony to hand over the body.
An undersecretary at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Labeed Abbawi, described the clash “an unwarranted aggression that should not be repeated“.
“I’m not saying top (Iranian) authorities ordered this incident and believe it was probably several hotheaded sailors behind it, but further incidents of this kind could strain relations,“ Abbawi told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Gen. Ahmed al-Khafaji, deputy Iraqi interior minister also said two Iraqi boats detained by Iran during last Saturday’s clash were also to be returned.
Iran has tried to play down the incident, denying claims that an Iranian naval vessel fought a skirmish with an Iraqi coastguard ship. It, instead, claimed that there was a clash between Iranian patrol boats and a merchant ship headed toward Iranian waters.
Iranian officials were not available for comment on Saturday.
The Shatt Al-Arab waterway has long been a source of tension between Iran and Iraq. The 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war broke out after former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein claimed the entire waterway.

TEHRAN, Jan. 22--First Vice President Parviz Davoudi on Sunday authorized the signing of a temporary agreement on security cooperation between Iran and Serbia-Montenegro, IRNA reported.
In response to the Interior Ministry’s proposal, the cabinet authorized the Intelligence Ministry to temporarily ink such an agreement.
The move is in accordance with Article 2 of the bylaw on drawing up and signing international contracts approved in 1992.