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Prayer Time (Tehran)
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Dawn: 4:34
Sunrise: 6:01
Noon: 11:54
Evening: 18:08
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Weather Guide
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WED |
THu |
Tehran: |
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High: |
25oC |
25oC |
Low: |
15oC |
15oC |
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Athens |
18 |
17 |
Ankara |
23 |
21 |
Paris |
13 |
14 |
New Delhi |
36 |
36 |
Rome |
16 |
17 |
Riyadh |
33 |
31 |
Frankfurt |
8 |
10 |
Cairo |
30 |
34 |
Kuwait City |
31 |
31 |
Karachi |
35 |
37 |
Copenhagen |
5 |
6 |
London |
13 |
15 |
Moscow |
8 |
10 |
Madrid |
22 |
22 |
Vienna |
9 |
10 |
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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: 88755761-2
Editorial Dept. Fax: 88761869
Advertising Dept. Tel: 88501499, 88737250
Internet Address:
www.iran-daily.com
E-mail Address:
iran-daily@iran-daily.com
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Iran Joins Nuclear Technology Club
Fuel Cycle Complete
Enrichment Sufficient for Power Plants
TEHRAN, April 11--President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Tuesday Iran has joined the club of nuclear countries.
Speaking at a gathering in the holy city of Mashhad, the president said the nuclear fuel cycle at the laboratory scale was completed on Sunday April 9 and enriched uranium required for nuclear power plants was produced by the Iranian youth.
Ahmadinejad noted that getting access to the nuclear fuel cycle has been the demand of the Iranian nation.
According to IRNA, the chief executive said the most important manifestation of came to the fore on Feb. 11 (the anniversary of the victory of Islamic Revolution) when millions of people made this demand.
He added that all of Iran’s nuclear activities were supervised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in an unprecedented manner and Iran still remains committed to cooperating with the IAEA and abiding by the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
“I sincerely congratulate all martyrs of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Reza (AS), the leader, the great nation of Iran and the beloved youth of the country at this holy place. This historic accomplishment is the product of sufferings, resistance and endurance of the great Iranian nation. This marks the beginning of greater accomplishments,“ he said.
Ahmadinejad further said that April 9, 2006, is a great day in Iran’s history and will always serve as a source of inspiration for the nation and youth in all arenas of advancement.
“What has been achieved is within the framework of the legitimate rights of the nation and complies with the international norms and standards and the IAEA regulations. Based on global regulations and our legitimate rights, we shall continue this path until we can produce fuel at the industrial level for our power plants,“ he said.
He once again reiterated that advancement and might of Iran has always been at the service of peace, calm and security for our neighbors and the inhabitants of the planet and will always be so.
Ahmadinejad thanked the managers and engineers of Iran’s Atomic Energy organization and called on them to continue this trend with more speed.
Addressing the same gathering, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Gholamreza Aqazadeh, said Iran has managed to enrich uranium to the 3.5 percent level at the Natanz nuclear site on Sunday.
Aqazadeh, who is also a vice president, dedicated the scientific achievement to “the diligent and revolutionary generation of the future“.
He stressed that this achievement has paved the way for starting uranium enrichment at the industrial level.
“We have used the most advanced facilities by relying on indigenous knowledge in design, assembly and operations related to the production of nuclear fuel,“ he said.
Aqazadeh emphasized that generating electricity is one of the most important priorities of the government, which is seeking nuclear technology for only peaceful purposes.
He expressed hope that by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2007), a complex capable of enriching 3,000 tons of uranium will become operational.
Aqazadeh further said Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was 91.1 percent complete by March 20.
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Foreign Forces Incite Regional Insecurity
TEHRAN, April 11--Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi said on Tuesday a strong Iran will benefit regional and global security.
In a meeting with Germany’s Deputy Interior Minister August Hunning, he said, “Iran shoulders heavy responsibility toward regional issues and all its activities are guided by humanitarian and conciliatory intentions.“
The minister noted that the prolonged presence of foreign forces in the region encourages insecurity.
“Terrorist groups in southeastern and northwestern parts of the country are supported by foreign intelligence services, which also supply their budgets,“ he said.
Pour-Mohammadi expressed hope that the region would become more secure through cooperation and exchange of information as well as interactions between Iranian and German security officials, IRNA reported.
Referring to the situation in Afghanistan, the interior minister said, “Afghanistan has become one of the insecure spots in the region because of increasing drug production, severe poverty, maneuvering powers of radical elements and immigration,“ he said.
Pour-Mohammadi noted that problems in Afghanistan would be resolved with the cooperation of regional countries, especially since there are two million Afghan refugees in Iran.
Hunning described his negotiations with Iranian security officials regarding the security of 2006 Football World Cup and Tehran-Berlin cooperation for restructuring Afghanistan’s police force as ’useful’.
“Germany has a calculated plan for ensuring the safety of Afghanistan’s borders,“ he said.
The German official also noted that his country will use the most modern equipment and facilities for ensuring the security of World Cup games.
He emphasized that Berlin intends to confront the activities of the terrorist Mujahideen Khalq Organization (MKO) in Germany.
“In order to accomplish this, Iran and Germany should further collaborate in terms of intelligence operations,“ he said.
Hunning stressed that security will not be established in the region without considering Iran’s role.
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4% Unemployment Rate by 2010
AHVAZ, Khuzestan, April 11--An official said on Tuesday generation of 4.5 million jobs by 2010 will reduce the country’s unemployment rate to 4 percent.
Addressing a provincial meeting, Javad Farshbaf-Maheriyan, deputy labor minister for human resources planning and employment policymaking, added that according to the Fourth Five-Year National Development Plan (2005-2010), annually 900,000 new jobs must be created in the country.
“However, our forecast is to generate one million new jobs per annum so that we will be ahead of schedule,“ he said.
He noted that the country must pay more attention to the issue of training human resources, IRNA reported.
“This is why we have on our agenda establishment of vocational and training centers, making fields of study more practical, promoting entrepreneurship in our universities and increasing the budget for applied research projects,“ he said.
Farshbaf-Maheriyan further said that the government wants provinces to have greater authority than in the past for generating employment opportunities so that they can identify regional talents and potentials.
Khuzestan Governor General Amir Hayat-Moqaddam also told the same meeting that unemployment is one of the major problems facing the province.
“The government has prioritized the removal of the unemployment problem in the province and at the national level,“ he said.
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Iran Selected Deputy
Of UN Disarmament Commission
UNITED NATIONS, April 11--The United Nations Disarmament Commission selected Iran as its Asian deputy.
The commission, which began its meeting on Monday, is a subsidiary to the UN General Assembly and its annual meeting focuses on disarmament and international security, IRNA reported.
In the past couple of years, the commission could not put nuclear disarmament on its agenda due to the US opposition.
In the current meeting, disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons were put on the agenda due to pressures exerted by the members of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
On the first day of the meeting, a representative of NAM urged countries with nuclear weapons to abide by their commitments and destroy nuclear weapons.
The NAM representative also stressed that Israel should join the Non-Proliferation Treaty and urged Israel to put all its nuclear facilities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
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Pak Bombing Death Toll Hits 40
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 11--A bomb exploded during evening prayers at a park in this southern Pakistani city Tuesday, killing at least 40 people and wounding dozens.
An angry mob burned cars and threw stones at police, who fired into the air to disperse the crowd, a witness said, AP reported.
A bomb was planted under a stage prepared by a Sunni Muslim group at Nishtar Park in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, for a prayer service to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), said area police chief Shah Nawaz.
“We don’t know who might be responsible, but we are handling a big tragedy,“ Nawaz told The Associated Press.
Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao told AP that at least 40 people were killed. “It is a very unfortunate incident,“ he said.
Semi Jamali, a doctor at a nearby hospital where at least 24 bodies were taken, said dozens of people were being treated for injuries.
Scenes of mass confusion broke out after the explosion in the park, where hundreds of people had gathered for the prayer service.
People were seen carrying away bloodied victims and placing them into ambulances. Four men carried one victim in what looked like a white sheet that was soaked with blood.
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Israel Vows to Intensify Gaza Attack
BEIT-UL-MOQADDAS, April 11--Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Tuesday Israel would intensify its bombardments of Gaza despite the recent deaths of two children, as Palestinian militants vowed to continue firing their rockets.
Sixteen Palestinians have been killed since Friday night by Israeli strikes and tank shelling designed to put a permanent halt to a volley of makeshift missiles fired by hardline factions such as Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, AFP reported.
The latest victim was an eight-year-old girl who died on Monday when an Israeli shell struck a house in the Beit Lahiya region of northern Gaza. A seven-year-old boy was also killed in an air strike on Friday.
But Israeli ministers, while expressing regret over the deaths, made clear Tuesday that there would be no easing off in the military activity.
Both Jihad and Al-Aqsa, however, emphasized that they would not be cowed into submission.
“We will continue firing rockets in response to the crimes and Israeli aggressions, namely their assassinations and bombardments against the Palestinian people,“ Al-Aqsa Brigades Spokesman Abu Ahmed told AFP.
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Sustaining Growth
By S. Sadeghi
The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) in a recent report said the national economy grew by 5.4 percent during the first three quarters of the last Iranian year (ended March 20). During this period, gross domestic product (GDP) reached 325,550 billion rials from 308,915 billion rials in the corresponding period of the year before.
Estimates of value added in diverse economic activities show that the main engine of growth in the production sector must be sought in the key agriculture and construction industry.
In fact studies indicate the share of value added of agro and construction sectors in the growth of GDP in the first nine months of fiscal 2005-06 were 1.2 and 0.2 percents respectively, marking 0.8 and 0.4 percent growth compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, a part of this hike was offset due to reduction in the growth of oil, industrial and service sectors. Ultimately the difference in the growth rates of the two corresponding periods amounted to a mere 0.5 percent.
During the first nine months of 2005-06, the agro sector due largely to more favorable climatic conditions grew by a healthy 7.1 percent compared to the same period in the year before. Estimates of value added of the agro sector show that both farm and horticulture products and livestock sectors grew significantly compared to the previous year.
Based on available statistics, production of wheat, barely, rice, horticulture and livestock during the said three quarters grew by 1.4, 5.7, zero, 11.3 and 6.9 percents, respectively in comparison to the year before.
During the same period, growth rate in value added of the oil sector declined, which is mainly due to the reduction of growth in exploitation of oil, reduced direct exports of crude oil through buy-back schemes and decline in production and export of oil byproducts.
As a whole, value added of the oil sector in this period amounted to 35,051 billion rials, which marks a meager 0.4 percent growth compared to the same period in the previous year. Compared to the 2.8 percent growth rate of the oil sector in 2004-05, the figure declined by 2.4 percent Ð as a result of problems this sector encountered regarding shortfall in investments.
Given the fact that maintaining the current production level in the oil industry demands alternate investments, it is obvious that much needs to be done to expand the tapped potentials, which in turn demands much higher rates of investments.
During the three quarters, the industries and mine sector experienced a 6.4 percent growth and was seen as relatively successful. The construction sector also showed its prowess despite a nearly three-year decline visiting the key sector that has affected other related industries.
In the first nine months of 2004-05, the industries and mines sector grew by 8.1 percent. Overall, during this period the construction sector grew by 4.4 percent, which is rather satisfactory compared to the 4.1 percent growth registered in the corresponding period of the year before.
The service sector, which accounts for the highest share of the GDP, experienced a moderate mild growth rate of 5.5 percent during the first three quarters of past Iranian fiscal year.
During the same period, growth rates in private sector consumption, government expenditures, and gross fixed capital formation reached 6.2, 3 and 3.6 percent, respectively.
The above growth indices and progress in key economic sectors have been acknowledged by international financial and lending institutions as signs of improvement. However, a five plus growth rate is no cause for jubilation if we go by the systematic improvement and growth patterns in countries similar to ours but not blessed with billions in oil revenues.
One important cause for concern has long been the saturated job market, which the government has promised to improve in the months to come.
The administration that took over the reigns of power in August says it is determined to improve the quality of life, create the grounds for verifiable economic advancement and give social justice a new meaning. True, the growth figures are there for all to see. But how the government spreads the social security net and equitably distributes the national wealth remains to be seen.
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