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Iran
To Attend
SCO Summit
BEIJING, May 19--Iran is expected to attend a summit meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as an observer when heads of state from the regional security forum meet next month, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
Heads of state from SCO, which groups regional powers Russia and China with the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, are to meet on June 15 in Shanghai, Reuters reported.
Observer states Mongolia, Pakistan, India and Iran would also be invited to attend, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao said.
“Iran is an observer country of the SCO and will be invited,“ he told a regular news briefing.
Liu noted that the agenda for the meeting was yet to be finalized.
Foreign ministers from the group urged negotiations to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programs when they met earlier this week.
China and Russia have long opposed the threat of sanctions to force Iran to curb its atomic research.
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Oman Urges Direct US Talks
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Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al-Busaidi
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MUSCAT, Oman,
May 19--Oman, which has close ties with both Iran and the United States, hopes Washington will engage in a “direct dialogue“ with Tehran to resolve the crisis over the Iranian nuclear program.
The number two at Oman’s Foreign Ministry, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al-Busaidi, also told AFP in an interview that Muscat had no reason not to believe Iran’s assurances that its program has purely civilian purposes.
Oman, Iran’s co-guardian of the strategic Strait of Hormuz entrance to the oil-rich Persian Gulf, is trying even harder than fellow Persian Gulf Arab monarchies to remain neutral on the Iranian nuclear crisis.
Although Iran rejected a package of incentives by the EU-3--Britain, France and Germany--to persuade it to suspend uranium enrichment even before the proposals were unveiled, Busaidi said there was “still room for diplomatic efforts“.
“We want to see some meaningful, concrete, constructive negotiations that will produce a win-win situation ... That is really our hope. And I know that is the wish of many, many players in this particular region,“ he said.
“I hope there will be a way out that is peaceful, amicable and honorable,“ added Busaidi, who is undersecretary of foreign affairs.
Oman’s Persian Gulf Cooperation Council partners--Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates--have similarly advocated a negotiated settlement that would ward off US military action, which would have grave consequences for the region.
“The position of Oman...is that we wish to see this whole region free of nuclear and any weapons of mass destruction,“ he said.
Asked whether he thought the United States, which has so far left the talking to the European Union, should launch direct negotiations with Iran, as Tehran has proposed, Busaidi said: “Why not? It is their decision obviously ... I just believe that through dialogue and negotiations, direct negotiations, one can find a solution.
Iran has sent envoys to Persian Gulf Arab states, including Oman, in recent weeks to assure them that its nuclear program is not aimed at producing a nuclear weapon, as Washington suspects.
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Azerbaijan Ties Strong
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Ilham Aliyev
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Mehdi Safari
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19--No third country can derail the Tehran-Baku “friendly and cordial“ ties, said Azeri President Ilham Aliyev here on Thursday.
Aliyev told Iran’s deputy foreign minister and special Caspian envoy, Mehdi Safari, that expansion of cooperation between Tehran and Baku is of high mutual importance, IRNA reported.
He said economic projects and growing cooperation in the industrial, transportation, energy, power and gas sectors demonstrate the dramatic changes in ties between Iran and Azerbaijan.
Safari said growing relations between Iran and Azerbaijan indicate the strong will of the two countries’ leaders for promotion of ties.
The two sides also hoped for finalization of the Caspian Sea legal regime in the near future.
Safari arrived in Azerbaijan on Thursday to hold talks with senior Azeri officials on bilateral, regional and international issues, with special focus on Caspian issues.
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Saffar-Harandi Criticizes
Malevolent Press
KHOMEIN, Markazi, May 19--Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Hossein Saffar-Harandi said on Thursday the press should not allow different currents to divert them from the right course of action.
In a meeting with reporters in the western city of Khomein, Saffar-Harandi expressed regret over controversies in some newspapers due to their previous failures, IRNA reported.
“Because I am a press man and occasionally welcome criticisms of the press,“ he said. Criticizing newspapers for publishing comments against a speaker, the minister urged them not to indulge in political games.
Saffar-Harandi further stressed that the main attribute of the current government is its humbleness and said he would adopt the policy of silence toward the malevolent press.
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Avoid Hasty Judgments
About EU Offer
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Kazem Jalali
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TEHRAN, May 19--No one should pass hasty judgments about the European Union’s proposals pertaining to Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities, said Kazem Jalali, rapporteur of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, on Thursday.
He also told reporters that one thing should be clarified and that is whether what the Europeans have proposed is the minimum or maximum they could offer, IRNA reported.
“If what they have proposed is the minimum level of their offer, we can take part in negotiations with them. But if what they have said is the last thing they can offer and they demand Iran end its uranium enrichment activities, it will be problematic,“ he said.
Jalali, also a lawmaker from Shahroud (in Semnan province), reiterated that the world should realize that it is dealing with nuclear Iran and that conditions are different.
“Europe should come to terms with the prevailing conditions. When we formerly took part in negotiations with them, we did not have full access to the nuclear fuel cycle. However, we have already gained access to uranium enrichment at the laboratory scale,“ he said.
Jalali further said Iran has repeatedly announced that it favors talks and abhors crisis.
“The only solution to the present situation is respecting international rules and regulations,“ he said.
Recently a spate of articles have been printed in the Iranian press on the EU proposals.
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Rift
SEDA-YE EDALAT: Majlis presiding board has recently been subjected to increasing pressures from several lawmakers over its performance. What is important is that criticisms have come from both the minority and majority factions of the parliament. The main criticism is attributed to the composition of the board. Presently, the majority of board members are traditionalist right-wingers. This is while most lawmakers belong to that section of the rightist camp whose views are different from those of the traditionalist right-wingers. Hence, it seems that there exists a rift among the majority of lawmakers and the board members.
Problems
HAYAT-E NOU: Iran’s nuclear dossier is not only a national issue of concern, but it also concerns the public opinion all over the world. The US has been trying to deprive the people of Iran from gaining access to peaceful nuclear technology. The oppositions raised by Russia and China regarding voting against Iran in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have created numerous problems for America. It seems that the US does not have many options at the moment. One option is that the US continues to pursue its anti-Iran diplomacy and increases pressures on Iran through different channels. However, it seems that since such a diplomacy is very costly for the US and most countries are against this diplomacy, the US will be better off to avoid it any way possible.
Interference
JOMHOURI-YE ESLAMI: Reports from inside Iraq hint at the interference of occupying forces in the formation of Iraq’s new cabinet. An Iraqi parliamentarian has emphasized that the main reason for the delay in introducing the cabinet members is the evident interference of foreigners in the configuration of the administration. The recent developments of Iraq suggest that the occupiers prefer a pro-West government take office in that country. Furthermore, the occupying forces do not want to see the people who are against the US policies to hold key posts. Nevertheless, the Iraqi officials should not bow to external pressure and should do their best to prevent foreigners from wielding power in their war-trodden country.
Money
SHARQ: The term ’money’ should be used very carefully in economic texts, because it can cause a lot of problems. Although shortage of money can be harmful, having excessive money can also be problematic. Money cannot be injected into the society in a very simple manner and this process of injection must be first approved by economists. It must be understood that a high volume of liquidity can worsen the national economic conditions. Monetary policies should be adopted in such a way that specific economic objectives are achieved. A monetary policy is not acceptable unless it helps meet the requirements of the country’s long-term macro economic considerations. Furthermore, it is crucial that when monetary policies are adopted, inflation is controlled.
U-Turn
ABRAR: In wake of America’s decision to resume ties with its longtime archenemy, Libya, the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that Libya is a model country that Iran and North Korea should learn from. What Rice noted is quite unacceptable and meaningless for Iran. If Libyan leader, Moammar Qaddafi, has decided to take a U-turn in his diplomatic endeavors, it does not necessarily mean that Iran or North Korea should also do the same. The plain truth is that when the US invaded Iraq in March 2003, Qaddafi decided to relinquish Libya’s efforts aimed at gaining access to nuclear technology and this decision was indeed satisfactory to the US statesmen.
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Strategic Coup
By Rudo de Ruijter
rudoderuijter@wanadoo.nl
US President Bush wants us to believe that Iran has plans for nuclear weapons. Well, we remember that in 2002 he accused Iraq of having weapons of mass destruction. That turned out to be a lie, so let us look more closely at the facts.
Iran is a member-state of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) from the very first moment in 1968. The NPT is a treaty not only to stop proliferation of nuclear arms, but also to help each other to develop civil nuclear energy. In the treaty, the nuclear-weapon states (US, Russia, China, France and England) promised nuclear disarmament. Other members had to sign agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), NPT’s watchdog, for the implementation of controls. IAEA’s agreement with Iran entered into force on May 15, 1974.
With its excessive energy consumption, the US thinks, it is necessary to have pro-US governments in Iraq, Iran and, for the UNOCAL pipeline project, also in Afghanistan. During the Cold War, Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the shah in Iran were useful US allies, but those days are over. Thanks to Bush we now have wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran is located in between. Considering the reputation the US has built up in Iran, a pro-US government is not likely to happen anytime soon.
The second thing that explains more immediately Bush’s aggressive stance against Iran is its part in the weakening dollar. A new Iranian oil bourse, if successful, may even trip up the US hegemony.
This is how it works. World’s oil and gas are traded in US dollars. Since 1971 the US has had the advantage to be the petrodollar supplier of the world. Supplying dollars to foreign countries means the US can print money and purchase goods, services and investments with it. Since the foreigners need these dollars to buy oil, and keep them also in use in the international trade outside the US, the US has never had to deliver anything in return. Merely supplying money means free shopping. And if some day the world gets tired of the abuse and does not want US dollars anymore, their massive offers of dollars on the exchange markets would immediately push the exchange rate down and the dollar would become worth next to nothing.
To take measures against Iran, the US needs allies. Allies are useful for cost sharing of operations and to let them clean up the mess, as in Afghanistan and Iraq. The best way to gain allies is to have your enemies condemned by a UN Security Council resolution. That means the US has to convince the other veto-holding countries which happen to be nuclear weapon states, all disposing of uranium enrichment facilities. So how about a project to reward them with the exclusive rights for uranium enrichment and for the supply of nuclear fuel to the non-nuclear-weapon states?
The idea of limiting enrichment capability to the nations that already have it is not entirely new. The accusations against Iran and the successful misleading of journalists, politicians and diplomats created ideal circumstances to speed up its realization. The idea appeared in a UN brochure in 2004.
The new world order comes in the form of new safeguards within the IAEA control system. Considering the spirit of the Additional Protocol, we should not count on equal rights or fair relations.
Of course, getting a firm grip on all non-nuclear-weapon states as soon as they get addicted to nuclear energy is a major strategic coup. But there are far more advantages for the nuclear fuel suppliers. United under the umbrella of the IAEA, the market will be completely regulated.
With the project for a new world order prepared discretely in the background, we now have an anti-Iranian alliance of the US and EU-3. They smell the opportunity to seize the world’s nuclear fuel market. To succeed, they would just need some legal sauce on the prohibition of uranium enrichment by non-nuclear-weapon states, with Iran as example. And a UN Security Council resolution would be enough, if it legalizes IAEA’s stand that it can forbid countries to enrich uranium.
Of course, they would make it impossible for Iran to stay within the Non-Proliferation Treaty then. To make a successful coup, they will have to take care that Iran does not leave the organization before a resolution is successfully voted. For if so, there would not be any ground for a resolution anymore. Countries outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty like Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea are free to enrich uranium and do what they want.
The question is: will the US and EU-3 succeed in seducing Russia and China?
In the event that such a coup of the nuclear-weapon states succeeds, it would probably put the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the UN under enormous strain. These entities might lose all credibility and see many non-nuclear-weapon states leave. The result may be opposite to what these organizations were designed for.
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