TEHRAN, Oct. 3--Lawmakers on Tuesday approved a single urgency draft that obliges the government to fingerprint every American national upon entering Iran.
As per the bill ratified in an open Majlis session, the government is obliged to equip the country’s entry points with facilities to check and fingerprint Americans entering into Iran.
This measure will be suspended as soon as identical American rules are revoked.
Experts will also be employed to prevent American persona non grata from entering into the country and disrupting national security, IRNA reported.
American security officials take fingerprints from Iranian professors and even officials to humiliate them when they attend specialized and scientific forums or conferences in the United States.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said Americans have passed a law to renew sanctions against Iran, which were also ratified by US President George W. Bush on Sept. 30.
“He [Bush] even issued a statement against Iran,“ he said.
Boroujerdi noted that under the new US law and in contrast to the United Nations Charter and international rules, the Bush administration is entitled to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs while the Algiers Accords (1981), to which it is a signatory, forbids them from meddling in each other’s affairs.

Manouchehr Mottaki

Ahmed Abul Gheit

ALGIERS, Algeria, Oct. 3--Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki late Monday reiterated that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran has the right to access nuclear technology.
He made the remark during a telephone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart, Ahmed Abul Gheit, Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alaa Al-Hadidi said in a statement issued in Cairo, IRNA reported.
The Iranian foreign minister stressed that Iran’s nuclear activities are peaceful, the statement added.
Speaking of other developments, the Egyptian foreign minister said there was an urgent need for resumption of talks between Palestinian and Israeli officials in order to establish a unity government and restore peace to the crisis-stricken region.
Referring to the sensitive Middle East situation, Mottaki stressed the importance of unity and national solidarity for the Palestinian nation, the Egyptian statement said.

TEHRAN, Oct. 3--An agreement was signed by Statistical Center of Iran and Afghan Statistics Bureau, based on which Iran will assist Afghanistan for conducting a population and housing census in 2007.
This was stated by the director general of Public Relations Department of Iran’s Statistical Center, Ali Haj Malek Zanjani, on Tuesday, IRNA reported.
He added that according to the agreement, the center will train Afghan experts and help conduct relevant studies and planning.
Drawing up training programs, forming executive organizations, implementing and controlling census as well as outlining the methods of obtaining and managing data are also among the objectives of the agreement.
Haj Malek Zanjani noted that the agreement also calls for dispatching senior experts from the Statistical Center of Iran to Afghanistan for providing their Afghan counterparts with guidelines and training related to conducting a census.
“Besides, the Statistical Center of Iran will host a high-ranking Afghan delegation in mid-fall to participate in training and executive programs for a census to be conducted in Iran on October 28-November 17, 2006,“ he said.
The official further said that members of the Afghan delegation will benefit from the experience of Iranian statistics experts.
The agreement, aimed at developing the expertise of Afghanistan’s Statistics Bureau, will be funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

AMMAN, Jordan,
Oct. 3--A Jordanian military expert said on Tuesday Arab countries, particularly those in the Persian Gulf, should not be afraid of Iranian nuclear program.
Isa Al-Khatib also told IRNA that Iran’s nuclear program is not aimed at Arab countries and there is no need to be afraid of the country’s activities since it does not pursue an expansionist policy in the region.
The retired army general stipulated that the US wants to depict Iran as a threat to regional countries in order to keep its bases in Arab countries and the Persian Gulf littoral states, and prevent the expansion of ties with Iran.
“US objections to Iran’s nuclear program and threats of sanctions and military strike are all aimed at preserving the Zionist regime’s status as the number one power in the region,“ he said.
Khatib stressed that Iran’s might will foil possible sanctions, because the country is able to cut off oil export and create crisis for the West and the US.
“Tehran can increase oil prices to more than 100 dollars (per barrel), and this will have a negative impact on industrial countries, including the US,“ he said.

TEHRAN, Oct. 3--New managing director of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said on Monday the agency belongs to the Islamic system and people, and not to any political party.
Seyyed Jalal Fayyazi added that IRNA should be the ’model’ agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Referring to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government, Fayyazi said this administration has come to power with people’s votes, but unfortunately certain media circles have been unkind to it, IRNA reported.
Fayyazi also expressed hope that there would be constructive interactions between IRNA and the three branches of the government.
“The news agency belongs to no political party. People trying to infiltrate into it from different factions won’t be successful,“ he said.
He noted that his objectives were in line with the directives of the Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, stressing that while there is a lot of misinformation in the world media, IRNA should confront the West propaganda.
Stressing on the three professional principles of “accuracy, precision and speed“, he said, “I want to keep IRNA’s valuable manpower so that the news agency can thrive.“
“IRNA won’t be successful unless the government, the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, Management and Planning Organization, the Majlis, especially its culture commission, support the media to fulfill its responsibilities,“ he said.
The culture minister, lawmakers as well as managing directors of newspapers and reporters attended the ceremony.

PARIS, Oct. 3--France said on Tuesday that any proposal would be negotiable if Tehran answers positively to the western package of incentives.
Talking to IRNA after Tehran proposed the creation of a consortium to produce enriched uranium in Iran, French Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said the proposal has been put forward by Iran for the first time.
Mattei said Paris had received the proposal through radio Tuesday morning.
“The proposal can be considered within the framework of talks between (Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali) Larijani and (EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier) Solana and we are waiting Iran’s response,“ said the French Foreign Ministry official.
No response in connection with the proposal for dual suspension has, however, been received on Iran’s part, said Mattei, adding that if Tehran gives a positive response to it and suspends uranium enrichment temporarily, one can enter talks on any proposal.
“The priority is now resumption of talks and that depends on Iran’s measures for suspension of enrichment. Concurrently, the UN Security Council should also suspend the issue of sanctions. In that case, Iran would be free to extend any proposal,“ he said.
French radio, `France Info’, earlier Tuesday quoted the deputy director of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Saeedi, as suggesting the French consortium idea for uranium enrichment as a way to break a deadlock over Iran’s nuclear program.
“To be able to reach a solution, we have just had an idea. We propose that France create a consortium for the production in Iran of enriched uranium,“ Saeedi said.
“That way France, through its Eurodif and Areva companies, can monitor our activities in a tangible fashion.“
Tehran’s idea comes on the heels of French President Jacques Chirac’s suggestion for suspension of UN sanctions threat while 5+1 Group’s negotiations continue.

VATICAN CITY, Oct. 3--Former President Mohammad Khatami will meet with Pope Benedict XVI and attend a forum on Islamic-Christian relations during a visit to the Vatican later this month, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The Vatican said it could not immediately provide information about the meeting, and the Iranian Embassy to the Holy See was closed for the day, AP said.
ANSA reported that Khatami is to visit the Vatican on Oct. 26, and attend an academic gathering at Gregoriana
University the next day on the topic “Muslims and Christians confronting the themes of laity, modernity and democracy.“
It said details would be confirmed in the coming days.
The relationship between Muslims and Catholics have been strained after Pope Benedict quoted a Medieval-era Byzantine emperor’s remarks on Islam a speech in Germany, offending Muslims. He has since expressed regret for the remarks, drawing mixed reactions from the Muslim world.
It will be Khatami’s second meeting with a pope. He was received by Pope John Paul II in 1999, two years after taking office.

TEHRAN, Oct. 3--Mohammad Nasser Haqiqat was appointed as acting director general for press and foreign media of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
The appointment was made after the resignation of his long-time predecessor Mohammad Hossein Khoshvaqt, IRNA reported.
According to the ministry’s Public Relations Department, Haqiqat earlier served as Khoshvaqt’s deputy.

TEHRAN, Oct. 3--An MP from Khorramabad in Lorestan province, Qodratollah Eimani, said on Tuesday Majlis is presently working on a draft for impeaching Education Minister Mahmoud Farshidi.
Speaking in an open Majlis session, Eimani told reporters that the draft is ready and will be presented to lawmakers on Wednesday for approval, Mehr News Agency reported.
He termed the reasons for impeachment of Farshidi as mismanagement, incapability, ignoring meritocracy in appointing managers and heavy nepotism.
Eimani also mentioned lack of accountability toward demands of teachers, non-fulfillment of promises made before receiving the vote of confidence and lack of interaction with lawmakers as other reasons for impeaching Farshidi.