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ICRC Meets Families
Of Kidnapped Diplomats
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Representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Andreas Schweitzer, talks with
families of five Iranian diplomats kidnapped on January 11 by Americans in Iraq, in Tehran on Sunday.
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TEHRAN, April 8--Families of five Iranian diplomats kidnapped on January 11 by Americans in Iraq met with a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Andreas Schweitzer, on Sunday to seek news regarding.
The meeting came after Jalal Sharafi, an Iranian diplomat kidnapped in Baghdad by American forces in February, said after his release last week that he had been tortured and interrogated by CIA officials, IRIB reported.
“The families of the five kidnapped diplomats asked the ICRC to play a more active role in alleviating their concerns. They also asked for video footage of the detained diplomats to reduce their concerns,“ Iran’s state radio said.
The ICRC’s representative reassured them over the detainees’ physical condition and expressed willingness to transfer their families’ letters to them.
Earlier, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said no Iranian official has so far visited the men, who were arrested in northern Iraq in January on accusations of seeking to stir the insurgency.
ICRC representatives have met with the detainees twice, and the US confirmed there were no Iranians among the visiting team.
On January 11, US troops seized the five Iranians from the northern Iraqi city of Arbil, accusing them of being members of Iranian intelligence. Tehran says the men are diplomats who were working for a consulate.
The United States has rejected any notion that Tehran’s surprise release of the 15 British sailors it held for almost two weeks could help win the release of the five detained Iranians.
However, just days before the release of the British sailors, Jalal Sharafi, second secretary at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, was freed by his unidentified captors.
Iran accused the United States and elements linked to the Iraqi Defense Ministry of being behind his abduction.
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MPs Notify
Ahmadinejad, Ministers
TEHRAN, April 8--Several members of parliament in their first formal session in the new Iranian year (started March 21) notified President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and some of his cabinet ministers about major issues.
Seyyed Jalal Yahyazadeh, MP from Taft and Meybod, called on Ahmadinejad to follow up the case of the auction of 18 historical artifacts belonging to Jiroft in Britain.
According to Mehr News Agency, the MP also called on Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to adopt a decisive stance against states that have allowed the screening of the anti-Iran ’300’.
Yahyazadeh wanted Mottaki to seriously warn Turkey about the missing former deputy to the defense minister, Ali Reza Asgari.
Seyyed Mohammad Reza Mir-Tajeddini from Tabriz notified Housing Minister Mohammad Saeedi-Kia about the necessity of removing the problems of rural dwellers in getting cement.
He also questioned ministers of foreign affairs, commerce and economy about the absence of Iran in a trilateral road construction agreement among western and northwestern neighbors.
Mir-Tajeddini also called on Agricultural Jihad Mohammad Reza Eskandari to deal with the performance of Natural Resources Organization concerning the lands of farmers and their dissatisfaction.
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Councilors Discuss Tehran Mayoral Election
TEHRAN, April 8--New members of Tehran City Council have already begun consultations for electing the new Tehran mayor, 22 days before they resume office.
The second Tehran City Council is in its final days. Since the first mayor elected by the city council is presently the country’s president, the position of mayor has become more prestigious, Fars News Agency reported.
As the upcoming council comprises both leftwing and rightwing councilors, it has made decision-making about the next mayor more difficult.
The new council will have to ensure that the urban development projects of Tehran do not come to a halt.
Councilors in office have also held sessions to discuss issues related to the future Tehran mayor’s election.
Since new names for the future mayor have been announced by Tehran’s councilors, the mayoral election has become a heated issue.
Some councilors have threatened to resign if the incumbent mayor, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, is reinstated.
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Larijani in Doha
TEHRAN, April 8--A prominent judiciary official arrived in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday to attend the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council confab.
Mohammad Javad Ardeshir-Larijani, who is secretary of the judiciary’s Human Rights Office, will attend the three-day confab and is expected to discuss Iran’s interactions with PGCC members, IRNA reported.
The confab will also discuss issues related to regional development models and cooperation among members.
The PGCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
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Mine Blast Claims 5 Victims
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More than 2,000 people have been either maimed or killed by mine explosions in Ilam in recent years.
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SARDASHT, West Azarbaijan, April 8--One person was killed and four others injured in a mine explosion in this western city on Sunday.
The explosion occurred when they were passing through a side-street near Boukan border checkpoint, IRNA reported.
The mine remains from the Iraq-imposed war (1980-88).
The victims were transferred to the hospital, but unfortunately one of them (Rahman Pirani, 22) was killed.
Hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured by such objects in the war-zone.
Earlier, an official said 78 percent of mine injuries lead to death or loss of limb. Speaking on the sidelines of the international congress on “injuries and damage caused by mine blasts“, congress secretary, Shahriar Khateri, added that the western province of Kermanshah has reported the most mine accidents in the country with 34.4 percent of mine victims.
Meanwhile, Ilam Governor General’s Office for political and law enforcement affairs, Jafar Kheital, also told IRNA that operations for demining 400,000 hectares of territories infested with mines and unexploded ordnance got underway in the western border province of Ilam.
“The mine clearance operations had been delegated to state-run and private sectors under 10 contracts,“ he said.
Kheital estimated that the total infested area in Ilam is 1.7 million hectares.
As per official statistics, more than 2,000 people have been either maimed or killed by mine explosions in Ilam in recent years.
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Warning Against
New Hegemonies
By Sadeq Dehqan
TEHRAN, April 8--An official said on Sunday a Christian-Zionist current has been created in the world to impose its hegemony in a violent manner.
Addressing the 20th International Conference of Islamic Unity, Sabah Zanganeh, advisor to the judiciary chief for international affairs, added that Muslim nations should stand unified against such hegemonies by relying on international laws and preventing the desecration of Islam’s sacred values.
“Islamic religious leaders play a pivotal role in this regard,“ he said, referring to the important role of Muslim religious scholars in condemning Western disrespect shown to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Also delivering a speech in the conference, Mohammad Mansour-Nejad, director of the National Studies Institute’s Department of Religions, said Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had constructive interactions with the people of his time.
“Many elites and rulers turned indirectly to Islam simply because of the letters and envoys of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH),“ he said.
The three-day 20th International Conference of Islamic Unity, in which scholars from 46 states participated, ended on Sunday in Tehran.
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Smart Passports Coming
TEHRAN, April 8--A police official said on Sunday the International Civil Aviation Organization has proposed the country issue smart passports.
Mehdi Mohammadifar, deputy police chief for legal and parliamentary affairs, told reporters on the sidelines of an open Majlis session that current passports should be replaced with smart passports, Fars News Agency reported.
“This plan will cost us 150 billion rials, 40.5 billion rials of which have been ratified by the parliament,“ he said.
The police official also said that 10 percent of insurance payments (an equivalent of 1,000 billion rials) will be set aside for Traffic Police to help reduce road fatalities and equip police forces with technical devices.
He noted that a part of the police’s financial requirements was met with the support of Majlis.
Mohammadifar noted that road fatalities and accidents decreased by 20 and 10 percent respectively during Norouz holidays (March 21-April 2), while other traffic violations had a 3-percent decline.
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British Row
KAYHAN: Sections of the foreign media have tried to convey that Iran released the 15 British sailors and marines under pressure from western regimes. What is stranger is that even some Iranians say the Brits were freed due to foreign diplomatic pressure. Those who really think the 14 men and one woman were let go under foreign pressure should know that the tone of British prime minister, Tony Blair, before the intruding team was released, had become softer by sending a letter to our Foreign Ministry saying British troops will never again violate Iran’s territorial waters. Illegal entry of the Brits was at a time when the US was pressuring Iran over its peaceful nuclear activities. American and British officials began their threats against Iran by issuing harsh statements and calling for the early release of the detainees. Even the United Nations Security Council issued a statement calling for unconditional release of the captured military personnel. Although the arrest of the British servicemen was sufficient to humiliate the UK and the US and demonstrated that they are not in full control of the Persian Gulf region, Iran simply saw no need to keep the sailors any longer than it did because it could prevent Tehran from focusing on other regional issues including Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq.
Drawn Out
AYANDEH-E NOU: The hard currency reserve account better known as the Oil Stabilization Fund (OSF) and the manner in which it should be used has always been a subject of intense debate both in the domestic and foreign media. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said recently that the latest reports on status of the OSF shows that a total of $50 billion of surplus oil revenues were deposited in the account over the past five years. This is while today the fund hardly has $10 billion. Despite the fact that oil revenues have considerably increased over last year, nothing substantial has gone into the OSF. Statistics show that the government alone has withdrawn more than $31 billion from the special fund whereas according to law is not entitled to draw such large amounts.
Forging Unity
RESALAT: The crucial need of the Muslim Ummah and the remedy to all our problems is unity and solidarity. Recent statements by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on the occasion of the auspicious birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is of paramount importance due to the present state of affairs of the Muslim World. Ayatollah Khamenei maintains that writing a charter for promoting unity by the religious authorities, intellectuals, scholars, Ullema and preachers should be given top priority
to address the urgent needs of all Muslims. The leader also spoke about the practical ways and means to prepare the charter. It is not very difficult to understand that it is indeed in the absence of real unity and collaboration among the Ummah that the crises in Iraq is spreading while Arab regimes talk about forging some sort of peace deal with Israel. The leader has taken a positive step forward in promoting Muslim harmony and unity by proposing the
charter.
Mideast Reality
HAMSHAHRI: Americans are presently concerned about their lack of strategy in the strategic Middle East. The concern and uncertainty is compounded by the fact that they also lack a specific framework for holding direct talks with Iran. The Americans have eventually come to realize that whatever they have done in this part of the world, Afghanistan and Iraq in particular, has turned into Iran’s favor. They are also aware that if they get out of Iraq, the only foreign force present in the Arab country will be Iran. If and when they leave, one of their regional allies would have to keep an eye on the war-torn country to protect US interests there. For all practical purpose, this ally cannot be Egypt because of distance. The only country that would fit the prescription is Saudi Arabia -- a close neighbor.
Unreported
AFARINESH: The Iraq-imposed war that ended 19 years ago is still taking its toll. Although there are no precise facts and figures about the fatalities caused by mines left behind from the deadly war, official figures indicate that on average an Iranian is killed everyday. Although military experts are handling the demining operations, the passage of time and natural phenomena such as rain and flooding move the mines and make the map of mines ineffective. The irregular planting of mines by the army of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam has also added to the problem. Since the people killed in mine explosions are villagers of remote areas, mine fatalities are not adequately reported by the national media outlets.
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