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Palestinian Crisis Discussed With Arab League
TEHRAN, June 29--Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa discussed the latest regional developments, particularly the issue of Palestine, in a telephone conversation on Thursday.
During the telephone call, Mottaki stressed the need for finding a peaceful solution to the ongoing tension in the occupied Palestinian territories, IRNA reported.
Condemning the continuing struggle among supporters of Hamas and Fatah, Mottaki called on all Palestinian groups to preserve their national unity and solidarity.
Conflicts between supporters of Hamas and Fatah have led to the takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas forces 12 days ago.
“The tensions would only benefit the common enemy of all Palestinians, that is Israel,“ said the minister who urged Arab League to take measures to settle the current unrest in the occupied territories.
Mottaki further stressed that the continued siege of the Palestinian nation cannot be acceptable to Muslim nations any longer.
Moussa appreciated the importance attached by Tehran to the issue of Palestine.
Stressing that he was in contact with both the Palestinian groups, Moussa said the Arab League was trying to encourage them to resolve their problems through negotiations.
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No Guarantee
Of West’s Nuclear Fuel Supply
TEHRAN, June 29--There is no guarantee Western countries would supply nuclear fuel to power plants, a senior official said on Thursday.
In a meeting with Jurgen Trittin, deputy head of Germany’s Green Party, on Wednesday, Saeed Jalili, deputy foreign minister for European and America Affairs, added that Iran needs uranium enrichment to provide nuclear fuel to its power plants, because the West has shown hat it does not abide by its undertakings, IRNA reported.
He emphasized the need to find an appropriate way to settle the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.
He reiterated Iran’s full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and respect for Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Jalili said Iran considers nuclear energy for being cost-effective and not for security reasons.
“Tehran calls for destruction of all nuclear weapons in the world through international cooperation, including with Germany,“ he said.
The Iranian diplomat also welcomed the meetings of Iranian and German officials and underlined the positive role of such meetings in promoting mutual understanding.
Trittin, who is visiting Iran, said his trip to Iran is aimed at consulting Iranian officials concerning regional issues.
“Both Iran and Germany have similar views over international issues and Germany recognizes Iran’s right to use peaceful nuclear technology,“ he said.
He also called for the elimination of all nuclear weapons and asked countries possessing nuclear weapons to respect NPT.
Trittin said Iran has a fundamental role in strengthening stability in Iraq and added that the only solution for Iraq’s crisis is cooperation with Iran.
The German official also denounced the kidnapping of Iranian diplomats by the US forces in Irbil, Iraq, calling it “contradictory to international norms“.
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EU Terror List Retains MKO
BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 29--European Union governments decided on Thursday to keep Mujahideen Khalq Organization on its terror blacklist, European diplomats said.
The 27-nation bloc was asked to review whether the Paris-based terrorist group should be taken off the list after an EU court ruling, AP reported.
The diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been formally announced, said EU governments rejected the group’s arguments that it should be removed from the list.
The group is also on the US State Department’s list of terrorist organizations. Executed Iraqi Dictator Saddam Hussein allowed the group to operate camps in Iraq from which it launched attacks inside Iran, although the group now says it has renounced military action and its militants in Iraq have handed weapons over to US-led forces there.
The group claims Brussels and Washington are keeping it on their terror lists to avoid further harming relations with Tehran.
MKO has been on the US State Department’s list of terrorist organizations since 1997, which bars anyone in the United States from providing material support.
The State Department says the group was funded by Saddam Hussein, supported the seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and is responsible for the deaths of Americans in the 1970s.
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India, Pakistan Agree
Over Gas Pipeline Tariffs
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The pipeline would run 2,600 kilometers (1,625 miles) and carry 150 million cubic meters (5.2 billion cubic feet) of gas a day.
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NEW DELHI, India, June 29--India and Pakistan have agreed on principles for calculating the transport tariffs for natural gas to be supplied through a proposed pipeline from Iran, a Pakistani official said Thursday.
“We haven’t agreed upon a formula but we have agreed on the principles under which the transportation tariff will be computed,“ Mukhtar Ahmed, energy adviser to the prime minister of Pakistan, told reporters, AP said.
Officials from India, Iran and Pakistan are meeting in New Delhi to discuss the proposed US$7 billion (-5.2 billion) gas pipeline project.
Washington opposes the project because it fears it would weaken efforts to isolate Iran over nuclear disputes.
The pipeline would run 2,600 kilometers (1,625 miles) and carry 150 million cubic meters (5.2 billion cubic feet) of gas a day.
“We have made a proposal to India (on transit fees). India has submitted another proposal. We haven’t yet reached an agreement, but we don’t expect this will be a roadblock,“ he said.
Ahmed said the three countries were weeks away from concluding a final agreement.
The proposed project has taken considerable time to get off the ground, mainly because of Indian concerns for the safety of portions of the pipeline that will run through Pakistan--India’s rival for more than half a century.
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Talabani’s Visit
IRAN: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, during his recent visit to Tehran, discussed issues of mutual interest, particularly recent Iraqi developments, with Iranian officials. Talabani’s Spokesman Kamran Qarahdaghi said the reason behind Talabani’s visit was to pay a visit to the ailing head of Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq, Seyyed Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim, who is undergoing treatment in Tehran. However, Iraq’s Ambassador in Tehran Mohammad Majid Al-Sheikh, said Talabani has come to Iran to talk about setting up a joint security committee comprising Iran, Iraq and the US. The exchange of visits by politicians shows the level of diplomatic ties between two countries. And the numerous visits of Iraqi diplomats to Iran four years after the US invasion of Iraq show that both Iraqis and Iranians are willing to reach understanding on security issues. Talabani is popular in Iraq and very few politicians complain about him. Hence, Talabani can mediate to forge understanding among Iraqi groups and other important players.
Services
DONYA-YE EQTESAD: The London-based ’Independent’ on its front page enumerated the services rendered by Britain’s ex-premier, Tony Blair, to US President George W. Bush. These services include supporting Bush in his search for weapons of mass destruction inside Iraq that resulted in the death of more than 150 British soldiers, surrender of several Britons to the US without a trial and allowing US airplanes carrying prisoners to stop over in British airports for fuel supply. But Blair’s unequivocal support for Bush has made him unpopular both inside and outside Britain. And the only thing Bush did for Blair was to give him a medal of the US Congress for his relentless efforts in helping the neocon government. Treasury Secretary Gordon Brown has now replaced Blair and will hopefully not act like the US poodle.
Preference
KAYHAN: The current government rarely speaks in defense of its performance. Many things have been said for and against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s performance in the past two years. But the government prefers to focus on its work and avoid speaking about its economic performance, despite numerous criticisms by different groups. In other words, the government prefers to avoid discussing its economic achievements with the print media because it considers such an approach to be futile. This attitude has made some people think that the government does not have friendly ties with the print media. Although some people like to pretend that differences between the government and media are unbridgeable, the reality is that previous governments have not been as active as the current government.
Provincial Visits
RESALAT: The current government completed the first round of its provincial visits exactly in the middle of its tenure. The provincial visits serve as a means to help the government achieve its justice-oriented policies. However, certain points should be noted about these visits. Firstly, in the second round of presidential tours to Iran’s remote areas, the government should return with a full hand. Secondly, lawmakers should seriously follow up the governmental approvals. Thirdly, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is known for his pragmatism, should not allow the achievements of his provincial visits to be wasted. Unfortunately, some officials are ignoring their responsibilities for implementing the government’s approvals adopted during the provincial visits.
Bank Rates
HAMBASTEGI: Critics of the government do not have access to the Friday prayers’ podiums to directly speak to the people about their economic goals and policies. That’s why they should stick to facts while criticizing the government’s economic performance. For instance, when the population of employees is twice that of Iran’s, banks play an important role in their economies. And in most countries, the ratio of employed people and economic activists to the total population is 50 percent. This is while the ratio is 25 percent in Iran, which is half the international standards. But what can be done when the ruling administration is trying to reduce the bank lending rate? The only solace is that the banking system faced a similar situation after the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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