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Pour-Mohammadi Attending Iraq Confab
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Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi attends a press conference for interior ministers of
countries neighboring Iraq in Kuwait City, October 23.
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KUWAIT CITY,
Oct. 23--Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi arrived here on Tuesday to attend a meeting of Iraq’s neighboring states.
Pour-Mohammadi was welcomed by Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Jabir Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah in Kuwait City’s airport, IRNA reported.
The fourth meeting of the foreign ministers of Iraq’s neighboring countries is expected to kick off in Kuwait on Tuesday.
Sheikh Jabir, who is also Kuwait’s interior minister, will chair the meeting in which the interior ministers from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and Bahrain, as well as representatives from the UN and the Arab League will also participate.
The meeting is aimed at enhancing security cooperation among Iraq’s neighbors to prevent the negative impacts of insecurity in the country as well as seeking ways to help Iraq restore peace and security.
The participants will discuss measures to prevent the infiltration of terrorists into Iraq.
The first meeting of Iraq’s neighboring countries was held in Tehran in 2004 and the second and third meetings were held in Turkey and Saudi Arabia respectively.
Experts of the countries talked on the agendas of the ministerial meeting during October 20-21 in Kuwait.
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Shiite, Sunni Clerics Convene
By Sadeq Dehqan
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Gholamali Haddad Adel (Photo by Ali Hasanpour)
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TEHRAN, Oct. 23--Parliament Speaker Gholamali Haddad Adel warned on Tuesday against division among Muslims.
Speaking in the opening of the Second International Conference of Shiite and Sunni Clerics and Luminaries, Haddad said discord among Muslims has always exposed the community to great challenges.
More than 100 Shiite and Sunni clerics and luminaries from 25 Muslim states are participating in the two-day conference in Tehran.
“If we look at events in the past century in the Muslim world, we can see many challenges imposed on us,“ he said, reiterating that division among Muslims can entail harsh consequences.
Haddad, however, said Muslims have become vigilant in the 20th century.
“In the 19th century, people were optimistic about the Western culture É However, in the current century, the world of Islam has taken a critical view of the West,“ he said.
The speaker added that Muslims have reached a point where they make decisions for themselves and determine their own political, social and cultural destiny.
Haddad warned enemies against creating discord among Muslims and said the West, particularly the United States, are seeking to plunder the natural resources of Muslim countries in the Middle East.
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Iraq-Imposed War Led
To Chemical Weapons Convention
TEHRAN, Oct. 23--An official said the world is aware of Iraq’s use of chemical weapons against Iranians during the 1980-88 Iraq-imposed war.
Speaking at the International Seminar on the Aftereffects of the Use of Chemical Weapons on Tuesday, Gholamhossein Dehqani, secretary of National Convention on Prohibiting Chemical Weapons, added that the Convention on Prohibiting Chemical Weapons came into force as of 1997, IRNA reported.
“Iran is a major victim of chemical weapons in the world and played a key role in drawing up the convention,“ he said.
The official also said the use of chemical weapons by Saddam Hussein’s regime in the Iran-Iraq war led to the compilation of the convention.
“The convention has a powerful supervisory system and hinders production, proliferation and use of chemical weapons,“ he said.
Dehqani noted that according to Article 105 of the convention, if a country attacks a member of the convention, other member-states should support the member.
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Call for Boosting Sudan Ties
TEHRAN, Oct. 23--Majlis Speaker Gholamali Haddad Adel said Muslims can overcome problems by strengthening their unity.
According to a Majlis Media Department report on Monday, Haddad expressed satisfaction over the presence of the Sudanese parliamentary delegation in Iran and said the continuation of such visits will have a deep impact on consolidating ties between the two countries, IRNA reported.
Head of Foreign Relations Committee of Sudan Parliament Osman Khalid, who is heading the Sudanese parliamentary delegation to Iran, referred to the huge influence of Iran’s Islamic Revolution among world nations, including Sudan, and expressed his country’s interest to deepen friendly ties with Iran.
Referring to the baseless claims and false accusations of the West against independent countries, including Iran and Sudan, Khalid said, “The most important aim of the hegemonic powers is to create obstacles to Muslim countries’ access to advanced technology and scientific achievements.“
Commenting on efforts made by hegemonic powers to create disunity among Muslim nations, the Sudanese parliamentarian stressed the necessity of the Muslim world paying attention to such conspiracies and called for Iran’s more effective role in strengthening solidarity among Muslim countries.
Khalid also extended an invitation from the speaker of Sudan Parliament to his Iranian counterpart to pay an official visit to Sudan.
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Rising Drug Production Worrying
TEHRAN, Oct. 23--Iran is worried about the rise in drug production and its deadly consequences on the world community, an official said on Tuesday.
Addressing the 7th International Conference of Drug Control Liaison Officers in Tehran, Police commander for drug control, Brigadier Hamid Reza Hosseinabadi, said Iran has spent a lot on confronting drug trafficking on its eastern borders, Mehr News Agency reported.
“The increasing drug abuse in recent decades and their destructive impacts on economic, social and even political structures of societies have created problems and abnormalities across the world,“ he said, adding that a considerable part of drugs in West Asia and the whole world comes from Afghanistan.
Afghanistan, Iran’s eastern neighbor, is the world’s largest producer of opium. According to the latest figures, opium production in Afghanistan in 2007 has increased to more than 82,000 tons, indicating a 35-percent rise compared with the year earlier.
“We believe that terrorism and drugs are two parts of the coin. And if we want to eradicate them, we should fight with them simultaneously,“ he said.
Referring to the implications of globalization in the current age, Hossein-Abadi the issue of drug trafficking and abuse is not restricted to one specific state.
Hosseinabadi said boundaries among countries have been removed and “so drug dealing should be considered a regional and international crime“.
Pointing out the consequences of drug trafficking in security and health terms, the official said Iran has been the frontrunner in combating drug dealers in the world.
Iran has had the world’s largest drug seizures, with over 403 tons of drugs confiscated in 2006. Some 15,000 police personnel have been either martyred or wounded in the fight against drug trafficking, which has inflicted major financial losses on the Islamic Republic.
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Rls1 Trillion Allocated for Border Security
TEHRAN, Oct. 23--A senior police official said Majlis has earmarked one trillion rials for maintaining security along Iran’s borders.
Acting police commander, Brigadier General Hossein Zolfaqari, told reporters on Tuesday in the central city of Zanjan that 10 minor border disputes between the border guards of Iran and its neighboring countries were resolved last year, Mehr News Agency reported.
“The main purpose of strengthening the border checkpoints is to fight drug trafficking, goods smuggling and the insurgents,“ he said.
He pointed out that the number of police officers along border areas has increased by 150 percent and the number of radar equipment has also risen by 80 percent.
“A total of 238 tons of narcotics was confiscated by police in the first half of the current Iranian year (started March 21),“ he said.
Zolfaqari pointed out that if the narcotics seized by the Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corps and the Intelligence Ministry were added to the above figure, it will amount to 300 tons.
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Mostafavi as
Presidential Advisor
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Mehdi Mostafavi
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TEHRAN, Oct. 23--Head of Islamic Culture and Relations Organization Mehdi Mostafavi is appointed advisor to the president.
“In addition to your responsibility as the ICRO chief, I appoint you as presidential advisor, in view of your valuable experience and career,“ President Ahmadinejad said in his decree to Mostafavi, IRNA reported.
Mostafavi, a reputable career diplomat, has served as acting foreign minister.
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Protest Over Distorted Azeri Atlas
TEHRAN, Oct. 23--More than 20 lawmakers on Tuesday voiced their indignation over the publication of a distorted atlas in Azerbaijan Republic.
They called on Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to summon the Azeri ambassador to Iran to protest against the map distortion, IRNA reported.
Majlis Speaker Gholamali Haddad Adel read out the statement of lawmakers in the parliament.
The statement was signed by 21 MPs protesting against showing Iran as part of the Azerbaijan Republic in a map.
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Wargame to
Test Iranian Armament
TEHRAN, Oct. 23--The wargame codenamed “Mighty Iran“ is being held to boost the readiness of military forces, said the defense minister on Tuesday.
Talking to ISNA’s reporter, Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad Najjar added that advanced Iranian weapons and missile defense technology will also be tested in the wargame.
His comment followed the launch of the wargame by Basijis (volunteer forces) of executive organizations on Tuesday in the holy city of Qom in central Iran.
Some 10,000 government employees, who are also members of Basij, took part in the wargame codenamed “Mighty Iran“.
Najjar said the wargame aims to reinforce the defensive resilience and preparedness of military forces in a probable confrontation with the enemy.
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Major Development
QODS: The policy guidelines concerning Article 44 of the Iranian Constitution on privatization issued by the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the ratification of the related bill by Majlis are important developments. Almost all executive organizations affiliated to the government are awaiting the final ratification of the bill by the Guardians Council. If ratified, the bill will mark a major development in the country’s key economic sectors. The private and cooperative sectors will improve; economic infrastructure will expand in less developed areas; economic monopolization will diminish and many other positive economic developments will occur. The only concern about the policies of Article 44 is the way it will be executed. If implemented in an inappropriate manner, the country’s economic security and national assets will be jeopardized and many similar problems would become inevitable.
Differences
DONYA-YE EQTESAD: According to a recent report published by the Central Bank of Iran, the inflation rate has witnessed a declining trend in the past two years since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took office in September 2005. In its comprehensive report published last year on the trend of inflation rate in the past 70 years, the CBI put the inflation rate at 12.1 percent in the year to March 2006 and 13.6 percent in the year to March 2007. However, in this report, the inflation rates in the two years are said to be 10.4 percent and 11.9 percent respectively. Evidently, the two reports are contradictory. Some say this difference is due to differences of opinion with regard to determining the base year for calculations. They say last year’s comprehensive report had been based on the base year of 1997 while the recent report was based on 2004. And that’s what gave rise to these differences.
Obstructionism
ETTELAAT: Social and political tensions have increased since the Justice and Development Party took over Turkey’s bastions of power, including the parliament, presidency and prime ministership, through elections. The recent referendum on how to elect the president is also another victory for this party. Many analysts predict the issue of the Islamic dress code or hijab to be the next test for the government. In addition to pressures from domestic opposition groups, some other states are also putting pressure on the ruling party. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party recently ambushed Turkish soldiers. Many say the terrorist group is being bankrolled by the United States and the Zionist Israeli regime. It seem that warmongers in the White House, who previously called Turkey their strategic ally in the Middle East, are creating problems and many challenges on the way of “their ally“. Some political pundits are of the opinion that the United States seeks to establish a new version of an Islamic government in Turkey and the whole region. For Turkey, this means: obstructionism. In fact, the United States is creating obstacles to Islamists in the Justice and Development Party.
Wise Decision
KHORASAN: Domestic events and international developments concerning Iran in the past seven months indicate that the leader’s decision to name the current Iranian year as the year of national unity and Islamic solidarity was wise. Therefore, all political parties and activists are expected to drop their differences and stand united against foreign threats. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently said his government and the parliament are committed to seeking fundamental reforms and national development. All political parties, therefore, should contribute to such efforts for the sake of national progress.
Elections
AFTAB-E YAZD: While the upcoming parliamentary elections are slated for March 14, political activists have already begun canvassing for their candidates and organizing their electoral strategies and forces. Although some argue that it is too early to discuss issues related to the upcoming elections, past experiences indicate that three months might not be sufficient for dealing with all aspects of this election. What the hopefuls are thinking about is the prospect of defeating their rivals. The most important strategy for having an efficient Majlis is to form new political coalitions for taking part in the upcoming elections.
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