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No Withholding Of Iraq Support
Iran said on Saturday it will not spare support for the government of Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki despite the Thursday’s terror attack on Iranian diplomats in Baghdad.
“Tehran will continue to support the Iraqi government and will spare no efforts to strengthen bilateral ties,“ the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad said in a statement released on Saturday, IRNA reported.
Three Iranian diplomats and one local staffer of Embassy in Baghdad were wounded in an assassination bid on May 15.
Unknown terrorists opened fire at their motorcade at the diplomatic compound in the northern neighborhood of Baghdad.
The embassy statement said the diplomats are undergoing treatment at a hospital and their health condition is “stable and progressing“.
It added that Iraqi security officials have promised to arrest those involved in the terrorist operation and hand them over to the Iraqi judiciary officials.
“Such cowardly terrorist attacks cannot stop Iranian diplomats from carrying out their duties, as this is not the first time that diplomats and staff of Iran’s Embassy in Baghdad were subject to such terrorist acts,“ the statement said.
It noted that perpetrators of such terrorist attacks “are enemies of the two neighboring countries“.
“Similar terrorist acts could damage Iraqi security and stability,“ he said.
Iran held the US responsible for violating diplomatic immunity in Iraq.
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Gov’t Welcomes Free Flow of Information
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government welcomes the free flow of information as it has become a public demand, Government Spokesman Gholamhossein Elham said on Saturday.
He made the remark in an address to the inaugural ceremony of the meeting of public relations’ directors, IRNA reported.
The spokesman said the support for the free flow of information was also stressed by the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
As the main characteristics of Ahmadinejad’s administration, Elham referred to its strong opposition to censorship, respect for the principle of freedom of media, avoiding the government’s monopoly on the domestic media and serious support for criticism of government’s performance.
The spokesman added that the government gave top priority to direct contacts with the people and provide them with information.
The daylong meeting of public relations offices would end later in the day with a speech by President Ahmadinejad.
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War With Iran Will Doom Israel
Iran will defeat the Israeli regime if it were to wage a war against the Islamic Republic, a spokesperson for the Israeli government warns.
Iran will rout Israel if Tel Aviv gets involved in an open conflict with Tehran, said Colonel Miri Eisen, a special Israeli government spokesperson, in Dublin.
Israel’s coffers would be drained in case of a war with Iran, Eisen added at a seminar in Dublin’s Trinity College, the Jewish Telegraph Agency reported.
Eisen said the regime should welcome a diplomatic solution with Tehran.
“There is no other way--because if it becomes Israel versus Iran, Israel has already lost,“ he said.
On Thursday, Iran’s Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said Israel is in no position to launch an attack on the Islamic Republic.
“Israel is too weak and vulnerable to wage war against Iran and claims by the regime that it might attack the country are only aimed at covering up its failures and domestic problems,“ the Iranian minister stressed.
An Israeli air force base commander, Col. Ziv Levy, cautioned in April that Israel will “cease to exist“ if it lost such a war.
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5+1 Refreshed Offer Ready
Six world powers have completed the details of a ’refreshed’ offer they will present to Iran in an effort to persuade it to halt its nuclear activities, a US official said on Friday.
The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China agreed earlier this month to make a new offer to Iran, but a date has yet to be set for it to be delivered to the Islamic Republic, Alalam reported.
“We have completed work on the details of the package and the accompanying letter,“ US State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, will contact the Iranian government to “work on a date and venue for a meeting where representatives of the (six nations) can hand over and discuss this refreshed package,“ he said.
McCormack reiterated, however, that the United States would not be sending a representative.
“We are not going to have a physical presence here,“ he said.
According to diplomatic sources, negotiations are underway with Iranian officials to send to Tehran a delegation of political directors from their foreign ministries.
Meanwhile, a Russian Foreign Ministry official said on Friday that his country is reviewing the package of proposals presented by Iran.
Talking to RIA-Novosti on condition of anonymity, the Russian official said the results of the inspection will be declared to Iran.
Iran’s package of proposals, including international issues, Non-Proliferation Treaty in particular, was presented to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov by Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Gholamreza Ansari on Friday.
Iran’s package of proposals, which pertains to world issues, has been also presented to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, European Union Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana and the member-states of Group 5+1.
Iran has defied three rafts of UN Security Council sanctions over its refusal to abandon uranium enrichment, saying it is entitled to the nuclear work as stipulated in the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
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US Responsible
For Iraq Terror Attack
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Manouchehr Mottaki
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Iran has denounced terror attacks on its diplomats at the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad and held the US responsible for violating diplomatic immunity in Iraq.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki strongly condemned the terror attacks, IRNA reported.
On Thursday, unknown terrorists opened fire at a motorcade of Iranian diplomats, wounding three diplomats and one Iraqi staffer of the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad.
Mottaki commissioned Iran’s Ambassador in Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi to work with Iraqi officials to transfer the diplomats to Iran for medical treatment.
Package
Mottaki made the remark on the sidelines of the Second National Seminar on Public Relations Departments of Executive Bodies, adding that Iran’s package of proposals prepares the ground for expansion of multilateral cooperation in different arenas.
“If the other sides carefully review the package of proposals, many issues and problems can be solved,“ he said.
Referring to the fact that Iran will send the package of proposals to a number of countries, he said the package will be submitted to member-states of Non-Aligned Movement as well as the Organization of Islamic Conference.
The minister noted that the Iranian package includes surveys on important issues and Tehran has prepared it to address the root-causes of regional crises.
The Iranian government has presented the package to the UN secretary-general, the head of UN Security Council, foreign ministers of China and Russia, and through Javiar Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, to the Group 5+1, and Switzerland.
Pointing to the fact that the Islamic Republic has not yet received any package from the other side, Mottaki said that during a meeting between Iran’s ambassador and the Group 5+1 in Belgium, the representatives of the group announced that they would provide Tehran with a new package.
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Majlis to Impeach Commerce Minister
Commerce Minister Masoud Mir-Kazemi will be impeached on May 21.
A member of Majlis Presiding Board said on Saturday the impeachment of Mir-Kazemi was removed from the Majlis agenda on May 14, IRNA reported.
Mousa Qorbani stated that the impeachment was postponed due to the withdrawal of six MPs, but the second motion to impeach the minister was submitted to the Majlis in response to the demand of other MPs.
As per the Majlis bylaw, if the number of MPs calling for impeachment of a minister does not reach the quorum, the case will be removed from the Majlis agenda.
Mir-Kazemi is due to attend the Majlis session to answer questions raised by deputies on the performance of his ministry.
The motion to impeach Mir-Kazemi was launched on May 6.
Criticism mounted about the Commerce Ministry’s performance over the dramatic rise in prices of rice and other consumer goods.
Mir-Kazemi said he has made plans to deal with rice shortage and the Commerce Ministry will distribute large amounts of rice and other commodities to bring down the prices in a matter of weeks.
“The rice crisis is the outcome of limits imposed by producing countries on the export of this commodity,“ he said.
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McCain Urged To Change Approach
Senior McCain’s advisers have urged the Republican candidate to reconsider his ’unsustainable’ approach toward the Islamic Republic.
In a recent interview with PBS, ultraconservative Robert Kagan took a sharp jab at Senator John McCain for perpetuating the Bush administration’s refusal to engage Tehran diplomatically, Presstv reported.
“You know, I think, and this is where John McCain may not--doesn’t agree necessarily. I think at some point we may find ourselves in a position when you might want to do that (talk to the Iranian government),“ Kagan said.
He suggested that the Bush administration should abandon its increasingly combative stance toward Iran, as it has yielded no results.
The 71-year-old McCain has vocally advocated a joint US-Israel preemptive military strike against the Islamic Republic, claiming that it would “fulfill God’s plan forÉa biblically prophesied end-time confrontation“.
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Economy Grew by 6.7%
Deputy Governor of the Central Bank says Iran’s economic growth rate in the last Iranian year was 6.7%.
Ramin Pashaei-Fam also told a gathering of CBI census-takers on Saturday that the growth rate was 0.5 percent higher than the previous year’s growth rate, Presstv reported.
“Census-takers should pay special attention to unemployment, inflation and growth rates to help the country’s policymakers make their decision,“ he said.
He added that correct and precise data made available at reasonable speed can help decision-makers and guide them in their efforts to achieve the country’s economic goals.
Pashaei-Fam said the main issue is how to put the resources available to the country to the best possible use.
“There is no liquidity problem in the economy, but liquidity needs to be controlled to avoid using it in nonproductive activities,“ he said in another part of his speech.
Pashaei-Fam noted that channeling liquidity in the right direction and exercising proper control over it can help curb inflation.
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Iran 3rd in Vaccination Coverage
Health Minister said the country ranks third in the world in hepatitis B vaccination coverage.
Kamran Bagheri Lankarani said Iran has an acceptable coverage of vaccination and primary healthcare, the most important indexes for evaluating the health status of a country, Presstv reported.
He added that in view of Iran’s over 95 percent vaccination coverage, the country now has a praiseworthy place in the world.
According to Lankarani, Iranians are also cooperating in the vaccination drive of some neighboring countries.
Lankarani designated health, economy and insurance coverage as Iran’s main issues of concern and added that there has been a significant increase in insurance coverage, especially in rural areas.
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Jannati Addresses Pak Dignitaries
Secretary of Guardians Council met with Pakistani religious dignitaries at the Iranian Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday.
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati addressed the meeting attended by Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Mashallah Shakeri, the leader of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) Fazl-ur-Rehman, Secretary-General of Pakistan’s Muslim League (PML) Mushahid Hussein and a number of Pakistani religious and political dignitaries and officials, IRNA reported.
Ayatollah Jannati said Iran and Pakistan, as two Muslim and brotherly nations, can play an effective role in the campaign against hegemony.
Pointing to the Islamic Revolution’s impact on the Muslim world, the senior Iranian cleric added that the Islamic Revolution became victorious in 1979 while the country was surrounded by arrogant world powers and colonialists.
“The victory aroused the hope of the oppressed people for Islam’s bright future,“ he said.
Stressing the key role played by the late Imam Khomeini in the Islamic Revolution’s victory, Jannati said the modern thoughts of Imam Khomeini won dramatic support in the Muslim world.
“By hatching satanic conspiracies in occupied Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan, the hegemonic powers are trying to shatter the Muslims’ unity, all of which are being foiled,“ he said.
Jannati concluded that obstacles to the Muslim world can be removed through the Muslim nations’ solidarity and unity.
The secretary of Guardians Council arrived in Islamabad on Friday at the head of an Iranian delegation.
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Iraqi President Rejects Anti-Iran Claims
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani rejected the US claims about Iran’s involvement in sending weapons to Iraq.
Speaking in a televised interview with the Al-Arabiya TV of Iraq on Friday, Talabani said as the president of Iraq, he did not agree with the claims made by US military officers in this regard.
President Talabani said statements made by certain persons were their personal opinions and not the official position of the Iraqi government.
Commenting on the presence of Iran-made weapons in Iraq, President Talabani said these weapons were sent to Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, as Iran had provided Iraqi opposition, including the Patriotic Union for Kurdistan of Iraq, with weapons.
As for Tehran’s alleged interference in Iraq’s internal affairs by negotiating with Iraqi religious leader Muqtada Al-Sadr, the Iraqi president said helping Iraq resolve its domestic problems does not constitute interference in the country’s internal affairs.
“Iran has so far brokered a ceasefire between the Iraqi government and Al-Mahdi Army,“ he said.
Talabani also said Iraqi officials have accepted the principle to form a tripartite committee with Iran and US officials on Iraq security.
“That is not called interference, that’s help for Iraq to resolve its problems,“ he said.
Commenting on the Algeria Accord signed between Iranian and Iraqi officials in 1975, the Iraqi president said the accord was registered with the United Nations as an international document and cannot be canceled unilaterally.
He added that the two sides need to reach an understanding on the issue through bilateral talks.
President Talabani looked forward to strengthening Tehran-Baghdad relations as well as cooperation in economic, political and security fields.
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Interior Ministry Caretaker
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has appointed Mehdi Hashemi as caretaker for the Interior Ministry after the exit of Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi.
Ban Israeli Goods
Iran’s Prosecutor General Qorbanali Dorri Najafabadi on Sunday called on Muslim states to boycott Israeli commodities and services.
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Duty-Bound
HAMSHAHRI: The outgoing lawmakers, in their last remaining days in Majlis, are stepping up efforts to ratify bills and new laws. They have so far impeached three Cabinet ministers of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government, asked ministers close to 2,000 questions and raised about 62,000 written notifications for the Ahmadinejad administration. Some lawmakers have been accused of politicizing issues and acting as government critics. Although the government has taken some positive moves, there have also been shortcomings. Apart from overseeing the government’s performance, the Majlis representatives are duty-bound to help the government find solutions and remove problems.
Israeli Crises
IRAN: The Israeli regime has faced several crises since 1948. After it expelled the Palestinians, the illegally-founded regime was gripped with the crisis of legitimacy. Despite cultural and linguistic diversities, the Zionist regime managed to lure Jews from different parts of the world to the occupied Palestinian lands by using different tactics. However, this has neither solved the identity crisis of Israelis, nor given the Zionist regime any legitimacy. Six decades on, the Israeli regime has also failed to eliminate the resistance of the Palestinian people, as it refuses to meet their minimum demands and respect their rights.
Chinese Power
RESALAT: The Chinese people believe they can stand up to US attempts to dominate the world by fostering unity and harmony among themselves. They are also aware that their booming economy and industrial activities in the past two decades have turned China into an economic powerhouse and a political superpower that can compete with the United States. However, Chinese officials know that any confrontation will give rise to international tensions and foreign pressures, which can scuttle their development drive and jeopardize their stability.
Against Globalization
DONYA-YE EQTESAD: World mass media always cover violent scenes that accompany the meetings of World Trade Organization (WTO). The question that arises is: Who are these protestors and why do they oppose globalization? These people fall within the following categories: First, leftist groups comprising communists, socialists and Marxists who cannot tolerate a world based on capitalism. Second, those opposed to the global financial and monetary institutions. Third, opponents of free trade. Fourth, antiwar groups. And fifth, people suffering from discriminatory decisions adopted by the WTO. In the meantime, developing countries have been pressing for greater access to agricultural markets while developed states are seeking a better deal for their manufactured products.
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