Based on official statistics, admissions to universities nationwide has doubled since the government took office three years ago, said the head of Payam-e Nour University, Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini.

Lawmaker Kazem Jalili called on the US and its western allies to rationally deal with the Islamic Republic’s nuclear issue.

KAYHAN: A reliable source said the ambassador of a European country (a member of Group 5+1) in Tehran hosted covert meetings with wealthy and literary figures known for their opposition to the Islamic system and urged them to launch a propaganda or infiltrate the media to create an impression that the government’s nuclear decisions lack expert justifications. One of the proposals made by the ambassador is to propagate that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is incompetent and will be eliminated from the circle of nuclear officials! These issues have been the focal points of the American and British media’s propaganda warfare against Iran in the past couple of weeks.

JOMHOURI-YE ESLAMI: Journalists were surprised to see Iran’s Ambassador to Iraq Hassan Kazemi Qomi shaking hands with his American counterpart, Ryan Crocker, on the sidelines of the ceremony held for commemorating Martyr Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Baqer Hakim. When Qomi arrived at the ceremony, he had a brief talk with Chairman of Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council Abdul Aziz Hakim, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Mashhadani and Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi. While he was proceeding toward the venue designated for ambassadors, Crocker got up from his seat and shook hands with him. It is interesting to know that Americans kill people through Al-Qaeda, participate in their funerals and an Iranian diplomat shakes hands with them!

HAMSHAHRI: The group preparing for Iran’s membership in World Trade Organization (WTO), which currently has 152 member-states, was established in 2005. This marked the official start of the process of Iran becoming a WTO member. Iran is duty-bound to compile and present a report on its foreign trade regime to the working group to start negotiations for joining WTO. Three years have passed since Iran became an observing member of the organization, but despite preliminary compilation of the report, it has not yet been approved by the working group. A revision is in order to make the report comply with the general outlines of the constitution’s Article 44. In view of the past trend, we must probably wait for a few more years before the report is finally ratified.

RESALAT: The western attitude in dealing with the nuclear issue does not comply with international norms. In the past three years, the US, France, Germany and the UK posed threats and imposed sanctions against Iran. Although Iran and many other countries consider referral of Iran’s nuclear issue to the UN Security Council as a deviation, it was inevitable since international forums are dominated by the US and some European countries. However, at present, the West has no other alternative but to rectify its attitude vis-ˆ-vis the nuclear issue and come to terms with reality. If this does not happen, the West will once again adopt the faulty attitude of the past few years, which will create even more imbalances.

If the weakness of Prime Minister Gordon Brown in the economic and social domains has worried Britons, the ruling Labor Party is grappling with problems related to foreign policy, as Brown’s government lacks an effective diplomacy.
During his management of the UK foreign policy apparatus in the past one year, Brown has not yet presented a clear-cut strategy for overcoming the crises in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The 5,000-strong British force in Iraq, after relegating the responsibility of controlling Basra to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, has remained in Iraq without knowing its agenda. This is while 7,000 British troops hold the responsibility of ensuring the security of Helmand province in Afghanistan. Recent developments indicate that British forces have consecutively faced defeat at the hands of Taliban insurgents, as the British death toll crossed 100 people last week.
Brown has also created deep challenges for the British diplomacy in two other strategic domains. One year after relations between the UK and Russia were strained because of the death of a former officer of Russian State security service Alexander Litvinenko living in exile in London, the rift between London and Moscow has not yet been mended.
Continuation of Britain’s tensions with Iran and resistance movements of the Middle East is another controversial issue.
Although many European governments have favored holding talks with Iran and Middle Eastern movements as a realistic choice, the Brown administration’s Muslim world policy is still based on double standards typical of the UK.
As a matter of fact, the turbulence of Brown’s diplomacy can be detected in the country’s new attitude toward the region, including Iran. Do moves such as awarding the blasphemous author of the sacrilegious book ’Satanic Verses’, Salmam Rushdie, with the medal of honor, supporting the terrorist Mujahideen Khalq Organization (MKO) and participating in American machinations against Iranian diplomat, Nassrollah Tajik, imply anything other than Brown’s foreign policy apparatus being influenced by the US?
The plain truth is that Brown missed the opportunity of rebuilding Britain’s diplomacy vis-ˆ-vis the Muslim world. Brown inherited the government of Tony Blair who, despite his success in fortifying the position of Labor Party, was the cause of unprecedented hatred of Muslims worldwide against the UK.
Iranians, like the rest of the world, were awaiting a serious change in London’s diplomacy after the end of Blair’s tenure. But, currently, Iranians believe that the time for testing Brown is also up. Interestingly, the world public opinion on Brown’s diplomacy is also reflected in the recent opinion polls conducted in the UK, which maintained that Brown’s government is short of a specified strategy and ignores the political realities of the Middle East.
Another point. Germany, France and other European allies of the UK are racing to fill the geopolitical vacuum created by the UK because of the mismanagement and negligence of Brown. Germany has a plan to establish cordial bonds with Russia and mediated between Hezbollah and Israel for swapping prisoners. This is while France is working to mediate between Syria and Lebanon as well as Syria and Israel, while the European Union, led by Javier Solana, seeks strategic cooperation with Iran.
What shocks a conscious observer is that at a time when European diplomats are presenting new plans for the Middle East to prepare themselves for the post-George W. Bush era, London is siding with the Bush government that will be in power for only five more months.

One of the ringleaders of bandits was killed in a shootout in northwestern Iran on Saturday night, the commander of Imam Mahdi (MGHHR) Brigade of Ashura Battalion.
Speaking to Fars News Agency in Tabriz on Sunday, Brigadier General Mohammad Arjomandifar added that armed bandits, affiliated to foreigners, had masterminded provocations to endanger the security of northwest Iran.
“Their plot was thwarted in the wake of the vigilance of Ashura Battalion’s combatants and heavy losses were inflicted on them,“ he said.
The general noted that one of the ringleaders was killed and another bandit was taken captive in the shootout.
Arjomandifar also said that four bandits were wounded and sought refuge in the region’s mountains.
“Ashura Battalion’s combatants are searching for them,“ he said.