Efforts of Religious Scholars Commendable

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in a message on Thursday to the Association of Teachers of Qom Theological School praised the 50-year sincere endeavors of its members during pre and post-revolution eras.
The message of the Leader was read out by his chief of staff Hojjatoleslam Mohammadi Golpayegani to the Association of Teachers of Qom Theological School, IRNA reported.
The message said the invaluable services of the Association of Teachers of Qom Theological School over the past 50 years played a significant role in the triumph of the Islamic Revolution and rendering services to people.
The Association of Teachers of Qom Theological School played a leading role both before and after the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in various political, scientific and research fields. The association should go ahead with its program in line with the needs of the youths, said the Leader in his message.

Russia for Iran Role In Syria Action Group

Russia has called for another meeting of the ‘Action Group on Syria’ with the participation of Iran to help resolve the ongoing unrest in the Arab country.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Thursday that the meeting should convene in an enlarged format within the shortest possible time to prevent the worsening of the situation in Syria, Press TV reported.
The Russian official said Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia need to be included in the group.
Many people, including large numbers of Syrian security forces, have been killed in the turmoil that began in Syria nearly two years ago. The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country.
The group first met in Geneva on June 30, 2012, with the participation of secretary generals of the United Nations and the Arab League, foreign ministers of Russia, Britain, China, France, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the US secretary of state and the EU foreign policy chief.
The participants of the Geneva meeting agreed on the formation of a transitional governing body in Syria on the ‘basis of mutual consent’.
Despite insistence on the part of former UN-Arab League Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and Russia to engage Iran, the United States and its western allies objected to inviting the Islamic Republic to the meeting.
On February 2, Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and the head of the Syrian opposition coalition Ahmed Moaz Al-Khatib held a 45-minute meeting on the sidelines of the 49th annual Munich Security Conference, in which they agreed to find a solution to end the suffering of the Syrian people.

US Talks Offer Can’t Deceive Iranians

Commander of the Basij (Volunteer) Forces Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi said the wise Iranian nation will not be deceived by the US offer of talks, urging Washington to stop its hostile policies toward Iran.
“Friendship with the Iranian nation will begin when the US fleet leaves the Persian Gulf and its military bases in the Persian Gulf littoral states and Afghanistan get removed,” Naqdi said on Thursday, Mehr News Agency reported.
The US can speak about talks with the Iranian nation when it removes spy satellites, terrorist networks, news agencies and military bases from the region, he added.
The commander underlined that the enemy cannot use the old trick of negotiations to hatch plots against the Iranian nation.
Naqdi said that Basij forces are telling the US and its allies on behalf of the Iranian nation that ‘the current decade is the decade of Israel’s obliteration’.
If western analysts and strategists are unable to comprehend this issue, the Iranian people will prove it to them, he pointed out.
Naqdi said that the arrogant powers’ remarks are currently vetoed by the nations’ determination, adding, “We convey this message to the enemy that the era of bullying has come to an end.”
At the 49th annual Munich Security Conference in Germany on February 2, US Vice President Joe Biden said Washington was ready to hold direct talks with Iran over the country’s nuclear energy program. However, he noted, “There will be continued pressure.”
On February 6, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei rejected talks with the United States under pressure and threats.
“An offer of talks makes sense only when the side [that makes the offer] shows its goodwill,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
The US has spearheaded several rounds of sanctions against Iran in recent years, based on the unfounded accusation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Iran strongly rejects the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

UNSC Dominated by Slave Owners, Colonialists

The idea of creation of the United Nations remains a great and historical achievement of mankind. Its importance must be appreciated and its capacities must be used to the extent possible for our noble goals. The United Nations was created to make possible effective participation of all nations in international decision-making processes.
We all know that this goal has not yet been fulfilled because of the absence of justice in the current management structures and mechanisms of the UN.
The composition of the Security Council is unjust and inequitable. Therefore, changes and restructuring of the United Nations are considered as the basic demands of the nations that must be addressed by the General Assembly.

Type of View to Man, Universe; Root of World’s Problems
It seems that the roots of problems lie in the way one views and perceives the world and humankind, as well as in the important issues of freedom, obeisance to God, and justice.
The world, humankind, freedom and obeisance to God, and justice, have been of utmost importance to humans throughout history.

The World
God Almighty purposefully created the world. This world is the bedrock for the evolution and growth of a creature called man, and the laws governing the world and all other creatures are at the service of man’s quest for loftiness.
The world should provide the needed opportunities for the fulfillment of the purpose behind man’s creation.
No phenomenon, creature, or indeed anything has been created in vain.
Together they all pave the ground for the flourishing of mankind in a complex and purposeful system, and they are, each, one of the signs of God Almighty. All are His creations and He is the sole creator and ruler of the world. All existence including power, knowledge and wealth come from Him.

Humankind
God created the world for humans and humans for Himself. He created humans from mud and in the soil, but He did not want them to remain in the soil and with animal instincts.
He kindled the light of guidance in their souls and asked them to rise from the soil to the heavens and to Him with the help of wisdom, prophets and perfect men.
The world will ultimately disappear, but God has created man for eternity and has made them a manifestation of Himself.
Creativity, mercifulness, kindness, knowledge, wisdom, zeal, concealment of sins, splendor, justice, bounteousness, generosity, greatness, love, glory, dignity, forgiveness, insight, kingship and all other goodness and beauty are attributes of God.
God has not created humans for aggression, bloodshed, rancor, selfishness and destruction. He made humans His vicegerents on earth and has asked them to, on the one hand, make earth prosper by using their God-given potentials and to prepare the ground for the growth of divine attributes in all humans, and to provide all with a life full of beauty, amity, freedom, justice and goodness; and on the other hand in pursuance of this path, to prepare for a prosperous, everlasting life endowed by God’s mercy.
God has obligated humans to live divinely and socially, for it is only through social life and interactions with others that divine attributes may emerge.

Obeisance to God
God Almighty has tied their perfection and true freedom of humans to their devotion and obedience to Himself. True freedom and obedience to God are in balance and in fact are two sides of the same coin.
Obeisance to God means confessing to monotheism and obeying His commands, and to be free from ungodly worship. Obeisance to God means the acceptance of the absolute truth, the absolute light, and the absolute beauty.
Obeisance to God means abandoning selfishness and animal instincts, power-seeking and aggression, surrendering to righteousness, justice, love and perfection.
And in this way, humans can achieve their true freedom and flourish, they can grow and manifest divine attributes, have affection for others, stand up for justice, and fear no power or threat, and defend the oppressed.
In such an environment, one’s freedom will not impinge on any others’.
Contention and conflict are characteristic of materialistic freedom and animal instinct. The essence of all divine religions and obeisance to God and true freedom is disassociating from oppressors and instead obeying and worshiping God, for:
God is omniscient and knows all that is revealed or kept secret, and He is kind and merciful.
All creatures are humble before Him and resign to His will. God is alive and is the Creator of the universe and all life.
God loves His creatures and desires nothing but goodness, blessings, and perfection for them, and is against bullying, injustice, selfishness and domination.

Israel Lobbies Irked by AMIA Deal

Pro-Israel lobbies in Argentina strongly expressed their opposition to a government’s agreement with Iran on the establishment of a truth commission to investigate the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.
On January 27, Iran and Argentina signed a memorandum of understanding to shed light on the bombing on the building of the Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association (AMIA) in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. The Israeli regime reacted angrily to the deal a day after it was signed.
However, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Foreign Minister Hector Timerman have supported the agreement, Press TV reported on Friday.
In a debate on the agreement at an Argentinean senate committee, Guillermo Borger, the head of AMIA, and Julio Schlosser, the head of DAIA Jewish organization, strongly rejected the agreement. Their efforts to make the Argentine government scrap the deal sparked criticism from lawmakers.
Miguel Angel Pichetto, the leader of the Victory Front said, “Strong things have been said. The AMIA president has talked about the possibility of a third attack. The Jewish people know about the importance of the word and silence. Many words are destructive or anticipate destructive events. We are interested in asking what he knows. You have to be responsible when you talk.”
Luis d’Elia, the leader of the political party of Movement of Latin American Integration for Social Expression (MILES), also blasted the position of local organizations that only respond to Tel Aviv.
“The organizations of the Jewish community in Argentina like AMIA and DAIA are not interested in the truth, memory and justice for the victims’ families. They are only interested in being in line with Israel’s foreign policy.”
D’Elia added that the US and Israeli spy agencies, CIA and Mossad, were interfering in the AMIA case to hinder cooperation between Iran and Argentina.
The agreement will be addressed by Argentina’s senate next week. The commission will need approval of both houses of the congress.
Under intense political pressure imposed by the US and Israel, Argentina had formally accused Iran of having carried out the bomb attack. The Islamic Republic has categorically denied any involvement in the terrorist bombing.

Slovakia Stresses Talks To Resolve Nuclear Issue

Slovakian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajcak said the West’s standoff with Iran over the country’s nuclear energy program should be resolved through diplomatic means.
In a meeting with Iran’s Ambassador to the Slovak Republic Hassan Tajik, Lajcak, who is also Slovakia’s deputy prime minister, stressed the need for continuation of talks over Tehran’s nuclear program, Press TV reported.
The two sides also reviewed ties between Iran and Slovakia, describing mutual cooperation as positive and calling for the expansion of relations. Iran and the P5+1--Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States plus Germany--have agreed to hold a new round of talks over Tehran’s nuclear energy program in Kazakhstan on February 26.
Iran has also held several rounds of talks focusing on its nuclear energy program with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The United States, the Israeli regime and some of their allies have falsely accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program. Iran has strongly rejected the allegation.

Algeria Keen on Ties

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in a message to his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stressed his country’s enthusiasm for the further enhancement of the relations with Tehran.