Speaker Meets Indian Officials

Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani Wednesday met Indian President Pranab Mukherjee.
During the meeting in New Delhi, the two sides discussed the issues of mutual interests as well as regional and global developments, ICANA reported.
Larijani also had a meeting with Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh.
The leaders of both countries expectedly discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interests, IRNA reported.
They also discussed ways of expanding bilateral ties.
The Iranian official was expected to have separate meetings with high-ranking Indian officials including his Indian counterpart Meera Kumar and the president, vice-president, foreign minister and national security advisor, later in the day.
He will also visit Delhi University to attend a seminar hosted by the Persian Department of the university in the memory of Ameer Hussain Abedi, former head of the Persian Department.
Earlier, on Tuesday addressing the meeting of Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in New Delhi, Larijani said Iran and India are close to each other historically.
Both countries, having influence in the region, can play an effective role in international arenas.
Convergence Among Muslims
In an address to Indian Shiite and Sunni scholars at a conference on the Islamic Awakening in New Delhi on Tuesday night, Larijani called for greater convergence among the Muslims of the world. He noted that division is the main problem of the Islamic world and called on all Muslims to work to create synergy.
The Islamic Awakening is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and anti-government uprisings that began sweeping across the Arab world in December 2010. A revolution in Tunisia ended the 23-year rule of former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, another revolution led to the ouster of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak after three decades of authoritarian rule, and the Libyan ruler was also ousted. Revolutions have also begun in Yemen and Bahrain, while anti-government demonstrations have been held in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, and Algeria. Larijani arrived in India on February 24 for a five-day official visit upon the invitation of Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.
In a meeting with the speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in Mumbai on Monday, Larijani said Iran and India should increase cooperation in order to prevent powerful countries from taking control of energy chokepoints, adding that certain governments are using the anti-Iran sanctions to disrupt energy flow.

Budget Bill Submitted To Majlis

Vice President for parliamentary affairs Lotfollah Forouzadeh on Wednesday presented the draft budget for next Iranian calendar year to the parliament for debate and likely amendments before a final vote.
The bill was received by Majlis Vice-Speaker Mohammad Hassan Aboutorabi who chairs the Parliament in the absence of its Speaker Ali Larijani, currently on a five-day official visit to India, IRNA reported.
According to Majlis regulations, the representatives should present their proposals on the budget bill to Majlis’ specialized panels within 10 days after receiving the document.
The panels have also 15 days to hand over their reports on the bill to the Majlis specialized commission which should prepare a final report on the bill and send it back to the Majlis for final approval.
The next Iranian calendar year will start March 21, 2013.
Under the proposed budget, the government plans to reduce the country’s dependence on oil income, boost non-oil exports, increase tax revenues, and push ahead with ongoing subsidy phase-out.
Based on the official estimates, Iran’s non-oil exports coupled with technical and engineering services are expected to reach $75 billion in the coming year, a 50 percent rise compared to the estimated figures for this year that ends on March 20. Some lawmakers say the delay in presenting the bill could slow down the prospects of greater exports.
The draft budget has allocated greater funds for culture and education, pension, science, research and technology, development projects, defense, health care, production and nuclear energy program.

Madrid Espionage Charges Fabricated

Iran’s embassy in Madrid in a statement released on Wednesday dismissed the allegation of espionage against its employee.
Detention of one of Iranian employees in Madrid embassy on charges of espionage was due to plots hatched by certain biased people, the statement read, IRNA reported.
The statement was issued in reaction to recent media hype over detention and then release of an Iranian employee in Iran’s embassy in Madrid.
Spanish police on Friday detained him along with two other people on charges of spying on Iranian expatriates residing in Spain.
The Iranian embassy described the allegations as ‘fabricated’.
The statement stresses that the allegations have been based on false information provided by some biased people who are not interested in enhanced Iran-Spain ties.
Elsewhere in the statement the Iranian embassy hailed mutual cooperation in different areas.

Iranian Negotiators Issue Statement After Almaty Talks

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili issued a statement at the end of two days of talks with the six world powers in Almaty Kazakhstan.
The following is the full text of the statement.
In the Name of God
With special thanks to friendly and brotherly government of Kazakhstan for its warm hospitality and facility in this round of talks in Almaty, and with best wishes for the success of Kazakhstan nation, and special thanks to H.E. President Nazarbayev for his special considerations and attention to this talks.
Six months ago, I.R. of Iran in Moscow presented a comprehensive proposal for the talks. The proposal included five pillars for cooperation and set principles and objectives for the talks.
They were supposed to consider and review the plan and provide response to Iran. Yesterday, the other side in response to Iran offered some suggestions that include some of the items proposed by Iran in Moscow.
Some of the points raised in their response were more realistic compared to what they said in the past, and they tried to bring proximity in some points between the viewpoints of Iran and their own, which we believe is positive, despite the fact that we have a long way to reach the optimum point.
The 5+1 suggested taking tangible steps for the next six months in order to build confidence and some suggestions were offered in this respect.
Islam Republic of Iran stressed on the steps to be balanced and simultaneous and that suggestions should not neglect I.R of Iran’s rights.
Therefore it was agreed to convene the expert meeting in Istanbul on March 18th which would be followed by the 5+1 meeting with Iran on April 5th and 6th in Almaty.
We consider these talks a positive step which could be completed by taking a positive and constructive approach and taking reciprocal steps.

Navy Produces New Drugs, Radiomedicines

Iranian Navy enjoys high capability in various scientific fields, a navy official said, adding that the Navy has produced new medicines and radiomedicines.
Speaking to IRNA, head of the Navy’s Health and Medical Department Admiral Mostafa Maddah said that the new medicines and radiomedicines are produced ‘to meet the Navy’s needs during sea voyages, in both surface and subsurface vessels’. Maddah announced that the Army’s University of Medical Sciences has inked agreements with other scientific centers in pursuit of new achievements.
He added that his department has started massive researches in the fields of maritime diseases.
Iran has taken wide strides in science and technology, particularly in medical and medicinal fields, in recent years.
In September 2010, Iran announced that it plans to synthesize 20 kinds of radiomedicine in the country, stressing that its scientists are capable of supplying the 20 percent-enriched uranium needed for the production of such drugs.
“Iran has gained the necessary preparedness to produce 20 radiomedicines and we will provide the 20 percent (enriched) fuel needed for the production of these medicines this year,” Deputy Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) for planning, international and parliamentary affairs Massoud Akhavan-Fard told Fars News Agency at the time.

Kerry Seeking United Anti-Syria Front

A Majlis member said the US secretary of state’s upcoming nine-nation tour is aimed at creating a united anti-Syria front and securing US energy sources.
Ahmad Bakhshayesh said on Tuesday that the countries that US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to visit are among the staunchest opponents of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.
“Washington is trying to prop up its foreign policy by creating unity among its old allies,” noted Bakhshayesh, who is a member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Press TV reported.
The lawmaker also pointed out that Kerry’s visit to European countries, which have long backed Washington’s colonial policies, indicates that the US foreign policy will not undergo any change. He said the popular revolutions in the Arab world have seriously concerned the United States over its energy supplies and Kerry will attempt, during the Mideast leg of his tour, to facilitate energy transfer from the oil and gas-rich nations to the United States.
In a press conference in London on Monday, the US secretary of state announced that his country has been looking at new measures to expand its support for militants in Syria in a bid to hasten the fall of the Syrian government and that some of the steps would be decided at an anti-Assad conference in Rome on Thursday. Kerry flew to Berlin late Monday to meet top German officials and is set to travel to Paris to hold talks with French President Francois Hollande before heading for Rome. The last leg of his tour will take him to Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence.
The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants fighting the Syrian government are foreign nationals. The US and its allies, who are supporting the anti-Damascus militants with funds and weaponry, continue to demand the downfall of the President Bashar Al-Assad’s government.

Jalili: P5+1 Response...

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An Iranian source also said that the P5+1 group has not presented Iran with a new proposal and only responded to Iran’s proposals presented at the Moscow talks eight months ago.
The source added that Tehran has received P5+1’s response to Iran’s earlier package and not a new proposal.
“P5+1 has revived its Baghdad offer to reply to Iran’s Moscow proposals,” the source said.

Talks Useful
Russia’s chief negotiator at the two-day talks, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, described the negotiations as ‘extremely useful’.
“A number of aspects to the resolution of the issue and means of increasing trust were considered,” he said, without elaborating.
US and EU representatives also characterized the talks somewhat more soberly as ‘useful’, while saying it had met their expectations.
“I would say it was a useful meeting,” a senior US official told journalists Wednesday. “The day we have concrete results, I will use a different adjective.”
Ashton, speaking at the conclusion of talks Wednesday, said while she welcomed if the Iranian side ‘are looking positively at proposals we put forward’, what the international community is looking for are concrete results. “I believe in looking at what the results are,” Ashton said.
The centerpiece of the two-day meeting was a presentation Tuesday by Ashton of a revised international proposal focused on stopping Iran’s 20 percent enrichment activities, suspending operations at the fortified Fordo enrichment facility, and increasing safeguards and transparency of Iran’s nuclear program, in exchange for some sanctions relief, the US diplomat said. The updated proposal also called for Iran to ship out that part of its stockpile of 20 percent enrichment which it does not require for medical purposes, the diplomat said.
Jalili, notably, offered rare if muted praise for the revised international proposal, which he acknowledged had made an effort to respond to Iranian concerns. “This is a…turning point,” he said through at a translator at a press conference Wednesday. The six parties ‘have moved closer to our proposal’.
Members of Iran’s negotiating team held a series of unannounced bilateral meetings with diplomats from Russia, China, and unusually Germany and the UK Tuesday night, western officials said. (Former Iranian ambassador to the UK Rasoul Movahedian-Atar met former British ambassador to Iran Simon Gass, who now serves as the lead British negotiator at the talks, a US diplomat noted.)
Iran and the P5+1 group have held several rounds of talks with the main focus on Iran’s nuclear energy program. The last round of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group was held in Moscow in June 2012.
The United States, Israel and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program. Based on the false allegation, Washington and the European Union have imposed several rounds of illegal unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Iran rejects the allegation and argues that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the IAEA, it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Iran’s First Hand...

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The operation is carried out in the following order: bone fixation, tendon repair, artery repair, nerve repair, then vein repair. The operation typically lasts 8 to 12 hours. By comparison, a typical heart transplant operation lasts 6 to 8 hours.
The recipient of a hand transplant needs to take immunosuppressive drugs, as the body’s natural immune system will try to reject, or destroy, the hand.
These drugs cause the recipient to have a weaker immune system and mean that they may suffer severely even from minor infections.

More Steps Forward

From Page 1
If we consider that the Iranians took one step forward to solve their dispute over the nuclear issue with the P5+1, the group has taken two steps towards Iran. Without counting the steps, both sides have taken steps towards each other to reach a conclusion.
Since the P5+1 stopped proposing irrational packages to the Iranian side, the Iranian side considered that the P5+1 sat on the other side of the table and was more cooperative than in the previous rounds. If this attitude continues, one could be sure that the next round of meeting will bear satisfactory outcome.

Jalili Meets Kazakh FM

Iran’s top negotiator in talks with P5+1, Saeed Jalili, in a meeting with Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerlan Idrisov on Wednesday appreciated Almaty for its good hosting of the talks.