Syria Dispute Shouldn’t Affect Relations

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said the differences between Iran and regional countries over the ongoing crisis in Syria should not affect bilateral relations.
In an exclusive interview with IRNA on Saturday, Mehmanparast said neighboring and regional countries should not base their relations with Tehran on developments in Syria.
“Expansion of relations with regional countries, particularly our neighboring countries, is one of our top foreign policy priorities. We will do our utmost to utilize the enormous potential for cooperation… [with] neighboring and regional states,” he stated.
He also described regional cooperation for the establishment of a stable, secure, and calm region as the best solution.
Mehmanparast said solutions worked out through regional cooperation, rather than the intervention of foreign forces, should solve the crises in the region.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman noted that instability in any regional country can impact Iran’s security, and thus insecurity could spill over into all states of the region.
“Of course, regional countries should show more concern for the establishment of… peace and stability [in their own countries] rather than worrying about states that are thousands of kilometers away. There are political disagreements among regional heads of state on various issues, which is natural,” Mehmanparast added.

Ashton for P5+1 Resolve In Nuclear Talks

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged the P5+1 group of world powers to be ‘determined and creative’ in the upcoming talks with Iran.
Ashton said on Saturday that the P5+1 (Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States plus Germany) should take more measures to build a level of ‘communication’ and ‘trust’ with Iran.
“When I first started to lead these negotiations, we weren’t really discussing the subject. Now we discuss the subject in detail, we have the slideshow presentations, we have a real discussion about the issues both when the technical-level discussions take place and the political-level,” Ashton said, Press TV reported on Sunday.
The latest round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on February 26-27. The two sides agreed to convene again in the city on April 5-6 to continue talks after holding expert-level talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul on March 17-18.
A delegation of Iranian experts left Tehran for Istanbul on Sunday to attend the expert-level meeting.
Both sides have expressed hope and optimism about the future of the talks. On February 28, Reuters quoted an unnamed western diplomat as saying that the Almaty meeting had been ‘more constructive and more positive than previous meetings because they were really focusing on the proposal on the table’.

New Chinese PM: US Hacking Claims ‘Groundless’

New Chinese Premier Li Keqiang dismissed hacking accusations against China as “groundless” on Sunday and said his government was committed to strong ties with Washington.
Referring to allegations that China’s military was behind massive hacking attacks on US entities, Li reiterated Beijing’s statements that China is a major target of global hackers and opposes all such criminal activity, AP reported.
“I think we should not make groundless accusations against each other but spend more time doing practical things that will contribute to cybersecurity,” Li said in his first news conference in his new role.
Li is the highest-ranking official to comment on the hacking claims made by US cyber security firm Mandiant that provided a detailed picture of alleged cyberspying carried out by a People’s Liberation Army unit based in Shanghai.
Li said that despite their differences, conflict between the world’s largest and second-largest economies is not inevitable as long as the countries respect each other’s major concerns and manage their differences.

Iranian Helps Reduce Carbon Footprint of Concrete

Civil engineers from Kansas State University have proposed a way to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete production by using biodiesel byproducts.

Call for Observing Healthy Eating Rules

Shopping areas and markets across Iran are very crowded these days, as Norouz (the Iranian New Year starting on March 21) approaches.

Textile Exports to Exceed $700m

Domestic Economy Desk

Textile and garment exports will surpass $700 million by the end of current Iranian year (March 20), said secretary of the Association of Iran Textile Industries.
Alireza Haeri told Fars News Agency that textile industries are of high importance.
The industrialization of many advanced nations stemmed from development of their textile industries, he said. “In fact, production of various textiles has eased the way for their industrialization process.”
Some 9,660 industrial units are involved in textile and garment production sector across the country, which account for 11 percent of entire enterprises, he added.
He put the value of investment made in these units at 66 trillion rials—equivalent to 5 percent of the entire investment made in the country’s industry. “These units have generated 297,000 jobs, accounting for 13 percent of industrial occupations nationwide.”
Based on the statistics released by World Bank, Iran’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stood at $480 billion in 2011, of which 1 percent pertained to value-added of textiles, garment and leather industries, he said.
He put the entire value of textiles, garments and leather products at $14 billion annually.
Haeri also said the country has imported textiles and garment worth $1.1 billion during the past 11 months of current Iranian year. “The majority of imported items included raw materials and industrial machineries.”
He referred to securing liquidity as the main problem of textile and garment industries and expressed the hope that with securing the liquidity, textile industries would thrive next year.

Upturn in Trade With India
Textile industry annually needs $400 million for investment and importing machineries, said secretary of the Association of Iran Textile Industries in February.
Haeri added that China (21 percent), Japan (9 percent), Turkey (8.8 percent), India (8 percent), South Korea and Italy are major export partners of Iran, Fars News Agency reported.
He said the textile industry can import a huge portion of its demand for cotton, viscose, jute and acrylonitrile yarns from India.

60% of Saudis Beset With Housing Problems

A report says about 60 percent of the people in Saudi Arabia live in homes under inconvenient conditions.
Saudi Arabian newspaper Al-Watan reported on Saturday that the oil-rich country is facing problems in providing its citizens, especially the youth, with appropriate housing.
The report said about 40 percent of the people do not own a house and live in rented homes with relatively improper conditions, while some 20 percent own a house, but in poor neighborhoods.
Housing crisis has gripped Saudi Arabia over the past few years due to delays in mortgage payments, complicated banking regulations and increasing land prices.
In January, the Guardian reported that a large number of the population of over 26 million in Saudi Arabia ‘live in poverty ‘. The UK daily said that ‘poverty and anger over corruption continue to grow’ in Saudi Arabia, and that ‘vast sums of money end up in the pockets of the royal family through a web of nepotism, corruption and cozy government contracts’. According to Forbes Magazine, the personal fortune of Saudi King Abdullah is an estimated $18 billion, making him the third-richest royal in the world, behind the rulers of Thailand and Brunei.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter, with black gold accounting for 90 percent of its exports.

IRAN DAILY

License Holder: (IRNA) www.irna.ir ● Number 4473 ● Monday March 18, 2013 ● Esfand 28, 1391 ● Jamadi Al-Avval 6, 1434 ● Price 2,000 Rials ● 12 Pages ● www.iran-daily.com

Iran Daily wishes its readers a very Happy Norouz. Our next issue will be out after the holidays.

No Interest Sections Agreement With Canada

Bahrain Gov’t Jails 17 Activists On Bombing Charges

Spanish Gallery to Exhibit Mirzazadeh Artworks

NAM Secretary: Iran Enjoys Global Logic, Vision

Navy Launches Jamaran 2 Destroyer

Iran’s Progress Aimed At Ensuring Regional Security

The Navy on Sunday launched the indigenously-manufactured Jamaran 2 destroyer in the Caspian Sea near the northern port city of Bandar Anzali in a ceremony attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Jamaran 2, a Wave-class warship, has been designed and built by experts at Iran’s Defense Ministry and has state-of-the-art navigation equipment and complex defensive systems, IRNA reported.
The production line of the advanced indigenous destroyer was inaugurated in Bandar Anzali six years ago with the aim of protecting Iran’s 20-percent share of the Caspian Sea.
The 1420-ton destroyer is powered by a 20000-horsepower engine with a speed of 30 knots and has the capability to carry helicopters, various surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, advanced artilleries and torpedo system. It is also equipped with electronic war system.
The Jamaran 2 destroyer is a symbol of the Islamic Republic’s capability and strength and conveys the message of peace and friendship to the Caspian Sea states.
Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi also attended the ceremony to launch the warship.
Jamaran 2 will officially join the Navy fleet within the next six months after undergoing final tests.
The Navy launched its first indigenously-built destroyer, Jamaran, in the waters of the Persian Gulf in February 2010. The 1,420-ton vessel is equipped with modern radar systems and other electronic warfare capabilities. In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

World Food Policies Failing

The world’s food security remains vulnerable, new data suggests, with some 870 million people experiencing sustained hunger and two billion suffering from micronutrient deficiencies.
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a Washington think tank, said such numbers are unacceptably high, and warns that anti-hunger programs have been piecemeal.
In an influential annual report on the state of the world’s food policy, the organization said there were some positive achievements made last year, but that a number of policy changes are still required, IPS wrote.

Growing Jobs
The report identifies agricultural development as an important potential job creator, particularly for young people.
In developing countries, however, it warns that youths are no longer seeing agriculture as a viable career, looking instead to urban areas for work.
Leaders in sub-Saharan Africa--a region with the world’s fastest-growing population as well as youngest--are today looking to create job opportunities in agriculture, using new technology and farming techniques.
In doing so, they are hoping to encourage the young and innovative emerging workforce in such a way that they can have a transformative impact on both economic growth and social development.

Karzai Approves US Proposal on Bagram Jail

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has agreed with the US new proposal to hand over the Bagram prison to Afghan government within a week, a statement released by Presidential Palace here said.
“In a telephone conversation with President Karzai, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel asked for a week time for a complete transfer of the Bagram Prison to Afghanistan sovereignty,” the statement received here on Sunday added, Xinhua reported.
The agreement has taken place in the wake of inflammatory remarks by Karzai last week and frequent delays by the US military to transfer the notorious detention center. Karzai in his remarks said that arresting Afghans by foreigners and having detention center here is a violation of Afghan sovereignty.
“President Karzai agreed with the new time request and reminded Secretary Hagel that the transfer has been delayed several times in the past and that this time the handover should take place,” the statement emphasized.
The transferring of Bagram prison in Bagram airbase, the main US military bastion 50 km north of Kabul was scheduled to be handed over to Afghan government on March 9 during Hagel’s first tour to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief but the program was cancelled which prompted the Afghan president to lash out.
President Karzai has been calling for early handover of the Bagram detention center where hundreds of Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives reportedly have been held by US military.