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Prayer Time (Tehran)
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Dawn: 5:40
Sunrise: 7:11
Noon: 12:01
Evening: 17:16
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Weather Guide
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MON |
TUE |
Tehran: |
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High: |
9 oC |
7 oC |
Low: |
3 oC |
0 oC |
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Athens |
7 |
8 |
Ankara |
-3 |
-2 |
Paris |
0 |
-5 |
New Delhi |
8 |
8 |
Rome |
2 |
3 |
Riyadh |
11 |
9 |
Frankfurt |
-4 |
-5 |
Cairo |
8 |
8 |
Kuwait City |
9 |
8 |
Karachi |
13 |
13 |
Copenhagen |
-4 |
-3 |
London |
-2 |
1 |
Moscow |
-5 |
-7 |
Madrid |
-2 |
-1 |
Vienna |
-3 |
-4 |
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Identification
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Published by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
Address:
Iran Cultural & Press Institute, #212 Khorramshahr Avenue Tehran/Iran
Managing Director: Mohammad T. Roghaniha
Executive Editor: Amin Sabooni
Editorial Dept. Tel: 8755761-2
Editorial Dept. Fax: 8761869
Advertising Dept. Tel: 8753119, 8757702, 8733764
Internet Address:
www.iran-daily.com
E-mail Address:
iran-daily@iran-daily.com
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Persian Gulf Is Historical Fact
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Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi (l) stands next to a painting of the Persian Gulf map in an exhibition of historical maps in Tehran on Sunday. (ISNA Photo)
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TEHRAN, Dec. 19--Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said that the word ÔPersianÕ should never be omitted when referring to the waters off the country's southern coast because the name is based on history.
Talking to reporters on Sunday on the sidelines of an exhibition of historical maps of the Persian Gulf, Kharrazi referred to an atlas published by the National Geographic Society in which the Persian Gulf was called Òthe Arabian GulfÓ. He said this is not acceptable while referring to the sea.
The foreign minister also noted that the attempt to misinterpret history probably had a material or political consideration.
Stressing that no historical fact would ever be changed by such acts, Kharrazi said all maps that have been put on display in the ongoing exhibition refer to the strip of waters off Iran's southern coast as the Persian Gulf.
Historical maps carrying the name "Persian Gulf" in reference to the waters off Iran's southern coast are displayed in the exhibition organized by the Foreign Ministry's Documentation Center.
A group of ambassadors from the Persian Gulf's littoral states in Tehran also viewed the exhibits on Sunday. The exhibition will run until December 22.
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AIJ Opposes Reverting to Old Press Law
TEHRAN, Dec. 19--Association of Iranian Journalists (AIJ) in a statement Sunday protested the non-implementation of the Press Jury Law.
Parliament approved the urgency of a bill, which if ratified will replace the existing Press Jury Law with its predecessor for one year.
Lawmakers who proposed the bill say sufficient funds have not been allocated for selecting members of the Press Jury.
IRNA quoted part of the statement as saying that, "Amending press laws during the last days of the Fifth Majlis imposed many restrictions in terms of press activities.
Meanwhile, efforts of the Sixth Majlis for reverting to the press laws ratified in 1985 also did not bear fruit.
The only accomplishment of the Sixth Majlis was the measures they adopted for implementing Article 168 of the constitution."
Based on that article, political and press offenses are attended in open courts and in the presence of a jury while members of the jury are selected on the basis of Islamic tenets.
The statement went on to say that, "It is obvious the verdicts of these courts would be legitimate only when a jury is present. However, some 18 months after the ratification of this law, its implementation has been delayed for various reasons. The core issue is that
the jury can be effective when its members are selected and not appointed."
The statement urged the legislators not to support
the bill and hence allow the law that necessitates the presence of a press jury be implemented.
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More Fighters Give Up Arms in Colombia
BUGALAGRANDE, Colombia, Dec. 19--Hundreds of rightwing paramilitary fighters from a group blamed for massacres have surrendered their weapons, the latest to do so in a process expected to remove 20,000 from combat by the end of next year.
The ceremony Saturday at a farm in Valle Department was attended by government peace commissioner Luis Carlos Restrepo, OAS representative Sergio Caramagna of Argentina, and top paramilitary leaders who have already demobilized, AFP reported.
The Calima Bloc of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) has been linked with some 400 massacres and drug trafficking in the mountainous Valle region.
Human rights groups have criticized President Alvaro Uribe's offer to demobilize the paramilitaries, holding them responsible for gross rights violations and often working in concert with the military, killing civilians when soldiers are not allowed to do so.
A total of 556 fighters, including 14 women and 27 minors, handed in rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, pistols and munitions to Restrepo.
The demobilized fighters are to reintegrate into civilian life, except those accused of crimes against humanity, who must remain in Santa Fe de Ralito, where government-AUC peace talks are taking place, until passage of legislation stipulating how they will be punished.
Accords between the government and the AUC call for removal of 20,000 paramilitary members from combat by 2006.
To date, Saturday included, 3,495 paramilitary fighters have surrendered arms since the process began last year.
Colombia has been beset by a 40-year civil war pitting the government against the leftist rebels in a conflict that has claimed more than 200,000 lives. The paramilitary groups joined the fight in the 1980s.
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SHAB-E YALDA
TEHRAN, Dec. 19--'Shab-e Yalda', which refers to the longest night of the year, has been celebrated in Iran since ancient times. It coincides with Dec. 20 this year.
Iranian mythology maintains that the night marks the eve of the birth of the Sun, which symbolizes light, goodness and strength.
On this occasion, friends and family get-together to read stories and poems (especially of Hafez) and share a meal.
Fruits such as pomegranate and watermelon, and nuts are eaten until well after midnight. (IRNA Photo)
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43 Killed in Najaf, Karbala Car Bombings
BAGHDAD, Iraq,
Dec. 19--Car bombs rocked Iraq's two holiest Shiite cities Sunday, killing at least 43 people and wounding more than 95, while in downtown Baghdad dozens of gunmen carried out a brazen ambush that killed three Iraqi employees of the organization running next month's elections.
The bombings came just over an hour apart. First, a suicide blast ripped through minibuses at the entrance of the main bus station in the city of Karbala. Then a car bomb went off in a central square of Najaf crowded with people watching a funeral procession, also attended by the cityÕs police chief and provincial governor.
The violence was the latest in an insurgent campaign to disrupt the crucial Jan. 30 elections, the first national polls since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
While many have feared that voting in the Sunni areas of northern and central Iraq will be hampered--if not impossible--because of the spiraling violence, Sunday's attacks highlighted that even the strongholds of Iraq's Shiite majority in the south are vulnerable.
Shiites have been strong supporters of the elections, which they are likely to dominate.
Youssef Munim, head of the Statistics Department at Najaf's Al-Hakim Hospital, said 30 people were killed by the explosion and 65 were wounded.
The bombing in Karbala, about 45 miles northwest of Najaf, destroyed about 10 passenger minibuses and set fire to five cars outside the crowded bus station.
Ali Al-Ardawi, assistant for the hospital's director, said 13 people were killed in the attack and 30 injured.
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Iraqi Nationals Can Vote in Iran
TEHRAN, Dec. 19--An official on Sunday said Iran will cooperate with Iraq for holding its national assembly elections.
Director General of Interior Ministry's Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrant Affairs Ahmad Hosseini also told domestic and foreign reporters that Iran will help facilitate the presence of Iraqi nationals residing in Iran in the elections, Fars News Agency reported.
ÒThe Interior Ministry is prepared to cooperate in every possible way. A memorandum of understanding will be concluded between the Foreign Ministry and International Immigration Organization," he said.
"We shall have polling stations in three major cities of Tehran, Qom and Mashhad where most Iraqi immigrants live. We shall also have mobile polling stations to allow Iraqis living in other cities to vote."
Hosseini went on to reject the recent allegation of Jordan's King Abdullah that one million Iranians have entered Iraq to participate in IraqÕs elections slated for Jan. 30.
"Based on the recent survey, over 200,000 Iraqi immigrants are in Iran. These people have been identified and received identification cards. They can participate in the elections," he said.
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Reviving Myth
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Gholamreza (Jamshid) Moradian
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Gholamreza (Jamshid) Moradian is an eminent sculptor whose works in wood and metal are known for blending art and mythology in an evocative manner.
MoradianÕs sculptures have been displayed in national and international exhibitions, and won a number of awards. He has trained many students as well.
In an exclusive interview with Iran Daily, Moradian maintains that an artist should have knowledge about poetry, music and his countryÕs history and myths to produce an original work of art.
The full text of the interview appears on page 12.
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Deadline for Musharraf to Quit as Army Chief
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Dec. 19--Pakistan's opposition Islamic alliance Sunday vowed to observe New Year's Day as a "black day" across the country if President Pervez Musharraf did not quit as army chief by December 31.
The six-party Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) may also call for a sit-in protest in Islamabad, the alliance's chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad told thousands of supporters here in the garrison city near the capital Islamabad, AFP reported.
The rally was held amid a downpour after Musharraf categorically declared he would remain the army chief despite his pledge to abdicate the military post by the end of the year.
"If Musharraf did not abide by his pledge to doff his military uniform by December 31, we will observe a countrywide black day of protest on 1st January," Ahmad told the crowd, many of whom carried umbrellas.
Cricket hero-turned politician Imran Khan and local leaders of Pakistan People's Party of former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan Muslim League of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif also attended the MMA rally.
They joined in criticism of Musharraf's economic and foreign policies and blaming his government for rising prices.
The Liaquat Bagh venue was bedecked with banners reading "Friendship with America is treachery with the country", "Inflation is Musharraf's gift to the nation", and "Solution of problems lies in Islamic system".
Musharraf in an interview with domestic Sindhi language television channel KTN on Friday said: "I will remain in uniform."
Musharraf last year pledged to shed his military position at the end of December this year in return for the MMA's support in ratifying a series of controversial constitutional changes in the parliament, including powers to dissolve the elected assembly.
The opposition secular Alliance for Restoration of Democracy has also rejected the parliamentary legislation and is holding its own anti-Musharraf protest rallies.
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Two Major Events
By Nawab Khan, Brussels
The world's media scene today is full of violence, terror, hatred and destruction. Hence any steps towards peace, reconciliation and understanding are welcome.
Two major events that took place in Brussels last week augur well for relations between Islam and the West. On Monday, the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Iran agreed to launch negotiations for a long-term economic, political and security cooperation.
A few days later EU leaders in an historic decision agreed to begin negotiations next October with the aim to accept Turkey as the first Muslim member of the European bloc.
Both Iran and Turkey are big Muslim nations and influential regional players and steps towards cooperation with Europe would certainly help bring down barriers between Islam and the Christendom West and dispel the notion of "clash of civilizations."
Ankara was knocking on the doors of Brussels for nearly four decades, and many European countries that had applied much after Turkey acceded easily to the European bloc leading many Muslims to suspect that the EU wants to remain an exclusive Christian club.
After the decision to open entry talks with Turkey, those Muslim suspicions have been put to rest. Geographically, Turkey is a bridge between the East and West and its membership in the European club would transfer that bridging role to the realm of politics, economics and culture.
When it ultimately joins the EU, Turkey could assume the dual role of the Muslim world's spokesman in Europe and Europe's spokesman in the Muslim world.
Undoubtedly, there is gross misunderstanding, and often intentional misrepresentation, of Islam and Muslims in the West. But one must admit that there is equally a lack of understanding in the Muslim world about Europe itself.
Turkey could also serve as a kind of an ombudsman to redress complaints, grievances and remove misunderstandings between the two worlds.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, whose country holds the current EU Presidency, rightly observed when commenting on the EU summit on Turkey: "It is a historic decision that will effect the future of Europe in the 21st century."
EU-Turkey negotiations are expected to take 15 years, long enough to sort out and clear outstanding obstacles and problems like Cyprus, human rights, economic development, etc.
The Turks are quite aware, as Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, that the road to EU is certainly long and difficult. But with good intention and mutual trust the journey can be made easy.
The mayor of the Turkish city of Konya , Tahir Akyirek, hit the hammer on the nail when he told the BBC in an interview:
"Of course there are differences, different cultures, different ethnicities, but the whole point is to learn together from these differences."
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