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Prayer Time (Tehran)
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Dawn: 4:54
Sunrise: 6:17
Noon: 12:14
Evening: 18:29
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Weather Guide
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MON |
TUS |
Tehran: |
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High: |
16 oC |
14 oC |
Low: |
6 oC |
5 oC |
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Athens |
17 |
17 |
Ankara |
10 |
12 |
Paris |
9 |
13 |
New Delhi |
30 |
31 |
Rome |
15 |
16 |
Riyadh |
21 |
20 |
Frankfurt |
3 |
6 |
Cairo |
20 |
23 |
Kuwait City |
20 |
21 |
Karachi |
30 |
30 |
Copenhagen |
3 |
3 |
London |
8 |
12 |
Moscow |
0 |
-2 |
Madrid |
15 |
19 |
Vienna |
7 |
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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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Uranium Enrichment Depends on EU Talks
Chavez, Khatami Inaugurate Tractor Factory
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President Mohammad Khatami and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez drive tractors on March 13 at VENIRAN tractor factory in Ciudad Bolivar, 450 km southeast of Caracas. (AFP Photo)
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CARACAS, Venezuela, March 13--IranÕs President Mohammad Khatami here on Saturday reiterated Iran's legitimate right to pursue nuclear technology and said uranium enrichment suspension will remain as long as Iran-EU negotiations continue.
Talking to reporters prior to his departure from Caracas, he said Iran-EU negotiations will not last long, IRNA reported.
Referring to Iran's close cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the three European countries (France, Germany and Britain), he said Tehran has repeatedly announced that it is not interested in producing nuclear weapons.
ÒMaking use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes is Iran's legitimate right and Europe should remove obstacles in the way of Iran achieving its goal,Ó he said, pointing out that Iran suspended uranium enrichment voluntarily.
Khatami added that this would be meaningless if Europe were to ask for indefinite suspension.
ÒSuch a request will be against the Europeans' commitments,Ó he said.
As to Iran-Venezuela cooperation, the Iranian president said the two countries' relations can be considered as a good example for other countries.
On documents signed by the two sides on expansion of bilateral cooperation, he said inking such documents has opened a new chapter in the two countries' relations.
A tractor manufacturing plant was inaugurated in Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela, in a ceremony attended by President Mohammad Khatami and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez on Saturday.
Iran and Venezuela have invested $34 million in setting up the plant. Iran holds a 31-percent stake in the plant.
Khatami arrived in Caracas on Thursday on the last leg of a three-nation tour that already took him to Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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Presidential Race A Top Priority
US Proposal Ridiculous
TEHRAN, March 13--Intelligence Minister Ali Younesi said on Sunday his ministryÕs top priority is to make preparations for holding the important upcoming presidential race.
According to ISNA, Younesi also told reporters, ÒWe have done everything possible to facilitate the election. We shall try to ensure the maximum public participation in this momentous event by disseminating related news and information. Higher voter turnout will guarantee national security.Ó
On the recent comments of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who described Iran as a supporter of terrorism, he said, ÒIt is natural for Ms. Rice, who is the queen of violence and warmongering, to make such remarks. Rice is a terrorist personality and has facilitated many crimes in Iraq and Palestine. I believe President George W. Bush, Ms. Rice and their accomplices should be tried in an international tribunal for their crimes against humanity.Ó
He rejected the recent US proposal according to which the US would back IranÕs membership in the World Trade Organization, if Iran were to permanently cease its uranium enrichment operations as Òridiculous, irrelevant and contemptuousÓ.
ÒThis proposal is not logical at all. It is so ridiculous that we believe Americans should apologize to the Iranian nation for this contemptuous act. Why does America expect us to ignore our legitimate rights just because it wants to give us a few airplane spare parts, which is its duty, and endorse our membership in an international organization?,Ó he said.
Asked about the dossier of nuclear spies, Younesi said, ÒAccording to the ministry, this dossier is complete and has been presented to the court. We are awaiting the trial of spies.Ó
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Karroubi:
Monopolism, Narrow-Mindedness Harmed the Country
AHVAZ, Khuzestan, March 13--Former Majlis Speaker Mehdi Karroubi said on Saturday monopolism and narrow-mindedness inflicted damage on the country.
Karroubi, who is also secretary-general of the Assembly of Combatant Clerics, told reporters, ÒEverything in the country has been politicized. We must learn to prioritize national interests over personal gains.Ó
He noted that there exist vast potentials in the country which could be tapped for solving the peopleÕs everyday problems, IRNA reported.
Asked whether he would follow President Mohammad KhatamiÕs guidelines if he were elected as next president, Karroubi said, ÒI shall pursue my own strategies. I respect and love Khatami. Generally speaking, I advocate reforms, but I prefer reforms my own way. Meanwhile, I shall seek the opinion of others when problems arise É Khatami took decisions on the basis of his own discretion and I shall take decisions on the basis of my own discretion.Ó
Commenting on the role of third generation in various affairs, he said, ÒWe must place more value on this generation and allow the youth to engage in executive affairs. If I am elected as next president, I intend to use all young forces and women in various executive affairs. We must allow the young forces to participate in political bodies and coalitions.Ó
On the rights of journalists, he said, ÒSadly, journalists have been used as political and factional tools. I shall continue to defend the rights and spiritual status of journalists.Ó
About his foreign policy, he said, ÒI shall pursue dialogue and logical bonds with all countries, except the Zionist regime, by maintaining the countryÕs identity.Ó
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No Concerns Over UNSC Referral
TEHRAN, March 13--Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said on Sunday Iran is not concerned over the possible referral of its nuclear case to the UN Security Council.
Addressing domestic and foreign reporters at his weekly briefing, Asefi added Iran enjoys great potentials and capabilities to manage its affairs, if its nuclear dossier is sent to the UN Security Council, IRNA reported.
Noting that Iran's talks with the European states have not met the country's expectations yet, he said, "We should wait for the upcoming talks on March 23. It is still early to reach a conclusion."
He further said freezing uranium enrichment is not an issue, but what is important is the way Iran can offer objective guarantees.
"Negotiations were extended due to their complications. This shows the two sides do not intend to harm the situation and are interested in obtaining results through talks," he said.
Asked about possible sanctions against Iran, he said, "Such sanctions will put the country under pressure for a short time but will help Iran in the long run.Ó
On the US participation in nuclear talks, Asefi said, "If the United States enters the talks with its (vested) intentions, it will destroy the negotiations. The United States made a false claim that Iran seeks nuclear weapons and presented solutions on this basis.Ó
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Saudis Kill Suspected Militant, Capture Three
RIYADH,
Saudi Arabia,
March 13--Saudi security forces Sunday clashed with suspected Islamist militants in Jeddah, killing one and capturing three others, five days after a US warning of an increased threat of attack to its residents in the Red Sea city.
Security forces were raiding a residential building housing a wanted Islamist militant in Jeddah's northern Al-Rabwa neighborhood when a gunbattle erupted, Saudi Interior Ministry Spokesman Mansur Al-Turki told AFP.
"A man wanted for security-related matters was captured after being wounded ... Two of his companions were arrested," he said. "A man who was accompanying the wanted militant was killed in the shootout."
A civilian man and his wife, in addition to an undisclosed number of security officers, were wounded in the incident, Turki said.
The US Consulate in Jeddah last Tuesday alerted American residents of the Saudi city to an increased threat of attack around a housing compound for expatriates.
The consulate itself was stormed by suspected Islamist extremists in December, leaving five non-American staff members and contractors dead, as well as four gunmen.
The attack, claimed by Al-Qaeda's Saudi branch, was the first on a diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia but another in a string of deadly bombings and shootings in the conservative kingdom since May 2003.
Turki, however, ruled out any link between the American warning and the latest unrest, saying that their proximity should not lead to linking the two.
The 22 months of violence, blamed on Al-Qaeda sympathizers, has killed 90 civilians, according to official figures. Thirty-nine members of the security forces and 92 militants have also been killed.
Hundreds more have been wounded in the attacks, many of which have targeted foreigners.
Damage to property and installations from the attacks has exceeded one billion riyals ($266 million).
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Rights Groups Ready To Take on America
GENEVA, March 13--The United States, usually a finger-pointer on human rights, could end up in the dock itself over reports of torture and abuse in its war on terror when the United Nations begins a worldwide scrutiny this week.
Activists, such as the New York-based Human Rights Watch, are urging members of the Commission on Human Rights to condemn Washington for mistreatment of prisoners detained abroad, Reuters reported.
If any such move emerges during the commission's annual session, which starts on Monday, the United States will be in a similar position to Cuba, Iran and Sudan, countries which Washington and others are likely to seek to pillory.
"If the commission is going to be taken seriously, it needs to be looking at the United States as well as Cuba, China and other serious human rights situations," said Loubna Freih, Geneva representative of Human Rights Watch.
The United States has been strongly criticized over revelations of abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan and allegations of mistreatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
But for many activists and diplomats, it is debatable whether the commission, whose 53 members include many states whose rights' records are questionable, can still be taken seriously.
Sudan, whose government has been accused by a UN-appointed commission of inquiry of "heinous crimes" in its western Darfur region, is a member, as are Zimbabwe and Saudi Arabia, two other countries where critics say abuse is common.
Israel's actions in Palestinian territory under military occupation will be again condemned, as will North Korea, Myanmar and possibly Belarus, diplomats say.
However, it was not certain there would be a fresh bid to censure China over reported repression of ethnic and religious minorities and other alleged abuses, or Russia over continuing kidnappings and disappearances blamed on security forces in the rebel region of Chechnya.
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Alarm Bells
By Nawab Khan, Brussels
Western human rights groups and think tanks are now acknowledging the alarming fact that Muslims in Europe have become victims of an increasing witch-hunt after 9/11.
ÒIn the aftermath of September 11, Muslim minorities in the European Union have experienced growing distrust and hostility,Ó said the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) in a report published last week.
ÒPre-existing patterns of prejudice and discrimination have been reinforced and Muslims have increasingly felt that they are stigmatized because of their beliefs,Ó noted the Vienna-based human rights group.
The Brussels-based International Crisis Group in its recent report said that reacting to the spectacular and violent events of 11 September 2001, Òmany Western observers and policy-makers have tended to lump all forms of Islamism together, brand them as radical and treat them as hostile.Ó
That approach is fundamentally misconceived, noted the ICG. The IHF report describes problems such as widespread negative attitudes toward Muslims; unbalanced and stereotypical media reports portraying Muslims as ÒalienÓ to EU societies and as Òan enemy withinÓ.
The report further illustrates that more than 80% of Germans surveyed in 2004 associated the word ÒIslamÓ with ÒterrorismÓ and Òoppression of women.Ó
The recent wave of anti-Islamic violence in Holland and the ban on the Islamic headscarf in France are ringing alarm bells among the 12-million strong Muslim community in the EU.
ÒHolland is facing a situation that could occur anywhere in Europe,Ó warned a spokesman of the European Commission, Pietro Petrucci, commenting on the events in Holland that followed the murder of the film director Theo van Gogh by a Moroccan.
A British Member of European Parliament, Sajjad Karim, has denounced the UKÕs anti-terror laws for being directed against Muslims.
ÒIt is a clear indication that the UK is now institutionally Islamophobic. No longer can the government hide behind empty words and promises that anti-terror legislation will not be specifically utilized against British Muslims,Ó said Karim.
Voices are now being raised that EU governments must pay more attention to the problems of integration of the Muslims who live in Europe. But the worrying developments are bound to increase fear and apprehension among the European Muslims.
They are bound to be haunted by the question whether their existence and future is not under threat in Europe.
What should be the response of Muslims in Europe?
First they must insist on the necessity of the European governments to stop ignoring and approach their real problems of discrimination and exclusion, which they face.Second, the Muslim community must launch an effective public awareness campaign about Islam and the way of life of Muslims in Europe.
Just to give a small example. Many Europeans know the Islamic greeting ÒAssalam AlaikumÓ but even the most educated do not know that it means ÒPeace be upon you.Ó
Perhaps, Muslims also share some of the blame for the current prevailing ignorance about Islam in Europe.
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