Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei waves to the massive gathering during his visit to Kerman, May 1. (IRNA Photo)

KERMAN, May 1--Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Sunday the Iranian nation will confront any power threatening its independence, national identity, interests and credibility.
According to IRNA, the leader added, “The Americans are saying that if we do not accept their hegemony, they will accuse us of backing terrorism and violating human rights. However, the nation has shown that it will continue to resist the bullying and impudent policies of the US statesmen.“
Referring to the recent remarks of US officials that Iran does not need nuclear energy, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Who are you to make this kind of comment about the great nation of Iran? The Islamic system has acquired nuclear technology through the endeavors of its youth and scientists, and will preserve this national accomplishment despite the ill-wishes of the blood-sucking É US government.“
Elsewhere in his remarks, the leader urged the officialdom to make Iran an exemplary model of strength and progress.
He observed, &#8220Despite what some may think, the sensitivity of the present circumstances is not linked to foreign policy guidelines or the threats posed by the global bullying powers. This is because these threats have always existed and the Iranian nation has always forced the enemy to retreat and will continue to do so.“
Ayatollah Khamenei noted that the upcoming presidential election can greatly affect the future of the country.
“This is why the enemies have mobilized all means and facilities to dishearten the people with the status quo and convince them not to vote. However, God Almighty willing, this will not happen,“ he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that he does not support any particular presidential nominee.
“I will respect whoever the people choose as the next president,“ he declared.

TEHRAN, May 1--International Labor Day ralliers on Sunday converged at Azadi Gymnasium and protested against placards in support of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s nomination for the June 17 presidential race.
The rally, expected to start from Iran Khodro, Keshmiran-e San&#8217at, Shahab TV and Iran Tire factories and continue till the 12,000-seat Azadi gymnasium, began from Arj Factory instead.<br> According to ILNA, Head of the Iranian House of Industry and Mines Hadi Ghanimifard, Managing Director of State Social Security Organization Gholamreza Soleimani and a leading member of the Central Council of the Islamic Labor Party Sarkhou were present during this event.<br> Chairman of the State Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was expected to address the gathering, but did not show up.<br> Firefighting vehicles and police were present along the entire course of the rally.<br> A representative of Ilam&#8217s blue-collar workers criticized the indifference of the officialdom towards the demands of Iranian laborers.<br> Ali Ghiyasi added that the protest rally of laborers should not remain concealed from related officials.<br> &#8220Blue-collar workers have no other alternative but to voice their complaints by holding protest rallies É The labor force wants temporary contracts to be revoked and real wages to be declared, but nobody is paying attention,&#8220 he said.<br> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <hr width=o100%o> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <div class=surtitle1> Khatami Tells Educators:<br> </div> <div class=title11> Promote Ethics, Morality <br> </div> <div class=subtitle1> </div> <div class=detail1> TEHRAN, May 1--President Mohammad Khatami on Sunday said the national educational system should promote intellectual enrichment, ethics and morality.<br> Speaking at the ceremony held to honor exemplary teachers, President Khatami added that education and training help build up a dynamic community and this is the only way to ensure human prosperity, IRNA reported.<br> Commenting on the crucial role of the Education Ministry in training specialized manpower, he said, &#8220To be independent, we should keep up with the latest progress made in experimental sciences, technologies and civilization. We should train individuals so that they become aware of the fact that they are rooted in the past, live in the world of today, and should think about future.&#8220<br> Khatami further said bringing up self-confident individuals with no false vanity is one of the significant responsibilities of the Education Ministry.<br> He added that to develop an ideal, advanced and dynamic community, where man is respected and provided with the rights to which he is entitled, a new system of updated teachers and innovative pupils is required.<br> The president referred to the present nationwide shortfalls facing the teachers, particularly their insufficient salary, and said that as the most noble members of the community and given their high potentials they have always been forbearing.<br> Paying tribute to martyr Morteza Motahhari, Khatami referred to him as a mystic, philosopher, educated jurisprudent and a teacher basically concerned with religion.<br> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <hr width=o100%o> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <div class=surtitle1> Qalibaf: <br> </div> <div class=title11> Executive, Judiciary Branches Need Overhaul<br> </div> <div class=subtitle1> </div> <div class=detail1> GENAVEH, Bushehr, May 1--A presidential aspirant said on Sunday he executive and judiciary branches need to be overhauled.<br> According to IRNA, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf added that the present conditions are not defensible. <br> &#8220Someone must fairly and prudently rectify the state of affairs in various sectors. As long as we do not make this rectification, many of our economic problems will not go away,&#8220 he said.<br> He emphasized that the people should be notified of all the problems of the country.<br> &#8220This way we could resolve the problems better. Of course, we should not ignore the existing problems. Furthermore, we should not be unfair and neglect the endeavors of the past for resolving these problems,&#8220 he noted.<br> Elsewhere in his remarks, Qalibaf recalled that high inflation rate is very tough on the low-income strata.<br> Qalibaf also said that the administrative modus operandi disheartens the public with the status quo.<br> &#8220This is a wound that has not healed yet,&#8220 he said.<br> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <hr width=o100%o> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <div class=surtitle1> </div> <div class=title11> Woman Activist Eyes Presidency <br> </div> <div class=subtitle1> </div> <div class=detail1> TEHRAN, May 1--A prominent Iranian woman on Saturday announced her intentions to run for the June 17 presidential election.<br> Azam Taleqani, secretary of the Islamic Revolution&#8217s Women Society, saw her bid quashed by the supervisory Guardians Council the last time she sought to run against President Mohammad Khatami.<br> Speaking to IRNA, she sidestepped the question whether she thought the Guardians Council would approve her candidacy this time around.<br> Notwithstanding, she said she still has to &#8220make a definite decision&#8220 about her participation after her group supported her candidacy.<br> The issue of women&#8217s candidacy in the Iranian presidential election remains disputed, due largely because of the interpretation of the Arabic term &#8217Rejal&#8217 (well-known dignitary) used for designating those who can compete in the presidential race, according to the Iranian Constitution.<br> Taleqani is the second woman to announce her intentions to run in the presidential election after former MP Rafat Bayat revealed that she may join the fray.<br> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <hr width=o100%o> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <div class=surtitle1> </div> <div class=title11> Tavakkoli Withdraws<br> </div> <div class=subtitle1> </div> <div class=detail1> TEHRAN, May 1ÑTehran MP Ahmad Tavakkoli in a communiquŽ on Sunday said he has decided to withdraw from the presidential race.<br> According to ISNA, part of the statement read: &#8220The rightists have not yet introduced their single candidate for the presidential election and this has led to public consternation about the country&#8217s future. The way things are proceeding, the next government would possibly work along the lines of the past 16 years.&#8220<br> The MP added, &#8220I have always advocated the unity of rightists and under the present circumstances believe it to be my duty to withdraw from the race to fortify solidarity among rightists and pave the way for the selection of the final nominee. This way, I am confident that the people would feel more keen and dynamic (about the election).&#8220<br> Tavakkoli welcomed the opportunity to thank Majlis Speaker Gholamali Haddad-Adel for his efforts to forge unity among rightists.<br> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <hr width=o100%o> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <div class=surtitle1> </div> <div class=title11> Turkish PM in Israel <br> </div> <div class=subtitle1> </div> <div class=detail1> <table class=RightImage border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width=340> <tr> <td align=Right> <img src="021261.jpg" border=1 width=340 height=242 alt="021261.jpg"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <div class=caption1> Israeli President Moshe Katsav (l) and his wife Gila Katsav (2nd l) meet with Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Amina in Biet-ul-Moqaddas, May 1. (Reuters Photo)<br> </div> </td> </tr> </table> BEIT-UL-MOQADDAS, May 1--Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Israeli leaders on Sunday during a visit aimed at patching up an alliance strained by the Palestinian crisis and promoting Turkey as a Middle East peacemaker.<br> It was the first trip to the Jewish state for Erdogan, whose ruling party has roots in political Islam and who last year raised Israeli hackles by likening Prime Minister Ariel Sharon&#8217s crackdowns in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to &#8220state terrorism&#8220, Reuters reported.<br> &#8220Our good relations with Israel do not preclude us from making frank criticism,&#8220 Erdogan told the Turkish Daily News in an interview before his departure. &#8220My visit will hopefully provide a new impetus to our relationship.&#8220<br> Muslim but secular Turkey is one of the few nations in the region to enjoy cordial ties with both Israel and the Palestinians, as well as with Israel&#8217s arch-foes Syria and Iran.<br> Israel counts Turkey as its most important regional ally, with $2 billion in annual trade. Israeli newspaper Haaretz said Erdogan&#8217s visit would include the signing of major arms deals, including a $400 million-$500 million upgrade of Turkish warplanes.<br> &#8220Turkey can be a bridge for our relations with the Arab world,&#8220 Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told Israel&#8217s Army Radio.<br> &#8220Moderate Islam can hold a dialogue with Israel on joining forces to create a better future for all peoples of the region,&#8220 he said.<br> Erdogan heads to the West Bank on Monday to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose election to succeed Yasser Arafat in January stirred hopes of ending more than four years of fighting with Israel.<br> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <hr width=o100%o> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <div class=surtitle1> </div> <div class=title11> S. 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class=RightImage width=100 height=125> </div> <div class=detail1> A fierce and nervous debate is raging these days in Europe over the referendum slated for May 29 in France on the European Union&#8217s constitutional treaty. <br> The matter would have not raised so much dust if not for a string of opinion polls which show the majority of French will vote &#8220NON.&#8220 All the 25 EU states have to ratify the constitution by November 2006, and if one of them fails to ratify the treaty, it cannot come into force.<br> Governments have the choice either to ratify the treaty in their parliaments or hold a referendum. Even if France votes &#8220OUI,&#8220 the constitution still faces difficult referenda in other EU countries including the Netherlands, which votes on June 1, and the UK, which is set to vote next year.<br> Parliaments in Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania and Slovenia have already ratified the constitutional treaty.<br> In February, Spain became the first EU member to hold a referendum and say a strong yes (77%). <br> So what would be the fallout if one EU state rejects the constitution? The reality is that nobody knows the consequences. It is the first time that the EU&#8217s rulebook is being put to public test in several EU states.<br> If the French reject the treaty, the European bloc will be facing a severe crisis and the European integration process would be dealt a severe blow.<br> But it would not mean the collapse of the European bloc, which is set to grow to 27 members with the entry of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007.<br> The alternatives would be to redraft the constitution, or hold a new referendum at a later date, otherwise the EU member states, which said yes, will move ahead with the constitutional treaty and form a two-tier Union.<br> Outcome of the referenda is difficult to predict due to a variety of issues involved, popularity of the ruling parties, and general voter apathy. <br> One of the biggest challenges before the EU is to bring the ordinary citizen closer. The treaties were negotiated between governments and the public was left in the cold with the result that a majority of EU citizens is unaware how the Union functions.<br> In France, growing unemployment, problems associated with Immigration, and possible entry of a large Muslim country like Turkey have created angst towards European integration.<br> And as usual the politicians are playing politics with the referendum. One thing is however certain. Should the French reject the treaty, that country&#8217s standing and influence in the EU will diminish drastically.<br> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <!-- End Perspec --> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <!-- Begin Bottom TOC --> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%"> <tr> <td> <hr width="100%"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <div class=htoc> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/index.htm">Front Page</a> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/national.htm">National</a> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/economy.htm">Domestic Economy</a> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/science.htm">Science</a> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/panorama.htm">Panorama</a> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/focus.htm">Economic Focus</a> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/dotcoms.htm">Dot Coms</a> | <br> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/energy.htm">Global Energy</a> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/politic.htm">World Politics</a> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/sports.htm">Sports</a> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/ieconomy.htm">International Economy</a> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/art.htm">Arts & Culture</a> | <br> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0> <tr> <td> <hr width="100%"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> <div class=htoc> | <a class=htoc href="../../../1384/2263/html/index.htm#Identification"> Identification </a> | <a class=htoc href="../../../archive.htm"> Archive </a> | </div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <!-- End Bottom TOC --> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <!-- Begin Bottom --> <hr width="100%"> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=1 width="100%"> <tr> <td align=left valign=top width="50%"> <div class=footer> Copyright 2004, Iran Daily Newspaper <br> </div> </td> <td align=right valign=top width="50%"> <div class=footer> Contact us: <a href="#" ONCLICK='window.open("../../../feedback.htm","popup","width=500,height=500,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,resizable=no,scrollbars=yes,status=no,toolbar=no");return false'>iran-daily@iran-daily.com</a><br> </div> </td> </tr> </table> <!-- End Bottom --> </td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>