Iranians demonstrate after Friday prayers in Tehran, Oct. 7. (Mehr Photo)

TEHRAN, Oct. 7--Worshippers nationwide staged rallies in support of Iran’s legitimate right to peaceful nuclear technology after Friday prayers.
In the rally held in Tehran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi and other political and cultural personalities participated.
Protesters gave slogans such as “Nuclear fuel cycle is our legitimate right“, “Death to America and Britain“ and “Sharon commits crimes and Bush supports him“. They also carried placards reading, “Right of access to nuclear technology belongs to all countries“, “If the leader orders, we will give our lives for him“ and “Iran will not succumb to bullying policies“.
One of the placards read, “The UK and US do not have the right to talk about peaceful nuclear energy, because they have equipped Israel with 200 nuclear warheads.“
At the end of the rally, protesters issued a declaration denouncing any compromise over the recent resolution issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency as “nuclear capitulation“.
The declaration stressed that maintaining the nuclear fuel cycle is a national and Islamic duty and also voiced support for the “courageous move“ to resume the activities of Isfahan’s Uranium Conversion Facility.
It proposed that uranium enrichment activities at the Natanz site should start on Nov. 4, the National Day for Confronting Arrogant World Powers.
People in the cities of Qazvin, Mashhad, Jahrom, Qom, Kashan, Semnan and Isfahan also held similar rallies on Friday over the same issue.

TEHRAN, Oct. 7--Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Thursday Qur’anic teachings contain genuine remedies for all mankind’s problems.
Addressing the gathering themed “Light and Familiarity with Qur’an“, the leader added that the objective behind reciting Qur’an is to familiarize people with Qur’anic teachings.
“Today, in view of the blessings of God Almighty and Islamic Revolution, Qur’anic teachings are popular nationwide. All people, especially the youth and young adults, should become more familiar with the holy Qur’an,“ he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that non-abidance by Qur’anic tenets, especially parts urging devout Muslims to stay away from the enemies of God and Islam, is the main reason behind problems in Muslim states.
“The sad part is that Muslim countries have deprived themselves of divine teachings. However, Islamic vigilance is on the rise among Muslim nations,“ he said.
Reciters of Qur’an from 45 countries attended the gathering.

Shaukat Aziz

Iran and Pakistan share a 978-km border and traditionally enjoyed close, cooperative and friendly relations. These strong ties are embedded in geographical, historical and cultural commonalities.
Pakistan’s support for the hard-line Taliban regime in Afghanistan soured relations between the two neighbors which worsened in the wake of the brutal murder of seven Iranian diplomats and one journalist after the Afghan city Mazar-i-Sharif fell to the Taliban. With the collapse of the hard-line militia, ties between the two neighbors improved and continue to expand.
A visit by an Iranian media delegation to Pakistan from September 26 to October 2, upon the invitation of Islamabad Policy Research Institute, provided a valuable opportunity to get a genuine understanding of where Pakistan stands today.
One of the highlights of this trip was the delegation’s meeting with Pakistani Premier Shaukat Aziz who candidly discussed a range of issues, including Indo-Pak relations, the proposed gas pipeline project and a recent meeting between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Israel.
Shaukat Aziz reaffirmed his government’s opposition to proliferation but also maintained that “it is the right of every country to gain nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency guidelines. We are also against the use of force against Iran and believe the issue should be resolved through discussions“.
Pakistan, along with Russia, China and other countries, did not vote in favor of the resolution tabled by the US and European countries in IAEA against Iran.
Excerpts of the over one-hour-long meeting with the prime minister follow:

How does Islamabad view Afghanistan and its current developments?
Islamabad has close ties with the leadership in Kabul. We have always believed that a strong and stable Afghanistan is good for its people and for the region, including Pakistan.
In the recent elections in Afghanistan, Pakistan was requested to ensure that there is no traffic coming from across the border. We put extra troops on the border and, as you saw, the elections were very well conducted.

I have already congratulated President (Hamed) Karzai on the good and safe elections because it puts the foundation of a democratic process in Afghanistan. The only country that receives financial assistance from Pakistan is Afghanistan and the latest package was $4 million to help them build infrastructures and help them get training. The trade between the two countries now stands over a billion dollars annually.
About 30,000-40,000 Pakistani technicians are helping with the Afghan reconstruction. We have supported Afghanistan in this process and we will support them on a continuous basis so that reconstruction takes place, because if the neighbor is strong and healthy and doing well it is good for us, and the same is true for Iran. We want a strong and vibrant Iran.

Where do your ties with India stand at this point and what is the latest situation regarding Kashmir peace talks?
India and Pakistan have a long history. The relationship between the two countries has grown in the last few years. (Indian) Prime Minister (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee came to Pakistan in 2004. That was a turning point which set the bedrock for rebuilding relations. Many confidence-building measures have been introduced between the two countries. There are frequent travels as well as people-to-people and official contact. Bus services have started to and from the city of Muzaffarabad in India and the Pakistani side.
We believe the core issue between the two countries is Kashmir which should be settled in line with the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people. There are three stakeholders here: Pakistan, India and the Kashmiri people. All the three sides should get together to find a solution which is acceptable to all parties.
We want peace with everybody, including India. We do not want to be in an arms race with anybody. We want to grow our relations but the improvement in relations will have to move in tandem with progress over the issue of Kashmir. The two have to go together.

Indians have expressed concerns about the security factor with respect to establishment of a gas pipeline to that country via the Pakistani territory. What more guarantees is Pakistan willing to offer to move the project ahead?
We have explained to Iran and India that there are many ways for ensuring security of the project. We do not think there is any problem. Pipelines exist all over the world. Pakistan has one of the largest networks of gas pipelines compared to many other countries in the developing world. This is not something new for us. This is just another of several pipelines because we have gas supply all over the country.

Do you think the project will ever get underway?
We are very hopeful. For some reason, India is not comfortable to join the project but Pakistan needs the gas and I have told the Indian leadership that we will go ahead and import gas. We are looking at four options: Qatar by under the sea, Iran by land, Turkmenistan through Afghanistan and LNG.

Some months ago a Palestinian official said the recent pullout by Israel from the Gaza Strip should not prompt Muslim countries to start negotiations with Israel as this was only a minor step taken by the Israeli regime. What is Pakistan seeking by holding negotiations with Israel?
Pakistan is strongly committed to the cause of the Palestinian people. We firmly believe that the Palestinian people deserve a homeland in line with the UN resolutions. Pakistan has supported their struggle to do so.
We think peace in the Middle East can be achieved by engaging all stakeholders and in this case Israel is a stakeholder. All we have done is initiate a dialogue publicly. We do not want to do anything secretly. We want to help push the cause of the Palestinian people, since Pakistan is a major country in the Muslim Ummah, evident in the reaction that it (the meeting) created.
Our engagement does not mean recognition; this I want to make clear. We have engaged with Israel which means we will have discussions with them. We talked to them about Palestine and told them we have nothing against them per se until the Palestinian issue is settled.
Could Israel’s growing ties with India and the latter’s close relations with the US have been prompting Pakistan to engage with Israel?
No. It is a decision we made in our national interests. We thought we could make a difference by engaging them. Now only the time will tell.
We have explained to the Palestinian brothers and sisters that we are doing this to see if we can make a difference. Other countries in the region have ties with them. We are not after diplomatic relations with Israel. We are just talking to them just as President Pervez Musharraf made it clear during a meeting with Jews in New York that Pakistan is just engaging but not recognizing Israel.

Does that mean there are no prospects of establishing trade relations with Israel?
We are not considering trade relations. We are just engaging with them. And we want to do it openly so that the world can see.
As Pakistani president has said, if the issue of Palestine is settled, then the people of Pakistan will recognize Israel and prospects would rise for establishing ties.

Some critics of President Musharraf say the Pakistani intelligence agency is still providing support to Osama bin Laden and there have been reports that the government of Pakistan plans to set up a fence along its border with Afghanistan. Do you confirm this?
The idea of Pakistan offering any kind of support to bin Laden is so ridiculous that I am not even going to discuss it. We are ourselves the victim of terrorism.
Pakistan is against terrorism in any form. All this disinformation is totally untrue.
Regarding the fence, this was an idea that Pakistan had proposed to restrict illegal travels along the border. But the idea has not matured yet. It was only a suggestion.

Premier Shaukat Aziz’s concluding remarks:
We want this pipeline from Iran, even if India doesn’t want it. We must be clear.
I have been pushing it from day one. This pipeline will still work even without India.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Oct. 7--European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana said on Wednesday nobody is considering military action against Iran.
“On Iran, I can tell you we don’t consider any military action,“ Solana told the Foreign Relations Committee of the European Parliament in Brussels.
But the EU will not resume negotiations unless Iran stops its enrichment activity, he added.
“We will be ready to resume negotiations if they stop conversion ... We have given them a chance until November,“ said Solana.
The IAEA Board is to discuss Iran’s nuclear program in November.
Solana accused Iran of breaking the Paris agreement with the EU.
He said the world, including Russia, India, China, the EU and the US, were united that Iran should not have nuclear weapons.
He added that the current situation was very difficult and he did not know how the Iranians were going to react.
Meanwhile, the European Parliament will debate Iran’s nuclear program during its plenary session in Brussels on October 12.
A resolution on the Iranian nuclear program will be drawn up by the EP’s Foreign Affairs Committee and be put to vote on October 13.
The EP’s Foreign Affairs Committee discussed a report on WMD’s in a meeting on Tuesday evening, according to an EP press release issued Wednesday evening.
The report said that there should be targeted sanctions against those who violate their non-proliferation obligations. The report said the Middle East should become a WMD-free zone. It calls on Israel, India and Pakistan to accede to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

MOSCOW, Oct. 7--Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday his country calls for continued cooperation between Iran and International Atomic Energy Agency.
Speaking to reporters after his talks with IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, Lavrov expressed concern about any action that might undermine the current cooperation between Iran and IAEA, IRNA reported.
“The stance taken by Russia is in conformity with the stance of IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei,“ he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad studied the issue during their recent meeting on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York, Lavrov said.
He also said Washington is not questioning Moscow’s cooperation in constructing the nuclear power plant in Bushehr.
“The construction of Bushehr nuclear power plant is under the supervision of IAEA and poses no threat to NPT,“ he said.
“Russia supports the activities of IAEA in Iran which is the best possible method to advance NPT goals.“
Lavrov noted that resumption of talks between Iran and the three European countries on nuclear cooperation will benefit the two sides.
Meanwhile, India said on Friday it hoped recent differences with old friend Iran over its nuclear program could be resolved through talks, two weeks after New Delhi opposed Tehran at a crucial UN nuclear watchdog vote.
Foreign Minister Natwar Singh said India had always taken a helpful stand on issues concerning Iran.
“History is proof that contradictions are best resolved by engagement and dialogue,“ Singh said after launching a book titled “Iran Today: 25 Years after the Islamic Revolution“.
“Given the cultural links, the shared identity and security imperatives, our two countries have a responsibility to play a role in ensuring peace and prosperity in the region and the world at large,“ Singh said.
Ties between India and Iran soured after New Delhi, in a diplomatic surprise, joined the United States last month in voting to refer Tehran’s nuclear program to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions.

OSLO, Norway, Oct. 7--The UN nuclear watchdog and its head Mohamed ElBaradei, who clashed with Washington over Iraq, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for fighting the spread of nuclear weapons.
The Nobel Committee praised the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and ElBaradei, a 63-year-old Egyptian, for their battle to stop states and terrorists acquiring the atom bomb, and to ensure safe civilian use of nuclear energy, Reuters reported.
In Vienna, ElBaradei said the award, first given in 1901, would give him and his agency a much-needed “shot in the arm“ as they tackle nuclear crises in Iran and North Korea.
ElBaradei said he had been sure he would not win, despite being a favorite from a list of 199 candidates, because he had not received the traditional advance telephone call from the Nobel Committee. He learnt of his win from the television.
ElBaradei came to prominence before the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 by challenging Washington’s argument that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons were found after the overthrow of Saddam. “There have been two nuclear shocks to the world already,“ ElBaradei once said. “The Chernobyl accident and the IAEA’s discovery of Iraq’s clandestine nuclear weapons program. It is vital we do all in our power to prevent a third.“
The Nobel Committee, acknowledging that the world’s lack of progress in nuclear disarmament, expressed hope that this award would spur work to outlaw atomic weapons 60 years after the US atom bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
One expert said the prize would have been less controversial if it had gone to the IAEA alone. ElBaradei’s inclusion “is an implicit criticism of the United States“, said Stein Toennesson, head of the Peace Research Institute, Oslo.
The 2005 award seems to confirm an anti-nuclear trend on major anniversaries of Hiroshima.