President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (l) shakes hands with Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Tehran, Jan. 23.

TEHRAN, Jan. 23--President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday American dominance in the Middle East and the Zionist Israeli regime’s bullying are declining.
In a meeting with the visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, Ahmadinejad said the Muslim Arab states should prepare the ground for strengthening independent and broad-based governments, and restore stability and security to regional states through vigilance, resistance, solidarity and cooperation, IRNA reported.
The Iranian president added that US President George W. Bush’s new strategy for the Middle East aims to repair the image of the US administration and Republicans.
“The US and Zionist regime have conspired to fuel conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims in order to plunder the wealth of regional nations,“ he said.
“Regional countries should prepare the ground to stop the Zionist regime’s occupation of Palestinian territories and interference in Lebanese affairs with the support of Islamic resistance in both Palestine and Lebanon.“
Praising the growing trend of ties between Tehran and Damascus, Ahmadinejad said, “Powerful and advanced nations of Iran and Syria are keen on stability and security of regional states. Expansion of strategic relations between Iran, Syria and Iraq will play an important role in establishing stability and tranquility in the Middle East.“
Muallem, for his part, discussed the latest regional developments, including a visit by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to Syria.
He said Iran and Syria regard speedy restoration of stability and security to Iraq in the interest of all regional countries, adding that US interests would be secured only through continued insecurity and insurgency in Iraq and the region.
The Syrian minister urged regional governments to prevent the massacre of Muslims and work for establishment of peace and tranquility through unity and regular consultations.
He assessed Syrian ties with Tehran as strategic and said expansion of ties between Iran and Syria would help restore stability and security to the region.
Meanwhile, State Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani expressed confidence that enemies will fail in their efforts to cause discord among Shiites and Sunnis in the region.
During a meeting with Muallem on Tuesday, he said the continued insecurity in Iraq is the result of the continuing presence of occupiers in the country.
“Syria desires a stable and free Iraq with an Islamic and Arab identity,“ he said, stressing that cooperation between Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon would thwart the enemies’ plots in the region.
Muallem urged Muslim states to understand the extent of US-Israeli conspiracies.

TEHRAN, Jan. 23--President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad notified state organizations and ministries about the law to restore the status of Iranian fashion and promote national clothing patterns.
According to Fars News Agency on Monday, as per Article 1 of this law, the Culture Ministry is duty-bound to form a committee consisting of representatives from the ministries of culture, education, commerce and industries as well as the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting and Management and Planning Organization.
The committee, which will be under the supervision of Majlis Cultural Commission and three representatives from design- and garment- and producers- related associations, is responsible for reinforcing the Iranian-Islamic culture and identity, promoting local and national fashion and garments, producing clothes based on domestic designs and encouraging people to avoid foreign fashions that are alien to Iranian culture.
The ratifications of this committee become enforceable after the Culture Ministry’s approval.
IRIB and the Culture Ministry are obligated to promote Iranian clothing designs and patterns confirmed by this committee and to prevent the promotion of designs that are against the Iranian-Islamic culture.
As per Article 3 of this law, the Culture Ministry will hold national, provincial and international festivals for promoting cultural transfer among Muslim nations in cooperation with the Commerce Ministry.
To support the production and sales of Iranian-Islamic patterns and garments, the Commerce Ministry will hold seasonal fairs of textiles and clothes for the public.
According to Article 4, Iranian and Islamic clothing designs will be included in laws pertaining to industrial property and patent registration.
Article 7 stipulates that ministries of cooperatives and labor prioritize designers and producers of Iranian-Islamic clothing patterns by offering government facilities and permits. In cooperation with related entities, the Culture Ministry will devise the executive bylaws of this law in the next three months.

TEHRAN, Jan. 23--Employees who smoke in state organizations will be fined, a senior health official said on Tuesday.
Health Minister Kamran Baqeri Lankarani also said that according to the comprehensive law to control and combat tobacco use, the Board to Deal With Administrative Offenses will confront employees who smoke in their workplaces in state organizations, IRNA reported.
Lankarani added that he has notified cabinet members of the bill under which smoking is prohibited in ministries. He, however, did not specify the method of confrontation.
“Ministers should cooperate in executing this bill in their affiliated organizations to help ensure the health of their employees as per Article 13 of the comprehensive law to control and combat tobacco use,“ he said.
In October, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered the Anti-Tobacco Law to be enforced nationwide. The law places a ban on smoking in public places and outlaws tobacco advertising. By introducing a sweeping ban on public smoking, Iran joins Ireland, Italy and Scotland which had earlier outlawed smoking in public places.

TEHRAN, Jan. 23--State services management bill will not be reviewed by Majlis before the government removes its ambiguities, said Majlis Speaker Gholamali Haddad Adel.
In an open Majlis session on Tuesday, Haddad stressed that the government should take decisions in the country’s best interests, IRNA reported.
In order to pass the bill and bring the law into effect, the Majlis and government have discussed ways of removing the ambiguities.
“I am working on ways to get this bill passed,“ he said.
In Sunday’s Majlis session, an MP from Lahijan Iraj Nadimi opposed the government’s withdrawal of the bill and demanded stricter enforcement of Majlis bylaws.
“MPs are insisting on studying the bill in a joint commission as soon as possible,“ he said.
The state services management bill, also known as “Coordinated Payment System Bill“, is aimed at removing discriminations that have plagued the payment system by bringing the payments and revenues closer.
The social gap is likely to be narrowed once the bill becomes a law.

BERLIN, Jan. 23--Former US advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, harshly criticized US President George W. Bush’s Iran policy, branding it as “stupid and self-blinding“.
Asked about Bush’s refusal to hold direct talks with Iran on Iraq, Brzezinski replied, “Iran is in the region. It has legitimate interests in what is happening in Iraq,“ IRNA quoted the Hamburg-based Die Welt newspaper as reporting in its Tuesday edition.
He stressed that it is utterly absurd to adopt a position that the US has the right to dictate what happens in Iraq, as if Iran has nothing to say.
“That is simply so stupid and self-blinding. It is difficult rationally to discuss. The point of the Baker-Hamilton Study Group was that we need to engage in talks with the countries of the region which have an interest in what happens in Iraq, even if their interests are not the same as America’s,“ he said.
Brzezinski, who served as national security advisor to former US President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981, accused the Bush administration of being in “a state of self-denial“ with regard to the ongoing political developments in the Middle East.
The ex-US advisor has repeatedly urged direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

TEHRAN, Jan. 23--The United States’ intervention in the Middle East is against the interests of regional nations and creates instability, a top security official said Tuesday.
In a meeting with Indian Ambassador in Tehran Manbir Singh, the leader’s representative in Supreme National Security Council Hassan Rohani blamed the US for problems in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine, ISNA reported.
“Any differences among regional states will benefit the US and the best alternative to resolve regional problems is cooperation and close ties of states with each other,“ he said.
Referring to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1737 against Iran as another exemplification of US intervention in regional affairs, the leader’s representative said Americans are biggest obstacles to the settlement of Iran’s nuclear case through negotiations.
Rohani, who is also the former top nuclear negotiator, added that regional stability is the main prerequisite of Middle East development.
Calling for development of ties with India, he said, “We expect India to play a constructive role in Iran’s nuclear case.“
He noted that Iran is ready to enter into unconditional negotiations to build confidence in the international community, underlining that sanctions and pressures will not affect the strong determination of the Iranian nation.
An Indian delegation is expected to travel to Tehran in the following days to conclude an accord related to the Iran-India gas pipeline.
Singh, for his part, pointed to the fraternal relations and extensive cooperation potentials between the two states and expressed satisfaction over the development of joint projects.
He voiced India’s readiness to cooperate with Iran in regional issues and reiterated the importance of Middle East in terms of energy and labor markets.
Singh maintained that the settlement of Iran’s nuclear issue is possible through negotiations and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

TEHRAN, Jan. 23--Students protested on Tuesday at Instructor Training University, calling on officials to boost the safety of laboratories.
The protest followed an explosion during laboratory tests in the Basic Sciences College last Wednesday, in which a Ph.D. student died and another was wounded, ISNA reported.
Students called for laboratory safety training courses and regulations for conducting research projects based on standards.
One of the students said the safety status of laboratories should be carefully examined to prevent such incidents.
The students warned that they will not use any laboratory until their demands are met.
In a statement issued at the end of the demonstration, the students called for an urgent meeting with university officials to follow up their demands and solve the problems.

TEHRAN, Jan. 23--The Majlis on Tuesday passed a bill for holding the Majlis and presidential elections concurrently.
A total of 121 MPs voted in favor, 86 against and 4 abstained, IRNA reported.The vote was taken today after the MPs finished their discussion on details of the bill.
Lawmakers on Wednesday approved the outlines of the single-urgency bill.
The bill’s ratification will require extension of the Majlis tenure by a year for its elections to be held concurrently with presidential elections, which has been declared by the Guardians Council as unconstitutional.
Those in favor argue that this will not only reduce election problems and expenses, but also harmonize Majils and the government while those who oppose refer to Article 68 of the constitution that prohibits the extension of the four-year Majlis tenure under normal circumstances.
Mohammad Hosseinour, deputy interior minister for Majlis affairs, also announced the government’s disagreement with the draft.