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Posted on 12/18/2005 1:17:09 PM PST by RaceBannon
Here is the original source for the article.
http://regimechangeiran.blogspot.com/2005/12/assassination-and-c-130.html
http://regimechangeiran.blogspot.com/2005/12/irans-new-mandatory-chador.html
I published it today.
Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!
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Pictures posted are hosted here
http://community.webshots.com/album/525362668ForPov
Russia: Military Weekly Sees 'Explosive Consequences' of Iran Missile Deal
Report by Aleksandr Babakin and Vladimir Ivanov:
"Bombshell for Greater Middle East? Delivery of Surface-to-Air Missile Systems to Iran Threatens To Have Explosive Consequences"
Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye
Thursday, December 15, 2005
At the end of November a contract was signed between the Russian Federation and Iran on the delivery of a major consignment of Russian Tor M-1 surface-to-air missile systems. According to some information, the deal -- which has taken four years to prepare -- totals close to $1 billion. In line with the accords reached, 29 of the Izhevsk-manufactured ZRK (surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems) will be on alert status with Iran's PVO (air defense) troops before the end of 2009.
On the face of it -- another undoubted success for the Russian defense industry complex. 's experts, however, are pointing out that the contract may provide the impetus for a new spiral of the arms race in the Greater Middle East (Bolshoy Blizhniy Vostok), as this problem region is now referred to by the head of Russia's MID (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Sergey Lavrov. And it is by no means ruled out that the former chief protagonists of the Cold War era will play a most active part in the said process.
Moscow's Position
Speaking about the sale of the SAM systems to Iran, Mikhail Kamynin, official spokesman of the Russian Federation Foreign Ministry, emphasized that "all contracts being concluded in the military-technical field are fully in accordance with international obligations -- including in the nonproliferation sphere -- as well as being fully in accordance with Russian legislation." "All this also applies to the contract with Iran, which relates exclusively to defensive armaments," the diplomat explained.
The delivery of a major consignment of state-of-the-art SAM systems to Tehran has taken all the players on the world arms market completely by surprise. The agreement had been prepared in conditions of total secrecy. By all appearances, the regrettable experience of Moscow's attempted sale of operational-tactical systems to Damascus at the start of the year was taken into account. On that occasion, under pressure from Washington and Tel Aviv, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin was compelled to ban the export of Iskander-E OTK (operational-tactical systems) to Syria.
Meanwhile, according to certain information, Tehran is also seeking to get hold of S-300 medium- and long-range air defense missile systems. In combination with the Tor systems, they have the capability to keep Iran's skies firmly closed to a likely adversary's main offensive air weapons. Admittedly, as was told by an informed source at the Federal Agency for Industry, the air defense concern is currently not in a position to ensure delivery of S-300's to Iran. The only way to satisfy a possible order is to borrow from Russian Federation Armed Forces stockpiles. In that eventuality, the S-300's are handed over to industry for subsequent modernization.
Meanwhile, Reuters news agency is citing the words of one Western diplomat who is tracking the development of relations between Moscow and Tehran. He has stated that the arms deal that has been done is causing him serious concern. As the source emphasized, "For a long time now Russia has positioned itself as a peace broker between Iran and Western countries. And suddenly Moscow quite unexpectedly drops this bombshell. This makes no sense at all."
But Sergey Ivanov, vice premier and minister of defense of the Russian Federation, after confirming the signing of the contract with Tehran on the delivery of the SAM systems, was quick to point out that "this will definitely not mean a change in the regional balance of forces." "Any arms deliveries by Russia are conducted within the legislative framework and in accordance with international obligations," the head of Russia's military department stressed.
Certain of our own military experts totally disagree with the minister's opinion, believing that the delivery of such a large weapons consignment to the Greater Middle East region will inevitably entail an imbalance in the military potentials of states that are hostilely disposed toward one another. They maintain that, beyond any doubt, the United States and Israel will respond to this action by deploying additional combat weaponry. Tel Aviv and Washington will hardly resign themselves to the notion that Iran will be able to reliably ensure its own protection and remain unpunished if it attempts to undertake any hostile actions against Israel or other countries within the sphere of American interests.
Washington's Anger
People in the US capital have reacted extremely negatively to the Russian-Iranian contract. Thus, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli stated at a briefing that the sale of SAM missiles to Tehran does not meet Washington's interests in the Middle East. The official from America's foreign policy department specially emphasized that "Iran is a state that sponsors terrorism. It is involved in actions that we deem to be hostile and harmful," and the United States "views the proposed deal in precisely that context." That is why at this moment the United States is continuing "discussion of this topic with Russia."
Washington's anger, however, is explained not only by the above-cited reasons. The White House, it would appear, is furious that the Kremlin has twisted it around its little finger. The point is that US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, who visited Moscow 2 December, has declared that the issue of arms sales to Iran was raised at the Russian Foreign Ministry. By all appearances, however, the transatlantic guest knew nothing about the Tors. Furthermore, in an interview for the Ekho Moskvy radio station he noted the proximity of Washington's and Moscow's positions on Tehran's nuclear program. The fact of major arms sales to Iran that has now come to light is capable of giving a new twist to the tension in relations between the United States and Russia. Because, as Burns put it, "for the last 25 years Iran has been giving support to terrorists in the Middle East and in the United States." "For this reason our relations with that country are very bad," Condoleezza Rice's deputy stated. "You can understand why we do not support the sale of weapons to such a country," he emphasized.
Of course, one may recall here that in 2000 Russia left a secret agreement with the United States on restricting arms deliveries to Tehran. It had undertaken not to conclude contracts connected with the export of weapons and military hardware to Iran. In its turn, Washington promised Moscow assistance in gaining access to world markets for military technologies. But the sides failed to make good on their promises, and the treaty, known as the "Gore-Chernomyrdin protocol," was canceled.
At the same time, let us not forget either how the American Administration welcomed the "fruitful actions" by Russia during the discussion of Tehran's nuclear program. As Ereli expressed it, there is "good news concerning Russia's being a part of the international efforts aimed at bringing Iran into line with the wishes of the international community." And now -- like a bolt from the blue -- we have Russia's decision to sell SAM missiles to Iran...
Tel Aviv Is Furious
Immediately following the appearance in the press of the announcement of the Russian-Iranian contract on the SAM missile sale, the leadership of the Jewish state flew into a rage in the full meaning of the word. As the Israeli newspaper writes, the country's Foreign Ministry "damned this deal." Mark Regev, spokesman for Israel's foreign policy department, declared that "the Iranian regime is an extreme regime, it supports radical terrorist groupings and only recently declared its opposition to the establishment of peace and reconciliation in the Middle East." "When a certain country seeks to boost Iran's military potential, it is helping to reinforce the most negative forces in this region," the diplomat stressed.
Indeed, for Tel Aviv, Tehran is now Public Enemy No. 1. Speaking 1 December at an annual meeting of publishers at the Sokolov Center, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that Iran "represents a threat for Israel, for the countries of the Middle East, and for many other of the world's states." "This is why," Sharon pointed out, "other free countries that realize the existence of such a terrible danger must join with the United States, which is leading the efforts to resolve this problem."
He voiced the gloomy assessments of a specialist whom he described as "an anonymous intelligence source." The leader of the Israeli Government announced that, in the agent's opinion, Iran is a few months away from the point of no return with regard to its nuclear project (Iran nakhoditsya v neskolkikh mesyatsakh ot nevozmozhnosti vernutsya k svoyemu yadernomu proyektu). He stressed that neither Israel nor other countries can accept the prospect of the appearance of nuclear weapons in Tehran's hands and that Tel Aviv is prepared to use force. In the prime minister's words, Iran's enemies possess all the requisite "potential" for the use of force to halt Tehran's nuclear preparations, and he added: "Before resorting to force, however, everything possible must be done to compel Iran to halt this activity."
Sharon's words echoed an earlier statement by the chief of Israel's military intelligence, Major-General Aharon Zeevi. Maybe it was his opinion that was heard in the Israeli premier's speech. Addressing members of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the leader of the special service allowed himself to voice the following conclusion: "If by the end of 2006 (as published) the international community fails to ensure by diplomatic means the blocking of Iran's work to create a nuclear bomb, then there will subsequently be no grounds for continuing the efforts in this direction. And it will be possible to say that the international attempts to halt this have failed."
Some Israeli parliamentarians have perceived Gen. Zeevi's demarche as a hint that by April of next year the "Iran problem" may require a military solution. Yuval Steinitz, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, has declared: "The comments by the head of military intelligence paint a grim, alarming, and somber picture." And he added: "Iran intends to become a nuclear power in its region, and the world is powerless to prevent this."
Incidentally, Israel conducted successful tests 2 December of the Arrow SAM missile system, which official spokesmen of the national Defense Ministry describe as "the answer to the growing threat of ballistic missile strikes in this region." A modernization program for the antimissiles is being implemented jointly by Israel and the United States. According to Israeli Defense Minister (as published) Yaakov Toran, "the tests carried out will permit a substantial increase in the TTKh (tactical-technical specifications) of this system and it will be able to resist any aerial threat."
The specifications of a mock-up of an enemy ballistic missile that was successfully destroyed by an antimissile launched from an Israeli air base located in the center of the country corresponded to the tactical-technical specifications of Iran's Shahab-3 missile, which is capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The mock-up was launched from a military airplane flying over the Mediterranean Sea.
Tehran's Responses
Commenting on the conclusion of the agreement to deliver Russian SAM systems to his country, Hamid-Reza Asefi, official spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Iran, pointed out, in particular: "Iran's cooperation with Russia in this sphere is fully in accordance with international legislation and world practice." He also ruled out the possibility of separate Iranian-American negotiations on the nuclear program and spoke about the undesirability of Washington's participation in the discussion of the said issue at the European Union level.
In all probability, the Iranian military had long ago already determined which installations Tehran is planning to protect using the Russian Tor systems. In light, however, of the statement by Ali al-Din Burujardi, the chairman of the Islamic Republic's Majles Committee for External Affairs and Defense, on the proposed construction of 20 nuclear reactors, which has been approved by the national Atomic Energy Agency, it is not ruled out that these will first of all be protected by Iran's air defense troops. The conclusion of the contract with Moscow becomes even more logical in light of the threats directed at Tehran by Tel Aviv.
And Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, announced 4 December in an interview for AFP that "Iran's patience is almost at an end" and work to enrich uranium at the Natanz nuclear facility may be resumed within a few months. In the secretary's words, "the forthcoming topic of negotiations with the Europeans on Iran's nuclear program will be the creation in Iran of nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes and nothing further will be discussed." At the same time, Ali Larijani emphasized that "Iran is not seeking to possess nuclear weapons," but it has the legitimate right to develop nuclear energy.
From the Files
The Tor M-1 surface-to-air missile system is manufactured by the Izhevskiy Elektromekhanicheskiy Zavod Kupol (Izhevsk Kupol Electrical Engineering Plant) FGUP (Federal State Unitary Enterprise). It is capable of the simultaneous detection and identification of up to 48 targets and of tracking and attacking two targets at once flying at altitudes of from 20 to 6,000 meters at a radius of from 1 to 12 km. The system is designed to protect important administrative, economic, and military installations and the forward echelons of ground formations against strikes by antiradar and cruise missiles, remotely piloted vehicles, glide bombs, and aircraft and helicopters, including those employing stealth technology.
The S-300 surface-to-air systems are manufactured by the Kontsern PVO Almaz-Antey (Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern). They can engage up to six targets and hit aircraft and helicopters at distances of from 3 to 200 km. Ballistic missiles can be destroyed at a radius of from 5 to 40 km.
(Description of Source: Moscow Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye in Russian -- Weekly independent military newspaper published by Nezavisimaya Gazeta)
Hamas Official Says Will Support Iran in Case of Attack
Fars News Agency
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Tehran, 15 December: Head of Hamas Political Office Khalid Mash'al has said: If Iran is attacked we are responsible to support it.
Khalid Mash'al regarded Ahmadinezhad's statements concerning the Zionist regime as a principled position reflecting the reality. He said that Iran, Palestine and the regional countries all belong to the same deterrent front and added: If a member of this front is being attacked others should support it.
Khalid Mash'al attended a press conference with the presence of domestic and foreign journalists before noon today at Azadi Hotel in Tehran and answered reporters' questions. (Passage omitted: criticizing Israel for its policies, as well as its interference in other countries' affairs)
Asked about the position of Hamas in case the Zionist regime attacks the Iranian nuclear facilities, Khalid Mash'al said: Because America and Israel are in a difficult situation and it would be hard for them to attack or not to attack, therefore Iran may defend its options.
He added: Iran has an undeniable right to peaceful nuclear energy. Even if its nuclear energy were for military purposes, it should be asked that how Israel and others are allowed to have military nuclear power while others are banned from having it?
He said that Iran, Palestine and the countries of the region belong to the same deterrent front and stressed: If a member of this front is being attacked, others should defend and support it.
Khalid Mash'al added: Hamas is now having its main battle inside Palestine and believes that resistance will carry on as long as occupation and aggression continues. (Passage omitted: on Hamas fight against Israel, as an occupying force)
(Description of Source: Tehran Fars News Agency (Internet Version-WWW) in Persian -- (Kabargozari-ye Fars) is a privately-owned news agency. It began operating in mid November 2002. Its managing editor is Mehdi Faza'eil, the editor in chief of the Javan daily and a member of the managerial board of the Association of Muslim Journalists. The other members of the board of directors of the news agency, are 'Alireza Shemirani, of Farda newspaper, 'Abdollah Moqaddam and Akbar Nabavi of Resalat newspaper, the former director of Farabi Foundation Hasan Eslami-Mehr, and university professor 'Abolhoseyn Ruholamin.)
Humor of the Day....
European Says Change In World's Attitude Key To Promoting Tourism in Iran
Mehr News Agency
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (MNA) -- Thomas Achelis, the president of the European Public Relations Confederation (CERP), believes that Irans tourism industry does not require $300 billion to build hotels and provide facilities but says it would be better to allocate $299 billion of the budget to efforts to change the worlds attitude toward Iran, the Persian service of CHN reported on Tuesday.
On hearing the name of the seminar entitled Public Relations and Tourism Development, which was held on December 13 at the Razi International Seminars Center in Tehran, one might think that it would be more of the same monotonous and boring speeches, but Achelis broke down those images.
By proposing several questions at the beginning of his lecture, Achelis showed that Irans weak point in tourism is not lack of facilities. Tourists would be ready to spend a night in inexpensive tents at Persepolis only if they were certain that their security would be guaranteed, and only if their images of Iran were not limited to caviar, carpets, and political statements, he pointed out.
He showed the logo of McDonalds to the participants at the seminar and asked them to guess what it was and everybody easily knew what it was. He did the same with the logos of Mercedes Benz, Nike, and Microsoft, with same results.
He then asked the participants what came to mind after they heard the name of several places. He said France and everyone said they thought of the Eiffel Tower. For Greece they thought of the Acropolis, and for Egypt, the pyramids. He then said Iran and everybody said something different, some saying Persepolis, and others Soltaniyeh, Isfahan, or the Azadi Tower.
Achelis explained that the main problem of Irans tourism industry is the dispersion of ideas, saying, When Iranians do not at once recall a unique image of their country, which has such ancient civilizations and such historical and cultural potential, what can one expect from the world?
Achelis said that publicity is an issue which modern countries regard as a new science and that by focusing on and investing in this issue, they achieve their goals.
According to a nonofficial questionnaire handed out by the students of a German university, many thought of caviar, carpets, and political statements on hearing the name of Iran, he stated. Only those over 50 could remember other things about the country, but the youth had almost no information about Iran, he added.
He pointed to the role of public relations at this stage and the importance of publicity, saying, The first impression is the best impression. Therefore, European automobile makers and factory owners spend all their energy and money on making the best first impression. Even if their products do not enjoy high quality, the image created in the minds of people will guarantee high sales.
This is true about countries, too. The image of Iran in Europeans minds is the events of the year 1979: street fights, armed battles, and blood. At the present time, it is not so in Iran, but I can not say this to everybody. Good public relations is the great need of Iran in order to help create a new image in the minds of foreigners.
If you want to begin a relationship with a boy or a girl, you begin to talk about yourself and mention all your good points in order to make him/her become interested in you. This can be called a kind of advertising. And now, if you want someone else to introduce you to others, this is not advertising, this is called public relations.
The next speaker was Charles van der Straten Waillet, the president of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), who described the view of Iran among Belgians and Europeans.
Nobody has any information about Iran in Europe. If we even acknowledge that Iran is the most Muslim country in the world, we must admit that there is no clear idea about Islam in Europe. You and I, after years of study, know that Islam is the religion of peace, but the people of Europe dont know this. The only image of Islam they have is Bin Laden, whose name is connected with terrorism. So it is quite natural to guess what their attitude toward Iran might be. But is it really so?
Waillet pointed out that the first moves must be made in the Iranian public and private sectors, adding, When such an attitude, which is untrue, is growing rapidly in Europe and other countries, the role of the public and private sectors in tourism is obvious. All minds must focus on changing the image of Iran in the world; otherwise, no one would risk his/her life to travel to a country where he/she might be killed at any moment.
He then pointed to the three important points of creating relations with people, identifying possible opportunities, and organizing communications to achieve a unique goal.
According to Waillet, the dispute over Irans civilian nuclear program undermines efforts to promote tourism in Iran, especially since the European media are covering the dispute in a biased way.
Of course, this is not the only case which ruins the positive efforts of Iranians. On several occasions, Iranian officials from both the public and private sectors have unintentionally ruined the positive impressions they had long tried to make through their statements or behavior. So, the proverb speech is silver, silence is gold should be repeated in Iran sometimes.
The efforts by Iranians must be respected, but we must not forget to whom we are introducing our country. An extensive introduction to the world can not be made by an ambassador, an exhibition, or one person; it requires strong public relations.
Waillet explained that each Iranian is a clerk of this big public relations office and must bear in mind that they must make a good impression and introduce Iran in the best way possible in their journeys and in their meetings with foreigners.
Focusing on embassies as the first communication centers which are in close contact with foreigners, asking for help from Iranians residing in foreign countries, and friendship with charity foundations in different countries might seem unofficial, but make the greatest impression in creating the correct and real image of Iran. In this case, one could expect a big change in Irans tourism in a way that does not require additional advertisement, he stated.
Although the speeches by the two European experts were quite impressive, Morteza Ahmadi, the director of the Planning and Training Department of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO), explained, There is no doubt that the image of Iran outside the country is not what it really should be, but the government has focused on the issue of tourism for only two years. In the previous years, tourism was not a major issue due to the revolution, the war, and the reconstruction process in the country after the war, but there have been many more activities over the past two years to attract the figure of 20 million tourists in the year 2014.
The government has allocated a budget of 300 billion dollars to spend on tourism, for things such as building hotels, establishing exhibitions, and training those active in the field of tourism.
But Achelis has a positive proposition. He said that these are all just ideas and require more research, but successful countries prove that the ideas are practical.
He believes that most of the budget should be spent on creating a good image of the country in the world. To eliminate the false images and replace them with new concepts requires accurate planning, through which tourists would be attracted to Iran, he added.
The money the tourists spend can help pay for the construction of hotels and additional facilities, but as long as tourists do not visit Iran, no dollars will come in, he noted.
Considering its tourist attractions, Iran is a five-star country, he pointed out, adding, If you dont have good facilities to provide services to tourists, you have a great opportunity for ecotourism. You can sell your nature to make money for future facilities. Although improper usage might lead to environmental damage, you can get help from successful countries like African countries.
He said that the negative points that come to mind on hearing the name of Iran are nuclear energy, a religious and radical government, as well as individual restrictions. On the other hand, the positive points are its ancient civilization, light music, and handicrafts such as carpets, he said. The contrast between these two shows how far the image of Iran is from the reality on the ground, he emphasized.
The experts participating in the seminar concluded that there are five ways to boost Irans tourism industry:
(1) Strong and professional public relations must be established to disseminate correct information to the public. Everybody can play a small but important role.
(2) Target countries for boosting relations must be chosen. This requires serious study with a focus on individuals and their behavior. In addition, each country has relations with others which help them share their experiences as well.
(3) Ideas and statements about Iran in the world media must be analyzed. This will help efforts to identify threats and turn them into opportunities. As long as one does not know where the threat is coming from, one cannot stop it.
(4) Products and organizations must be introduced to the world. To make correct relations with other countries, it is not difficult to learn their tastes and preferences, but this is a very sensitive issue. One wrong step can scare tourists away for many years.
(5) A positive image must be created and maintained. This can be done through planning journeys, organizing charity activities for the benefit of other countries, arranging concerts, and using the internet, newspapers, and television networks.
Ahmadi warmly welcomed all the propositions and ideas and announced Irans readiness to cooperate and hold more sessions on the development of tourism and public relations.
(Description of Source: Tehran Mehr News Agency WWW-Text in English -- Launched on 22 June 2003, its managing director Parviz Esma'ili stated that the news agency primarily aims at promoting the Islamic culture.)
Ahmadi-Nejad is totally consumed by "Mahdi-mania" and is more then willing to provoke the Shi'ite version of "Return of the Expected One" by triggering first a regional war with Israel, which he hopes greatly broadens, escalating quickly into World War III. Russia is assisting the radical jihadic Tehran régime with the knowhow to instigate the unthinkable. Maybe Putin's KGB has even figured out how to prevent wind currents from carrying radiation into the capitol of his Neo-Soviet Union.
"President Ahmadi-Nejad's apparent reaction to all this was to to decree that in future all women had to wear a black tent-like garment called a "chador" (literally meaning a tent) and would no longer be permitted to wear long coats and headscarves."
If he did, it's a well kept secret. Please ask Mr. Peters which Persian websites/newspapers/radio or TV programs have mentioned it. I haven't heard of it.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/12/19/D8EJG5V80.html
I know you dont like Alan, but the news is the news
I've already read about the music ban.
I know the news is the news. That's why I'd like to know about the source of the chador decree. That is going to be a BIG issue when it hits the street. And as far as I know, it hasn't. That's why I said it's a secret.
I don't doubt that it might happen, I'd just like to know more. Does he have a source for the story?
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