Movement's call for boycott of anti-Semite "Ghods Day" rallies well perceived
SMCCDI (Information Service)
Nov 20, 2003
The Movement call for a massive boycott of the governmental anti-Semite rallies of "Ghods Day" has been well perceived by many in Iran. The SMCCDI's call which was part of a statement condemning last week's bombings in Istanbul and accusing the Islamic regime of sponsorship and promotion of Islamist Terrorism was issued on Monday and broadcasted by several abroad based sources, such as the famous Azadi and NITV Satellite Networks.
The mouvement requested as well the official ban, by major European countries, of such rallies planned to be held in their capitals. The request was made as a symbolic gesture and despite knowing the countries, such as Germany or France, are following a dual policy and will not interfere in the organization of such Hate Actions by groups funded by the Iranian clerics. An official meeting was held, yesterday, in Berlin where the Movement's request for ban along with the condemnation, by several right groups, of German authorities silence were discussed.
The Berlin's Mayor pressured by a growing anti hate opinion has only promised " to ask from the organizers to avoid shouting hate slogans".
In Iran, most nationals have planned to stay home, tomorrow, and far from the governmental rallies where the same load of usual "professional" demonstrators and forced school students and gvernmental employees will be brought to the scenes of this "show of force" by the Islamic regime.
It's to note that as the Movement's stated in its analysis, the Istanbul bombings against Jewish centers happened just the day after that the regime's Supreme Leader pointed to the dangers threatening the Iranian theocracy and requested actions and a massive participation in "Ghods Rallies" .
The "Ghods Day" was instated, in 1979, by Rouh-ollah Khomeini who made of Israel the first target of his regime. "Ghods" means "Jerusalem" in Arabic language.
The Movement's call was issued in Persian and translated in several languages, such as, English, French and German and was mass e.mailed while being posted on this website.
http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_3680.shtmlUS, allies seek to close divide on Iran
Powell urges hard line while Europe strikes softer note
By Brian Whitmore, Globe Correspondent, 11/20/2003
VIENNA -- Diplomats convening today to address Iran's alleged weapons program worked late into last night in an effort to mend a growing rift between the United States and key European allies over how hard a line to take with Tehran.
The Bush administration has accused Iran of using its civilian nuclear power program to covertly produce plutonium and enriched uranium, which could be used in nuclear bombs. It had been pushing for the International Atomic Energy Agency to declare Tehran in violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and to bring the issue before the UN Security Council, which could impose sanctions.
"America believes the IAEA must be true to its purpose and hold Iran to its obligations," President Bush said in a speech in London yesterday.
Britain, Germany, and France are pushing a softer line and have circulated a draft resolution on Iran that the United States views as inadequate. The European nations argue that despite past concealments of nuclear activities, Iran has recently come clean and agreed to comprehensive inspections.
Punishing Iran when it is beginning to cooperate, they say, could prompt Tehran to cease its new openness, possibly withdraw from the Nonproliferation Treaty, and spark an international crisis.
Faced with an impasse as the IAEA's 35-member board of governors begins meetings in Vienna today, Germany, Britain, and France are working to insert language into the draft resolution "that would be more acceptable to the United States," Western diplomats close to the talks said last night.
Some diplomats said a possible compromise would formally forgo reporting Iran to the Security Council and pushing for sanctions, but would seek tougher language in the draft condemning Tehran's past concealment of its nuclear activities and saying that Iran had "breached" the Nonproliferation Treaty.
A US official who spoke on the condition of anonymity described the situation as "very fluid" and would not comment on the details of a potential compromise.
How the issue is resolved, diplomats close to the talks say, could set an important precedent for how to combat proliferation amid mounting fears that nuclear weapons could spread to terrorists and to states that support them.
The trans-Atlantic rift broke into the open in Brussels earlier this week when Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and European foreign ministers failed to agree on a common approach to Iran's alleged nuclear program. Powell expressed concern that the draft resolution prepared by Britain, Germany, and France fell short of declaring Iran to be in violation of the Nonproliferation Treaty.
"We had some reservations . . . about whether the resolution is strong enough to convey to the world the difficulties that we have had with Iran over the years," Powell said Tuesday.
The draft focused on Iran's efforts to cooperate with the international community in the past few weeks, including the voluntary suspension of uranium enrichment and agreement to allow tougher inspections by the IAEA. Critics say it minimizes nearly two decades of covert possession and potential production of plutonium and enriched uranium.
Some countries on the IAEA board, including Canada, Australia, and Japan, support the US approach. But the majority, including Russia and China, appear to back the Europeans, diplomats said. Russia's foreign minister, Igor Ivanov, told CNN yesterday that he saw "no grounds for imposing sanctions against Iran."
In a classified Nov. 10 IAEA report, the agency's director, Mohamed ElBaradei, detailed 18 years of Iranian nuclear violations, including the failure to report plutonium production and uranium enrichment. But he said there was no evidence that Tehran was trying to build a bomb. "In the past, Iran has concealed many aspects of its nuclear activities, with resultant breaches of its obligations," said the report, which was made available to the Globe. It added, however, "There is no evidence that the previously undeclared nuclear material and activities . . . were related to a nuclear weapons program."
Signatories to the Nonproliferation Treaty may enrich uranium, but must report such activity to the IAEA. The IAEA report also said that "Iran's policy of concealment continued until last month" and that cooperation had been "limited and restrictive." But in recent weeks, Tehran had "shown active cooperation and openness."
On Oct. 21, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Britain won key concessions from Iran, including an agreement to voluntarily suspend uranium enrichment and to allow the more stringent inspections.
But Hassan Rohani, the head of Iran's powerful Supreme National Security Council, warned yesterday that Iran would not tolerate any resolution legally requiring it to cease enriching uranium.
"Any sentence in the resolution that turns our voluntary suspension into a legal commitment will be unacceptable for us," Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.
Material from Reuters and the Associated Press was included in this report.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2003/11/20/us_allies_seek_to_close_divide_on_iran?mode=PF