Bush meeting with U-N nuclear chief amid new standoff with Iran
March 16, 2004
KFOR News
White House-AP -- President Bush meets with the U-N's nuclear chief today amid new worries over Iran's nuclear program.
After a critical report from the U-N agency, Tehran suspended inspections of its facilities. That move has been denounced by the Bush administration, which thinks the Iranians are trying to build a bomb. A State Department spokesman says Tehran continues "a pattern of delay and deception and denial."
However, Mohamed ElBaradei (ehl-BEHR'-uh-day) -- head of the International Atomic Energy Agency -- says he thinks the Iranians know they have to come clean.
Also today, Bush is meeting with Ireland's prime minister, Bertie Ahern, to mark St. Patrick's Day. The two are expected to discuss an upcoming June summit in Ireland -- which anti-Iraq War protesters have vowed to target.
http://www.kfor.com/Global/story.asp?S=1716701Iran's president says his key reforms plans defeated
March 17, 2004
SFGate.com
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- President Mohammad Khatami conceded defeat Wednesday on two bills meant to check the power of Iran's hard-liners, essentially acknowledging the failure of key pillars of his reformist presidential agenda.
One of the bills aimed to increase presidential powers in order to stop constitutional violations. The other sought to bar the Guardian Council -- a conservative oversight body -- from disqualifying parliamentary and presidential candidates.
"I withdraw the bills and declare that I have met with defeat," Khatami told reporters.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/03/17/international0439EST0469.DTL