Iranian Alert - October 28, 2004 [EST]- IRAN LIVE THREAD - "Americans for Regime Change in Iran"

Iran steps up confrontation with Europe on nuclear deal

By Anne Penketh, Diplomatic Editor

28 October 2004

Iran yesterday stepped up its confrontation with European countries as its Supreme Leader threatened to break off negotiations over its suspect nuclear weapons programme.

Senior officials from Britain, France and Germany yesterday held negotiations in Vienna with an Iranian delegation to persuade Iran into indefinitely suspending uranium enrichment ahead of a deadline in one month. It could be used to produce a nuclear weapon.

The EU countries are warning that Iran must comply with the demand in time for the next governors' meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency on 25 November or face being referred to the UN Security Council for punishment. Initial reports after the talks sounded positive, as both sides spoke of some progress and agreed to meet again next week. But a British official said ominously: "I don't think we're that close yet" to an agreement.

Last night, making his first comments on the dispute on which he has the final say on behalf of Iran, the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rejected a long-term suspension of uranium enrichment. "If there is any form of threat in the talks, it will show a lack of logic on the part of [Iran's] partners in the negotiations. In that case, the great Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic of Iran will reconsider the very basis of negotiations and co-operation," he said.

Iran has heightened tensions by testing a long-range missile on 20 October, while hardliners in parliament have introduced a bill to force the government to resume enrichment and halt snap UN inspections of nuclear facilities. There are fears that the Iranians will try to wring every possible concession right up to the IAEA meeting.

The Iranians also have their eye on the American elections next Tuesday, in the hope that a Kerry administration would adopt a less hard line than George Bush, who wants the Security Council to take action against Iran. Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

In their "last chance" offer to Tehran, the three European countries are offering Iran the acquisition of a light water research reactor and resumed trade negotiations with the EU, in return for compliance. The EU states would also back the Russian Bushehr nuclear reactor project in Iran and Russia's guarantees of reactor fuel.

They privately recognise that there is not enough support among Security Council members to impose sanctions, and there are fears that sanctions could prove counter-productive if the Council is not united.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies said last week that in the cases of Iran and North Korea, "the US and its allies may not have sufficient instruments of enticement or coercion to achieve disarmament. The threat of effective sanctions is difficult to realise and military options are unappealing."

An independent expert said the deal being offered by the Europeans was favourable for Iran, adding that the Iranians would rather accept European technology than Russian.

European Union exports to Iran grow by 25 percent

The European Union is on course to export a record of over Euro 10 billion ($12.7 billion) worth of goods to Iran in 2004, after showing a 25 percent rise in the first half of the year to hit Euro 5.4 billion.

According to IRNA, in contrast Iranian exports to the world's biggest trading bloc grew by just 6 percent to amount to Euro 3.5 billion between January and June compared with the same period in 2003.

The huge growth in EU exports was led by Iran's three largest suppliers, Germany, Italy and France, whose sales together stood at Euro 3.85 billion, accounting for 77 percent of the rise.

Exports from Germany in the first half of 2004 rose to Euro 1.6 billion from Euro 1.2 billion in the same period last year. Sales from France grew from Euro 833 million to Euro 1.2 billion, overtaking Italy`s increase of Euro 128 m to Euro 1 billion in second place. (menareport.com)

www.menareport.com/story/TheNews.php3?sid=287859〈=e&dir=mena

2004 Wednesday 27 October

Mohsen Rezai directly threatened Europeans countries

At the commencement of the second series of talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the EU Big 3, the ex-head of the Revolutionary Guard, Mohsen Rezai threatened the three European Leaders stating that any further pressure from them on Iran to cease further nuclear development will lead to exposing "secrets" about the Europeans.

He said: "the leaders is clear on acquiring nuclear capability. They (the Europeans) are serious about Iran not acquiring nuclear capability." He went on: "We should never have been in this spot as the (IRI) leaders will have to shut these Europeans up, cut their expectations down and make some serious decisions!"

Guard Rezai who was speaking at the liberal arts college of the Free University of Tehran, attacking the experts in charge of Iran´s nuclear records went on to say: "The parties responsible for Iran´s records should not have panicked, threatening to take the case to the Security Council."

The Secretary of the society of recognition of the expediency of the Islamic Republic of Iran referring to an item of the terrorist measures in Europe said: "Tomorrow they order us to do certain things and the U.S. will open the gates of technology for you...this is another one of their dreams..."

Iran’s GC members summoned by judiciary

LONDON, Oct 28 (IranMania) – According to Iran’s Aftab Daily, Iran’s Guardian Council sent a letter to the country’s judiciary head emphasizing that summoning the council’s members for elaboration on the disqualification of certain candidates for the 7th Iranian Parliament elections is in direct violation of Article 99 of the Iranian Constitution.

“According to Article 99 of the Constitution, the Guardian Council is tasked with investigating the qualifications of the presidential and parliamentary candidates and the decisions of the council are totally based on precise investigations.” part of the letter reads.

Following a wave of protests and on the threshold of the upcoming presidential elections, the Iranian judiciary has summoned a number of Guardian Council members to explain their reasons for preventing certain 7th parliamentary elections’ aspirants from standing in the elections.

Iran-EU3 talks to resume Nov 5 as deadline looms

28 Oct 2004 15:32:49 GMT

Source: Reuters

VIENNA, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Nuclear talks between the EU and Iran will resume in Paris on Nov. 5 with Tehran facing a looming deadline to agree to freeze uranium enrichment or face referral to the U.N. Security Council, diplomats said on Thursday.

The Paris talks will build on a second round of negotiations between officials from Iran, Britain, Germany and France in Vienna on Wednesday described as positive and constructive by both sides.

"The EU has a positive feeling about the meeting yesterday. The talks were substantive," said an EU diplomat.

"The next round will be in Paris on November 5," said a diplomat from one of the EU's three biggest countries. A Western diplomat confirmed the date and venue for the talks.

The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Iranian negotiators hinted during Wednesday's talks that Iran was prepared to freeze uranium enrichment for a short period.

"Their opening gambit was for the suspension to last two or three months," said the EU trio diplomat.

The EU has called for Iran -- which insists its atomic programme is geared solely to electricity production -- to agree to an indefinite freeze on enrichment which can be used to make either nuclear power reactor fuel or bomb-grade material.

"They need to agree to the suspension by around Nov. 10 in order for the U.N. to verify it in time for the Nov. 25 board meeting" of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the EU trio diplomat said.

The EU has warned it will back U.S. calls for Iran to be reported to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions at the Nov. 25 IAEA meeting if the enrichment suspension is not verifiably in place by then.

But while Iran is open to a freeze on enrichment it steadfastly refused to contemplate scrapping enrichment for good as the European Union and Washington wants.

"Cessation (of enrichment) is out of the question," Hossein Mousavian, a senior Iranian security official, told Reuters in Tehran.

"This is our red line. If it is the other party's red line as well then we may have to try a period of confrontation in the Security Council," he said. "But Iran is ready for confidence-building measures to assure the world that our uranium enrichment programme will never be diverted (to military use)."

The EU is offering Iran various incentives to scrap its enrichment activities including a guaranteed supply of reactor fuel, help with building a light-water power reactor and a resumption of stalled trade talks.

(Additional reporting by Paul Hughes and Parisa Hafezi in Tehran, Sebastian Alison in Brussels)

Iran: MEPs condemn execution of children and persecution of journalists

Joint motion for a resolution on Iran
Doc.: B6-0107/2004, B6-0113/2004, B6-0116/2004, B6-0118/2004, B6-0121/2004, B6-0124/2004
Debate/Vote: 28.10.2004

In a resolution adopted by 105 votes in favour and none against with six abstentions, MEPs strongly condemn the execution in Iran of the 16 year old Ateqeh Rajabi and all other death sentences and executions of child offenders in that country. They call on the Iranian authorities immediately to halt all attempts at stoning and to prevent any further application of the death penalty to minors. They reiterate their general opposition to the death penalty and hopes that a judicial reform in Iran will bring this inhumane practice to an end.

Parliament also condemns the recent arbitrary arrests of journalists, and calls on the authorities to release all prisoners prosecuted or sentenced for press- and opinion-related offences. It condemns the travel ban that was imposed on journalist and human rights activist Emadeddin Baghi, as on many other Iranian citizens. It calls on the Iranian Parliament to adapt the Iranian Press Law and the Penal Code to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and notably to repeal all criminal provisions dealing with the peaceful expression of opinion, including in the press. MEPs call on the Iranian authorities to stop the practice of arresting family members of journalists and reformers.

Parliament demands that the Presidency of the Council and the Member States’ diplomatic representatives in Iran urgently undertake concerted action with regard to these concerns and calls on the Council to present a resolution on behalf of the European Union on the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran for the next session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Finally, MEPs call on the Council and the Commission to monitor developments in Iran closely and to raise their serious concerns about human rights abuses in the framework of the EU-Iran human rights dialogue.

Press enquiries:
Ralph Pine
(Strasbourg) tel.(33-3) 881 74751
(Brussels) tel.(32-2) 28 42941
e-mail : rpine@europarl.eu.int

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