Other Iran current affairs news in brief
http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=28278&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs
Saturday, January 01, 2005 - ©2004 IranMania.com
LONDON, Jan 1 (IranMania)
- A high-ranking member of Iran's National Front, Dr Masoud Hejazi passed away in Tehran on Friday. He was a member of the leadership delegation of Iran's National Front- Iran Emrooz.
- An official in the consultation center of Tehran University said that 17% of the country's medical freshmen this year have been diagnosed with some kind of mental disorder - IRNA
- Iran's Guardian Council finally agreed to the date proposed by the Ministry of Interior for holding the upcoming presidential elections. The ballot will in all probability be held on June 16th of the next Iranian calendar year- Fars News Agency
- Secretary of Iran's State Expediency Council, Mohsen Rezaei predicted the participation of more than 25,000,000 Iranians in the upcoming presidential elections- Aftab
- The 2006 World Summit on ' Museums' will be held in Iran - Iran Daily
Brief Fri. 31 Dec 2004
http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1125
Iran Focus
Weekly sheds new light on Iranian involvement in French hostage taking
Canard Enchaîne wrote in its final December issue “An Iranian minister came from Tehran to Paris with a message from President Khatami to announce to Chirac that the two hostages will be freed by the end of 2004”. Shedding new light on Iran’s involvement in the kidnapping of two French journalists in Iraq, the weekly added, “The envoy accompanied by Sadeq Kharrazi, the Islamic Republic's Ambassador to Paris, met with the French Interior minister in mid-December. Shortly afterwards, Chirac privately met with the envoy, where he gave him the good news. Iran's Hezbollah agents in Lebanon played a significant role in this case”.
Jordan's Foreign Minister again accuses Iran of role in instability in Iraq
Jordan’s Foreign Minister accused Iran of meddling in Iraq's affairs. Hani Al-Molghi said that Iran is trying to influence the Iraqi election. “The establishment of a pro-Iran religious Shiite regime in Iraq will upset the existing balance in the Middle East and will not be in the interest of the people of Iraq", he said Wednesday.
Majlis deputies receive $1,000 each
An Iranian state-run news agency, ILNA wrote that the Majlis (parliament) Speaker had deposited 10 million rials into the bank accounts of all the current Majlis deputies. The ten-million-rial bonus was justified as "The Majlis speaker's compensation for the costs involved in being a Majlis deputy".
January 1, 2005 - 23:02
http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/news/shownews.jsp?content=w010141A
Iranian presidential election scheduled for June 17
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's constitutional watchdog has approved June 17 as the date for a presidential election, Iranian television reported Saturday, marking the first contest for control of the presidency since Muslim clerics barred reformist candidates from last year's legislative election.
Whoever emerges victorious will face substantial challenges, including the task of persuading the world Iran's nuclear program is peaceful and responding to President George W. Bush's labelling of Iran as part of the "axis of evil."
The Guardian Council has agreed to hold the presidential election June 17, television quoted council spokesman Gholamhossein Elham saying. Conservatives have gained the upper hand over reformists in the legislature since the Guardian Council barred reformist candidates from running in the February 2004 election.
By-elections in several cities will also be held at the same time, Elham said.
On Monday, Iran's largest reform party, the Islamic Iran Participation Front, chose former cabinet minister Mostafa Moin, a close ally of President Mohammad Khatami, as its sole candidate in the upcoming elections.
The Guardian Council, which vets all legislation and elections, disqualified more than 2,000 reformist candidates in legislative polls in February, effectively barring reformers from the assembly.
Hard-liners are hoping to consolidate their grip on power and further erode the reformists' base of power. Former president Hashemi Rafsanjani, still a powerful force in Iran and a leading hard-liner, has said he will run if most political groups support his candidacy.
Former hard-line clerics who now support reforms have expressed support for former speaker Mahdi Karroubi.
The election will choose a successor to replace Khatami in August, a reformist whose political and social agenda has been stifled by conservatives. Khatami is prevented from running for a third term by the Iranian constitution.