Posted on 02/16/2003 8:55:53 PM PST by InShanghai
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran said Sunday it has arrested and deported more than 500 infiltrators suspected of links to the al-Qaida terrorist group but couldn't confirm reports Osama bin Laden's eldest son was among them. In announcing the deportations, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said the 500 were sent back to their countries of origin. He did not say when or over what period the arrests took place.
"This is our policy to crack down on any person suspected of links to al-Qaida," Kharrazi said.
He added that Iran had no knowledge about reports that Saad bin Laden was in Iran.
"Allegations about bin Laden's son are not new. Definitely, we will arrest him if he is located in Iran," he said.
Osama bin Laden has at least 23 children by several wives. Saad bin Laden, believed to be the oldest at about age 23, has emerged as an al-Qaida leader and is on America's most wanted terrorist list.
Iran said last year it arrested and deported 150 infiltrators suspected of links to al-Qaida. The infiltrators entered Iran across its eastern border, which is shared with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Last August, Saudi Arabia said Iran extradited 16 al-Qaida suspects to the kingdom.
Also Sunday, Kharrazi blasted U.S. preparations for war against Iraq and said Washington was "not sincere" in the fight against unconventional weapons.
"If weapons of mass destruction are bad, why have the U.S. and other Western countries armed Iraq with such weapons? Why don't they regret and apologize for their contribution in arming Iraq? Why do they even support Israel in having such weapons?" he said.
Iran says it has no sympathy for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein but at the same time is opposed to U.S. military action, fearing that it will give Washington a free hand in the future of Iraq and result in Iran being encircled by pro-U.S. governments.
Iran holds Saddam responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of its soldiers and civilians in the devastating 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, when Saddam used poison gas on Iranian troops.
Kharrazi came under political attack in Iran's parliament Sunday. A third of Iran's lawmakers signed a petition demanding his impeachment for accepting a recent visit to Tehran by his Iraqi counterpart, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
"The visit created the impression that Iran was supporting (Iraq's president) and trying to help him get out of international isolation," IRNA quoted lawmaker Noureddin Pirmoazzen as saying.
Pirmoazzen said the petition was signed by more than 100 legislators, IRNA reported. An impeachment vote would need 146 members - a simple majority - to pass.
Also this weekend, U.N. human rights officials arrived in Iran for talks with top officials on arbitrary detentions and to visit prisons in several cities, the U.N. Information Center in Iran said Sunday.
The five-member team arrived in the capital Tehran on Saturday for a two-week visit following an invitation from the Iranian government, the center said.
***INA TODAY.com - INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANALYSIS TODAY: "IMPENDING TERROR THREAT UNREPORTED" by Toby Westerman (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Iran -- a burgeoning nuclear power and one of the nations comprising the "axis of evil" -- is strengthening its ties with Cuba, a Marxist nation with a demonstrated capacity to easily infiltrate the territory and government of the United States. Demonstrating its developing commitment to Cuba, Iran's ambassador to Havana, Ahmad Edrisian, last week defined his nation's relations with the Caribbean island nation as "excellent," and one which will "continue to grow" in "political, economic, and cultural" areas, according to Radio Havana Cuba, the official broadcasting service of the Cuban government. The U.S. suspects Iran of assisting Cuba in the development of biological weapons, but Iran claims that it is engaged in "humanitarian and scientific" exchanges with the communist-dominated island. Iran, however, declares that it is joined with Cuba in a "common struggle."")(February 16, 2003)
HIPAKISTAN.com: "OSAMA BIN LADEN'S SON SPOTTED IN IRAN: REPORT" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "RIYADH: Osama bin Laden's eldest son, Saad, who was with his father during the US-led air campaign against Afghanistan in 2001, is currently in Iran, a Saudi-owned newspaper reported Thursday. "Saad, the eldest son of Osama bin Laden, head of the al-Qaeda network, was spotted in Iran," Al-Sharq Al-Awsat said, citing a diplomatic source and without giving further details. The pan-Arab paper added that bin Laden himself "is not in Iran." Asharq Al-Awsat reported last July that Saad had taken over the command of al-Qaeda since the US offensive against al-Qaeda bases in Afghanistan. That disclosure, the daily said at the time, "substantiates the theory that Osama was killed or seriously wounded" in the US-led military campaign.") (February 15, 2003)
***WASHINGTON TIMES.com: 'BIN LADEN SON, AL QAEDA TERRORISTS SPOTTED IN IRAN" by Bill Gertz (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "U.S. intelligence agencies say Osama bin Laden's oldest son, Sad, is in Iran along with other senior al Qaeda terrorists, as Iranian military forces have been placed on their highest state of alert in anticipation of a U.S. attack on Iraq, according to intelligence officials. Sad bin Laden was spotted in Iran last month, according to officials familiar with intelligence reports. Sad is believed to be a key leader of the al Qaeda terrorist network since U.S. and allied forces ousted the ruling Taliban militia in Afghanistan.") (February 15, 2003)
***MEMRI.org - MIDDLE EAST MEDIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE: "EDITOR OF IRANIAN CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT DAILY ATTACKS PRESIDENT BUSH AND CALLS ON MUSLIM YOUTH TO LAUNCH MARTYRDOM OPERATIONS AGAINST THE U.S." (ARTICLE NOTE: The editor is identified as Hussain Shariatmadari.) (NOTE: "Martyrdom" is also known as "Shehada.") (012303)
Wake up and be real.
Exactly right. They are afraid that the next deli number to be called will be theirs. After we serve up some Saddami Sandwiches that is.
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