Iranian Alert -- DAY 35 -- LIVE THREAD PING LIST

Live Thread Ping List ^ | 7.14.2003 | DoctorZin

[dixiechick2000]

Well, phooey...I missed your interview.

Thank you for all of the threads. I was able to, at least, scan them while I was traveling. I'm not caught up, yet, but I'm working on it.

[DoctorZIn]

Iran Students Seek Meeting with UN Special Rapporteur

July 14, 2003
Middle East Online
middle-east-online.com

TEHRAN - Iranian students want to meet United Nations' (UN) special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Ambeyi Ligabo, during his forthcoming visit to Iran, they said on Monday.

In a letter to the UN Commission on Human Rights the students said: "Following a letter sent by the Office to Consolidate Unity (OCU - the main student reform movement) to the UN Secretary General on human rights violations in Iran, five new members of our group have been arrested.

"We have no information about their whereabouts, nor the charges levelled against them."

In an eight-page open letter the OCU last week issued "a call for help" to Secretary General Kofi Annan and denounced "these dark days" and what they called "political and social apartheid" in Iran.

"In view of the growing pressures on the student movement, the danger of the dissolution of the OCU, the possibility that universities will be closed and the students involved expelled, we the representatives of the Islamic Associations of Students demand a meeting with the special rapporteur of the UNCHR to discuss the issue of imprisoned students," Monday's letter said.

The Islamic Associations of Students is one of the groups that come under the umbrella of the OCU.

"We are writing to you to enumerate the long list of violations against the international declaration of human rights by the Iranian government and we ask the UN to look into them," it continued.

The OCU denounced the practice of torture, the murders of intellectuals and political opponents in 1998, political arrests - particularly those of students and journalists - as well as the banning of events to mark the fourth anniversary of bloody pro-democracy student riots on July 9.

Ligabo will hold meetings with senior officials of the Iranian government and judges during his visit, from July 17 to 27, and would also like to meet representatives of the media and the universities, a UN statement announcing his trip said.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=6379

[DoctorZIn]

US Rebuffs Iran Offer of Nuclear Talks

July 14, 2003
The Financial Times
Guy Dinmore

Iran has indicated to the US it is ready to open direct talks about its nuclear programme, but US officials say the Bush administration is keeping the door closed.

The Iranian offer was presented as a first step towards tackling other contentious issues, such as terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Tehran's overtures have been conducted mainly through Mohammad Javad Zarif, its ambassador to the United Nations, in discussions with Americans in close contact with the Bush administration, including at least one former senior official. The Iranian leadership's readiness to open a dialogue with the US was also conveyed by Tim Guldimann, the Swiss ambassador to Tehran, in a recent visit to Washington. Switzerland represents US interests in Iran.

But although the US is actively seeking a dialogue with North Korea, a member of President George W. Bush's declared "axis of evil", and is engaged in talks with other "rogue states", such as Libya and Syria, US officials say there is little appetite for negotiations with Iran.

"We are not reaching out at this point," said a State Department official, adding that the matter was still under review.

Within the Bush administration some senior officials advocate "regime change" as its Iran policy, while a minority proposes engagement. But for now, the prevailing view is that the US has been effective in working with Europe and Japan to put economic pressure on Iran.

People in Tehran and Washington close to the Iranian government said Mr Zarif did not have the authority to propose a grand strategy of engagement with the ultimate aim of restoring diplomatic relations. But he is believed to have high-level backing for negotiations on an issue-by-issue basis, starting with the nuclear crisis.

How soon Iran can develop nuclear weapons is a question that troubles the US intelligence services. Some officials in Washington think it could take several years. But Daniel Ayalon, Israeli ambassador to Washington, says Israel has shortened its estimate.

"The point of no return - where they are on the verge or on the way to get nuclear capabilities - is much, much smaller now, could be even a matter of a year or so," he told NBC television last week.

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1057562388853&p=1012571727172

[DoctorZIn]

Another journalist arrested in Iran

TEHRAN: Journalist Iraj Rasteghar, director of the weekly magazine Tavana, suspended two years ago, was arrested Monday, the student news agency ISNA reported, bringing to four the number of journalists detained in Iran since Saturday.

“Iraj Rasteghar was arrested this morning on the order of the Tehran public and revolutionary prosecution and transferred to Evin prison”, ISNA said, quoting a source at the banned paper.

“On Sunday the prosecution office sent a subpoena to the director of the weekly magazine. This morning the court fixed bail at 200 million rials (24,200 dollars) which he could not pay. Therefore, he was arrested and sent to Ervin prison.” Tavana has close ties to the liberal opposition in Iran. Since 2000, Iranian authorities have suspended the publication of nearly 100 papers, most from the pro-reform camp. On Saturday, three journalists, Hossein Bastani and Vahid Ostad-Pour, from the reformist daily newspaper Yass-e No, and Shahram Mohamadi-Denied, director of the weekly Vaght (Time), were arrested.

The latest arrest on Monday brings to 22 the number of journalists currently in prison in Iran. The Tehran prosecution office also announced the suspension of the reformist daily newspaper Hambasteghi (Solidarity). The judiciary justified this decision on the grounds that the paper has not had a director since the resignation of deputy Ebrahim Baye Salami. Under Iranian law, a newspaper can not be published unless it has a director. But Mehrnoush Jafari, director of the ministry of culture and Islamic orientation, said, “The problem of the daily newspapers Hambasteghi and Javan has been settled, and I hope that the two newspapers can operate once again.” —AFP

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_15-7-2003_pg4_15

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail me”

[DoctorZIn]

Iran, Japan Defy U.S., Close in on Huge Oil Deal

July 15, 2003
The Japan Times
japantimes.co.jp

TEHRAN -- Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh has announced that Iran and Japan are close to clinching a USD 2.8 billion deal to develop the massive Azadegan oil field despite U.S. objections, Iran's official news agency reported Monday.

"Despite American pressures, the Azadegan oil deal with Japan is nearing finalization," he was quoted as saying by the Persian daily Khorassan, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.

According to the IRNA report, the oil minister's remarks have "dispelled speculation that Tokyo had bowed down to U.S. pressure and pulled out of the venture."

Zanganeh said his ministry negotiated with Chinese, Indian and Russian consortiums, but "the chances of concluding a deal with Japan are high."

Last week, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that Iran reserved the right to enter into negotiations with oil companies from countries other than Japan over the development of the huge field, with a consortium made up of Japanese firms having failed to reach a deal with the Oil Ministry before an end-of-June deadline.

It added, however, that Japan had not been ruled out and that Japanese firms were still continuing negotiations with Oil Ministry officials to see if they could hammer out a deal.

A state-backed private consortium including Tomen Corp., Inpex Corp. and Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. has been negotiating with Iran over the development of the field for about two years.

Azadegan, located in southern Iran, is thought to hold the biggest undeveloped oil reserves in the world -- an estimated 26 billion barrels of crude oil.

During President Mohammad Khatami's visit to Japan in 2000, Tehran offered preferential rights to Japanese consortiums over the oil field's development.

In return, Japan pledged to grant Iran a $3 billion credit line over three years, according to an IRNA report.

The U.S. opposes the deal due to concerns over Iran's suspected development of nuclear weapons, its alleged support for Islamic extremists, its suspected harboring of key al-Qaeda members, and its relations with Shiite terrorist organizations in Iraq.

Japan is looking to ink a deal with Tehran over the development of the Azadegan oil field to diversify its petroleum sources, having lost concessions to the Saudi Arabia-controlled segment of the offshore Khafji oil field in the Persian Gulf in 2000.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nb20030715a2.htm

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail me”

[McGavin999]

Looks like the media doesn't stand up for it's own. I knew they were a bunch of jackels over here, but I didn't realize they were so totally emasculated they would allow a fellow journalist to be jailed for nothing.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

That is not good news!

Bush Doctrine Unfolds :

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[Valin]

Good God! Are the people of Iran going to allow this? Are they going to stand by while this happens?

One word my friend Romania.

[F14 Pilot]

It is good to know what others think about us.
This helps us analyze the issues properly, distinguish emeny from friend and get a better view of the future.
I'd like to read all medias, even commies or mullahs' medias.
They are useful for all of us to know more about others and their views.

[F14 Pilot]

Re#35
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi: We must understand that there cannot be one uniform Middle Eastern policy. What happened in Afghanistan and Iraq can not happen in Iran. There is no doubt that regime change will happen at the hands of Iranians themselves. The best support from the outside world in promoting this change is moral for our people.

[DoctorZIn]

Activist says Iran won't survive

2003-07-15 / Associated Press /
A jailed pro-reform activist has warned Iran's hard-line establishment that it could collapse like the Soviet Union did if it does not change its repressive regime and treatment of prisoners.

Abbas Abdi said in a letter from Evin prison, north of the Iranian capital, that Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi had openly threatened to harass his family and forced him to write confessions while in jail.

Abdi, a senior member of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, Iran's largest reformist party, was jailed in November 2002 over charges of selling classified information to foreign intelligence agencies after a poll he conducted showed strong public support for dialogue with America.

"Mortazavi even dictated the words to me how to defend myself (and) threatened that my family will be in trouble if I didn't (go along)," Abdi said in his letter.

"Physical torture is more tolerable than these sort of tortures," Abdi said in his letter signed June 14 and shown to reporters Sunday by his daughter, Maryam, during a press conference.

Maryam Abdi said the letter has been presented to President Mohammad Khatami, a close adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other top officials.

Abdi said he told his interrogators that the ruling establishment's collapse was inevitable if it didn't change its behavior.

"Prior to disintegration of Soviet Union, a paper was presented during a conference in Moscow offering scientific reasons on the country's problems. Three years after disintegration, the analysis offered in the paper proved to be accurate," the letter said.

"Such charges and harsh behaviors (in Iran) will not lead to a different fate."

http://www.etaiwannews.com/World/2003/07/15/1058231568.htm

[DoctorZIn]

I am hearing from Iran....

"They are in hunger strikes to protest against the latest seizures. The security forces seized Dr. Ameri Nasab, a member of Tahkim Vahdat office.
[several] hours ago, we had a report from RADIO FARDA about this and it seems that medias dont talk much about this. "

[DoctorZIn]

This Thread is now closed.

Join Us at the Iranian Alert -- DAY 36 -- LIVE THREAD PING LIST

Live Thread Ping List | 7.15.2003 | DoctorZIn

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail me”