Iranian Alert -- October 14, 2003 -- IRAN LIVE THREAD PING LIST

The US media almost entirely ignores news regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran. As Tony Snow of the Fox News Network has put it, “this is probably the most under-reported news story of the year.” But most American’s are unaware that the Islamic Republic of Iran is NOT supported by the masses of Iranians today. Modern Iranians are among the most pro-American in the Middle East.

There is a popular revolt against the Iranian regime brewing in Iran today. Starting June 10th of this year, Iranians have begun taking to the streets to express their desire for a regime change. Most want to replace the regime with a secular democracy. Many even want the US to over throw their government.

The regime is working hard to keep the news about the protest movement in Iran from being reported. Unfortunately, the regime has successfully prohibited western news reporters from covering the demonstrations. The voices of discontent within Iran are sometime murdered, more often imprisoned. Still the people continue to take to the streets to demonstrate against the regime.

In support of this revolt, Iranians in America have been broadcasting news stories by satellite into Iran. This 21st century news link has greatly encouraged these protests. The regime has been attempting to jam the signals, and locate the satellite dishes. Still the people violate the law and listen to these broadcasts. Iranians also use the Internet and the regime attempts to block their access to news against the regime. In spite of this, many Iranians inside of Iran read these posts daily to keep informed of the events in their own country.

This daily thread contains nearly all of the English news reports on Iran. It is thorough. If you follow this thread you will witness, I believe, the transformation of a nation. This daily thread provides a central place where those interested in the events in Iran can find the best news and commentary. The news stories and commentary will from time to time include material from the regime itself. But if you read the post you will discover for yourself, the real story of what is occurring in Iran and its effects on the war on terror.

I am not of Iranian heritage. I am an American committed to supporting the efforts of those in Iran seeking to replace their government with a secular democracy. I am in contact with leaders of the Iranian community here in the United States and in Iran itself.

If you read the daily posts you will gain a better understanding of the US war on terrorism, the Middle East and why we need to support a change of regime in Iran. Feel free to ask your questions and post news stories you discover in the weeks to come.

If all goes well Iran will be free soon and I am convinced become a major ally in the war on terrorism. The regime will fall. Iran will be free. It is just a matter of time.

PS I have a daily ping list and a breaking news ping list. If you would like to receive alerts to these stories please let me know which list you would like to join.

Iran, most Arab states refuse to report arms deals to UN

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, October 13, 2003

Iran and the lion's share of Arab countries have refused to report weapons deals to the United Nations.

The entire Arab League, with the exception of Jordan and Lebanon, did not reply to the UN Register of Convention Arms for 2002. Jordan reported imports of weapons and Lebanon did not report any arms transactions.

Only Greece and Turkey reported the size and composition of their militaries and weaponry.

Israel, Greece and Turkey reported both imports and exports to the UN. Israel reported the sale of 18 large-caliber artillery systems to Uganda and 30 AGM-142 Popeye missile to Turkey, Middle East Newsline reported. Turkey also exported 80 combat vehicles to Malaysia.

Israel also reported the transfer of four 120 mm mortars to the United States. Israel also imported 54 M113 armored personnel carriers from the United States.

Jordan said it received 88 Challenger-1 main battle tanks from Britain in 2002. Amman said it imported 10 MITES launchers and 100 missiles from Jordan.

The UN asked each of its members to list acquisition or exports of main battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles and launchers. The missile category includes unmanned air vehicles but not surface-to-air missiles.

Since 1997, not one North African country has reported arms transfers to the register. The report classifies five countries as those belonging to North Africa and said reporting from countries on the continent were lowest for any region.

In the rest of the Middle East, termed "West Asia," the report asserted that no more than three countries have cooperated with the UN register over the last decade. Only 28 out of 54 countries in Asia reported arms transfers to the UN.

The UN Group of Governmental Experts agreed to revise two of the seven categories of conventional arms covered by the register. They comprised the lowering of the reporting threshold for large-caliber artillery systems and include man-portable air-defense systems in the register under the category of missiles and missile launchers.

"This would contribute to broad-based international efforts to stem illicit transfers, particularly in preventing these short-range ground-to-air systems from falling into the hands of terrorists," the report said.

The UN group, which included an Israeli Foreign Ministry official Alon Bar, could not decide on proposals to raise the reporting status of procurement through national production and military holdings. The members said they would discuss this issue for the next review.

The report said main battle tanks were undergoing a change. The two trends producing tanks with higher tonnage and gun caliber as well as using new technologies to develop lighter tanks, although not less than 16.5 metric tons.

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/front_2.html

Iranian agent accused of killing Canadian freed on bail

Mon, 13 Oct 2003
CBC News

TEHRAN - An Iranian judge Monday ordered an intelligence agent accused of murdering a Canadian photojournalist to be freed on bail, his lawyer said.

Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi will be freed Tuesday after posting about $50,000 Cdn bail.

Ahmadi pleaded not guilty when his trial opened last Tuesday. He is charged with "semi-premeditated murder" in the death of Zahra Kazemi, 54.

The Iranian-Canadian was detained after taking photos of Tehran's Evin prison. She died on July 10 from head injuries while in custody.

Ahmadi's lawyer, Ghasem Shabani, told The Associated Press the judge accepted the argument that his client should only be held in custody if charged with deliberate murder.

Shabani said he has been given a month to prepare a defence.

A spokesperson for Foreign Affairs says the department is waiting for confirmation of the report.

"We are following closely all aspects of this trial as it unfolds including procedural developments such as this one."

"In particular, we will be monitoring the conduct of the trial when it resumes and we reiterate the Canadian government's call to the Iranian authorities to ensure transparent and fair proceedings in this case."

The death led to a diplomatic row between Canada and Iran. Kazemi's Montreal-based son and the Canadian government called for the return of her body, but she was buried in Iran.

Canada threatened to impose sanctions and briefly withdrew its ambassador. He has since returned and is attending the trial.

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/10/13/kazemi_agent031013

Iranian President Turns 67 Amid Tensions

Mon Oct 13
Yahoo! News

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's embattled President Mohammad Khatami turned 61 Monday, but with little to celebrate and much to worry about.

He is preoccupied with an ever-expanding feud with the unelected hard-liners who hold ultimate control in Iran's Islamic government and who have undermined his attempts to bring democratic and social reform. At the same time, he must answer to U.S. and world concerns over Iran's controversial nuclear program.

"There is no plan even for a family celebration today," Leila Khatami, the president's elder daughter, told The Associated Press Monday.

"My dad is so preoccupied with state affairs that he cannot spend much time with the family."

An intellectual once so loved by Iran's majority youth population that many women carried his photograph in their purses, Khatami is now losing public support.

The soft-spoken president, voted to office by landslide majority in 1997 and again in 2001, is blamed for failing to stand up to hard-liners who have placed obstacles in front of his reform agenda. Protesters, who regularly condemn hard-line clerics and support Khatami, turned against him in June, denouncing his inability to fulfill reform promises.

Caught in the middle, Khatami in July offered to resign if the people wanted him to. One month later, he admitted it had become harder for him to face the nation "because I feel many of the ideas and programs I sincerely offered and the people voted for have not materialized."

Khatami repeatedly complains he is powerless to stop hard-liners who have blocked all reform legislation, shut down more than 100 liberal publications and detained dozens of pro-reform activists and writers.

Khatami's two key reform bills seeking to check the power of hard-liners are in tatters. One of the bills aims to increase presidential powers to stop constitutional violations by hard-liners. The other seeks to bar the hard-line oversight body, the Guardian Council, from disqualifying parliamentary and presidential elections candidates.

The Guardian Council, which vets all parliamentary legislation, has rejected both bills, saying they were unconstitutional and against Islam. Efforts by Khatami and his allies have so far failed to find a breakthrough.

On the international front, Khatami has strongly defended his country, even as pressures have mounted following an Oct. 31 deadline imposed on Iran by the International Atomic Energy Agency to prove its nuclear program was peaceful.

"We are ready to exert all efforts to ease concerns ... (about) the proliferation of nuclear weapons, which we are sure we are not seeking," Khatami said. "But we expect our right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy to be respected."

Part of Khatami's appeal has long been how differnt he is — in looks and ideas — from most other clerics. A pleasant smile, refined looks, a trimmed graying beard, well-pressed clerical robes carefully matched with flowing cloaks all add to his aura. Khatami is known to be so obsessed with tidiness that he nags TV camera crews not to wrinkle his robe when they put a microphone on him.

Unlike other Middle East leaders, Khatami did not have his birthday trumpeted in the media. Many at the presidency on Monday did not even know it was his birthday.

Khatami was born in Ardakan in central Yazd province into a conservative family. He earned degrees in theology and philosophy. His late father, Ruhollah Khatami, rose to the highest clerical rank, ayatollah, and was a prominent supporter of Iran's revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Khatami, who has two daughters and a son, spends his leisure time improving his linguistic skills in Arabic, English and German. He once headed the Islamic Center in Hamburg, Germany.

He is described by government spokesman, Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, as a man who "opened a new horizon for Iran in the world."

"Demand for change won't go even after Khatami steps down," Ramezanzadeh told the AP Monday.

As Iran's constitution permits a person to hold the presidency for only two consecutive terms, Khatami will be forced step down at the next elections in 2005. He, however, is able to stand for president again four years later.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031013/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_khatami

INTELLIGENCE MINISTER SAYS OPPOSITION UNDER SURVEILLANCE AND STUDENTS UNDER CONTROL.

Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) chief Hojatoleslam Ali Yunesi told a 6 October gathering of Iran's Friday prayer leaders that the opposition is being watched and anything it does to threaten Iran's national security will fail, IRNA reported on 7 October. "The [MOIS] has full grip over the issues related to the national security of Iran and is fully aware of all moves and intrigues made by the antirevolutionary forces, which have been relatively intensified recently," he said. Yunesi claimed that Iran is the target of a "heavy psychological war" and the opposition is part of this. "The United States needs to heighten the level of that cold war against Iran currently in order to justify its broad presence in this part of the world," he added. After discussing the security organizations' activities in the run-up to the anticipated unrest of last July, he turned to the school year that has just begun. "We have started this academic year in a position of total control over the situation, and we will neutralize any kind of counterrevolutionary movement throughout the world," ISNA reported. (Bill Samii)

Source RFE/RL Iran Report Vol. 6, No. 41, 13 October 2003

LEBANESE HIZBALLAH SPEAKS OUT FOR IRAN.

Hizballah has officially adopted a policy of silence towards recent criticism of Iran by a former party leader, but unofficially it backs Iran, Lebanon's "Al-Mustaqbal" newspaper reported on 2 October. Former Hizballah Secretary-General Subih Tufaili had said in an early-September speech in Brital, in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, that Iran has betrayed the revolution's founding principles, and he denounced current Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah as an Iranian agent, "The Daily Star" reported on 9 September. He also accused Iran of cooperating with the U.S. Anonymous Hizballah officials dismissed Tufaili's comments and said that the coincidence of Iranian interests in Iraq and Afghanistan with those of the U.S. is not indicative of submission, according to the 2 October "Al-Mustaqbal" report.

The reality of the relationship is indicated by U.S. pressure on Iran regarding the nuclear issue and Iranian opposition to U.S. activities in Iraq, they said. Moreover, the Hizballah officials asked, "If the Americans themselves are accusing Syria and Iran of supporting the Iraqi opposition or facilitating its operations, how can it then be correct to accuse them of dealing with the Americans?" Tufaili's criticism of Hizballah also seems far-fetched. The organization is listed as a "foreign terrorist organization" by the U.S. State Department, it is connected with the 1983 suicide bombings of the U.S. Embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut, and the kidnapping of many Americans and other Westerners. Secretary-General Nasrallah, however, denies that Hizballah is a terrorist organization. "Hizballah is a Lebanese resistance group. It has fought and is ready to fight," he said in the 28 July issue of "The Times" of London. "Hizballah has offered martyrs and is ready to offer more martyrs to defend its people and country."

Tufaili also has criticized Hizballah for its participation in the Lebanese political system, a process that began when Hizballah fielded candidates for the 1992 parliamentary race. There are now almost 10 Hizballah members in the legislature. Anonymous Hizballah officials reject such criticisms. They said that there is absolutely no connection between their interest in domestic affairs and the retreat of the resistance or an end to its military role, "Al-Mustaqbal" reported on 8 July.

According to another report, in the 3 July "Al-Nahar" from Beirut, Hizballah ideology requires it to continue fighting until Israel no longer occupies any Lebanese territory (a reference to the Shabaa Farms). Any indications of a retreat on the party's part are in fact based on the need to reassess regional developments after Operation Iraqi Freedom and in light of U.S. challenges to Iran and Syria. If Iran pushes Hizballah to act against Israel right now, according to "Al-Nahar," Iran would suffer the consequences. Nasrallah himself sounds far from conciliatory, nor does he seem to have abandoned armed struggle, as Tufaili suggests. Nasrallah said in May, according to the 1 June issue of Manama's "Al-Wasat," "We must continue resistance." He continued: "We are at a stage in which there is no room for capitulation. We have been here for 20 years and have not surrendered or weakened. Killing made us stronger, the blood of martyrs made us stronger, the shackles of Sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid, Mustafa Dirani, and other prisoners in the enemy jails made us stronger." (Bill Samii)

source RFE/RL Iran Report Vol. 6, No. 41, 13 October 2003

TEHRAN DEBATES SCIRI'S ROLE IN IRAQ.

Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) Chairman Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim had a very busy schedule during his 5-10 October trip to Tehran. He met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, President Hojatoleslam Mohammad Khatami, judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi-Shahrudi, and Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi; participated in the third conference of the Ahl al-Bayt (the Household of the Prophet) organization; and gave the pre-sermon speech at the 10 October Friday prayers. Like his hosts, he repeatedly expressed his interest in seeing an end to the occupation of Iraq, according to Iranian news agencies. Behind the scenes, however, everything was not so united. Al-Hakim's visit comes at a sensitive time for Tehran-SCIRI relations.

When al-Hakim arrived in Tehran on 5 October he told reporters that the main reason for his visit is to thank Iran for its years of support for the Iraqi nation, ISNA reported. Al-Hakim said he has received invitations from "many countries," but, "because of Iran's principled policies toward Iraq over the years, I preferred to visit Iran before visiting other countries." While it is true that SCIRI was the main recipient of Iranian backing for the Iraqi opposition during Saddam Hussein's reign, the situation has changed since the U.S.-led international coalition destroyed the Iraqi dictator's military. Tehran now finds itself surrounded on all sides by the U.S. and it does not like what it sees. This could explain its new relationship with the upstart Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a relationship that may have been cemented when al-Sadr visited Iran in early June (see "RFE/RL Iran Report," 9 June 2003). Outspoken in his opposition to the coalition and in his hostility to the U.S., al-Sadr declared during the 10 October Friday prayers in Kufa that he is forming his own cabinet, and one of his associates said it would include a ministry for the promotion of virtue and prohibition of vice. "Although this might entail some danger to my person, I have created some cabinet posts in our government," al-Sadr said, according to "The Washington Post" on 12 October.

Al-Hakim resents the support given to al-Sadr by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and the supreme leader's office, "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" reported on 8 October. Alireza Nurizadeh writes in the Arabic-language London daily that al-Hakim has been under pressure to declare his fealty to Supreme Leader Khamenei ever since the late-August assassination of his brother, Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim. Moreover, Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim does not have sufficient standing to fill the religious vacuum in SCIRI left by the killing of the ayatollah, and Tehran does not want SCIRI to become a wholly political organization. Some Iranian officials, therefore, are backing Ayatollah Ali al-Haeri as SCIRI's religious leader.

"Al-Sharq al-Awsat" reported that al-Hakim came to Iran in response to President Khatami's invitation, and Khatami and other reformists had refused to meet with al-Sadr. Other news reports did not include such information or place the visit in the context of Iranian power politics. Al-Hakim met with Khatami on 6 October, IRNA reported, and they discussed Tehran-Baghdad relations. "Jane's Foreign Report" reported on 9 October, three days later, that it had "learned" that al-Hakim was in Tehran on 6 October and had met with Khatami to discuss the Iraqi Governing Council. Al-Hakim met with Foreign Minister Kharrazi on 6 October, ISNA reported. Kharrazi said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the sovereignty of Iraq must be handed over to its people as soon as possible under the supervision of the UN. The occupiers have no choice other than handing over the management and political destiny of Iraq to leaders chosen by its people." Judiciary chief Hashemi-Shahrudi called for an end to the occupation when he met with al-Hakim on 6 October, IRNA reported the next day. "By continuing the occupation of Iraq, the Americans are ruining their reputation before the world public opinion more than ever."

Al-Hakim met with Supreme Leader Khamenei on 7 October, IRNA reported. Khamenei described the end of the occupation as one of the Iraqis' main demands. During the Ahl al-Bayt conference on 9 October, Khamenei said that the occupation is the main problem facing Iraqis.

Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani told al-Hakim on 7 October that free elections under the aegis of the United Nations would pave the way for the withdrawal of occupation forces, IRNA reported. Al-Hakim told his host that the U.S. is incapable of establishing security. Al-Hakim said at an 8 October memorial ceremony in Tehran for his assassinated brother that there is international pressure on the U.S. to withdraw its troops and for it to specify a withdrawal date. "Of course, we support the international community in this demand and for the U.S. to limit the duration of its occupation of Iraq." He said on 9 October during the Ahl al-Bayt event that the Iraqi people have started a major battle to liberate their country from the occupation and the remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime, Tehran radio reported on 10 October.

Al-Hakim also discussed the assassination of his brother. He told reporters on 5 October that the investigation is continuing and there is no definitive conclusion yet, ISNA reported. "What is clear, however, is that the former Iraqi regime and its supporters had a hand in this crime." Al-Hakim added, "Of course, there are people who have argued that foreign groups were also involved in committing this serious crime." (Bill Samii)

Source: RFE/RL Iran Report Vol. 6, No. 41, 13 October 2003

comment: Will Al-Hakim resist the pressure from RICO-Rafsanjani/Khamenei and say NO to follow Qom and instead seek assistance from the clerics in Najaf?

Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani told al-Hakim on 7 October that free elections under the aegis of the United Nations would pave the way for the withdrawal of occupation force.

We should ask RICO-Rafsanjani why he is not supporting free elections without Guardian Council vetting of candidates on the aegis of the United Nations in Iran?

SURVEY FINDS HIGH RATE OF CORRUPTION IN IRAN.

Iran placed poorly in Transparency International's "Corruption Perceptions Index 2003," which was released on 7 October (http://www.transparency.org/pressreleases_archive/2003/2003.10.07.cp i.en.html). In its debut in the annual corruption ranking, Iran was listed in 78th place, along with Armenia, Lebanon, Mali, and Palestine, out of 133 countries and administrative territories. Iran had a score of 3.0 on a scale of 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt), which, according to Transparency International, "relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people, academics, and risk analysts" in and out of the country. Iran's score was based on four other surveys, and its scores in those surveys ranged from 1.5-3.6. BS

ANOTHER NORWAY-IRAN CORRUPTION CASE?

The Umoe Schat-Harding company (http://www.schat-harding.com) sent approximately $172,000 in 1997 to an Iranian-owned consulting company as a "return commission" in order to resolve a dispute about the sale of nine lifeboats to a state-owned Iranian company, TV2 from Norway reported on 8 October (http://pub.tv2.no/nettavisen/english/article143808.ece) and "Aftenposten" reported on 9 October (http://www.aftenposten.no/english/business/article.jhtml?articleID=643786), both citing Norway's "VG" newspaper. The lifeboats, purchased by the Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company (IOEC), were damaged when they were being transported, so the Iranian company refused to pay the remaining costs of approximately $1 million. The National Iranian Oil Company and the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization are the shareholders in IOEC. Umoe Schat-Harding paid an unnamed Iranian-owned consulting company in 1997 and subsequently received about $718,504 from IOEC, according to "VG." A document signed by Jarle Roth, who was the Norwegian firm's top manager at the time, said that the money "took care of people who needed special attention in this case." "VG" reported that Mehdi Hashemi, the son of former president and current Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, was involved in the 1997 deal. At the time, Mehdi Hashemi headed IOEC, an energy-sector expert told "RFE/RL Iran Report." Mehdi Hashemi's name has been mentioned in connection with a recent corruption scandal involving Norway's Statoil (see "RFE/RL Iran Report," 22 and 29 September and 6 October 2003). (Bill Samii)

Comment: Time for a RICO investigation of Rafsanjani Inc?

As it is now approaching Tuesday evening in Iran, I thought I'd re-post this article that panyanswife posted last night.

REGIME BANS ALL PUBLIC WELCOMINGS of the FIRST IRANIAN NOBELIST

Regime bans all public welcomings of the "first" Iranian Nobelist
SMCCDI (Information Service)
Oct 13, 2003

The Islamic Republic Regime and Especially the Governor of Tehran have rejected any authorization of public welcoming for the first Iranian Nobelist.

While tens of requests were submitted by tolerated social organizations for greeting Mrs. Ebadi, the governor's speaker in line with the regime's policy of avoiding a show of popular support for the Right Activist has declared: "Authorities are not allowing such gatherings as they've not received any formal request".

Despite this official declaration of ban, Iranians will gather on Tuesday night at and around the Mehrabad Int.'l Airport, all its exists and in the Azadi (former Aryamehr" square in order to welcome a women who can become the symbol of their aspirations. Reports are stating that the regime forces have been asked to close all perimeters to the Airport and filtering the visitors by invoking the "strategig nature" of the facility.

Another banned gathering is planned also for Wednesday afternoon in the "Laleh Park" of Tehran located in the "Fatemi" avenue.

According to a preset schedule, Mrs. Ebadi shall fly back home tomorrow from France at 14:30 (Paris local time) by Iran Air flight #IR 732 taking off from S. Orly terminal. Her flight is scheduled to land in Tehran at 22:00 (Tehran local time).

http://www.daneshjoo.org/smccdinews/article/publish/article_4029.shtml

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