Iranian Alert -- DAY 14 -- LIVE THREAD PING LIST

We continue to receive so many excellent stories about the protests in Iran that we are maintaining this live thread.

Please continue to post all news stories in this thread and ping your lists to this thread so we can increase the overall awareness of what exactly is going on.

BTW, if you post breaking news, please make a reference to this Iranian Alert -- DAY 14 -- LIVE THREAD PING LIST. This way we can get new readers while still keeping a single location of all important news stories on Iran.

Armed Attack Against Basij Base in Central Iran

June 23, 2003
AFP
Yahoo News

TEHRAN -- A group of armed men carried out two armed attacks on a base of the Basij militia and morals police near the central city of Isfahan, resulting in five people being injured and 21 arrested, the student news agency ISNA reported.

The attacks, carried out late last Thursday and Friday, occurred in the town of Dizicheh, situated around 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Isfahan.

Quoting an official from the local prefecture, ISNA said the attackers carried out the first raid on Thursday and managed to steal a weapon.

"The next evening, the armed hooligans attacked a Basij base and in the clashes five people were injured on both sides," the official told ISNA.

It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, but the local press had reported particularly violent clashes around Isfahan last week after anti-regime protests spread from the capital to the provinces.

The Basij are a hardline volunteer militia that has been used to quell the demonstrations.

No further details were immediately available.

http://news.yahoo.com/?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030623/wl_mideast_afp/iran_unrest_attack_030623074310

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Financial Times (UK): US arms talks test 'realism' in EU relations

US arms talks test 'realism' in EU relations
The Financial Times
By Judy Dempsey in Brussels

June 23 2003 18:13

The European Union's first security doctrine and policy towards weapons of mass destruction marked a "new realism" in transatlantic relations, US diplomats said ahead of Wednesday's first summit between the US and EU since the war in Iraq.

The more upbeat tone from Washington reflects an attempt by some parts of the administration to rebuild a relationship severely battered by the Iraq war.

The "realism" will be put to the test in Washington, where both sides were on Monday still negotiating a joint declaration on WMD proliferation that will include Iran.

WMD will dominate the "restricted" session headed on the US side by President George W. Bush and Colin Powell, US secretary of state. The EU side will be led by Romano Prodi, EU Commission president, Costas Simitis, Greek prime minister and Javier Solana, EU foreign policy chief.

EU officials said the US would like to beef up language, specifically over the circumstances in which force would be used.

The EU will insist on making force dependent on the United Nations charter. It will press its case for "effective multilateralism" in which those who break the rules will face serious consequences beyond economic sanctions. That aside, diplomats from both sides of the Atlantic on Monday said the US and Europe had little choice but to pull together, even though fundamental disagreements over global warming, genetically modified food and the new International Criminal Court persist.

The two account together for more than half the world's gross domestic product and their economies are intertwined - two-way trade in goods and services last year amounted to €650bn ($753bn, £453bn). Businessmen and diplomats said on Monday a more effective multilateral system was needed to channel such economic power and influence.

"You can't expect the economic track of multilateralism to proceed indefinitely and without problems if there is no progress on the political track," said George Schöpflin, political science professor at London University.

EU diplomats have been critical of Washington's tendency towards unilateralism. But they say the economic interdependence between the US and Europe, in addition to the security difficulties in postwar Afghanistan and Iraq, is beginning to have an impact on the administration. It needed partners for state building and economic reconstruction and bringing security to the Middle East, said an EU official.

The new global threats posed by al-Qaeda and the proliferation of WMD have also changed the EU's attitude towards terrorism, as confirmed in its "action plan" on WMD, Iran and the security doctrine unveiled at the Thessaloniki summit.

In a nutshell, the EU wants to strengthen export controls of nuclear material, link trade and economic links to a stringent sets of conditions. These would be based on human rights, combating terrorism and compliance with international treaties, with the use of force as a last resort.

US officials said Washington did "take seriously" the EU's policies on WMD proliferation. The security doctrine was a "sign of the maturing of the [transatlantic] relationship," one said.

Proposals on extradition and judicial co-operation have been clinched ahead of joint statements tomorrow. On container security, both sides are nearing an accord. Since September 11 the US has been signing bilateral agreements with EU member states that enable US customs officials based in ports throughout Europe to inspect containers.

The European Commission initiated infringement procedures against member states that signed up to such accords since they contravened Community competences that include trade and customs.

http://www.iran-daneshjoo.org/cgi-bin/smccdinews/viewnews.cgi?category=5&id=1056409503

SMCCDI: Another night of sporadic and organized protests rock Iran

Another night of sporadic and organized protests rock Iran
SMCCDI (Information Service)
June 23, 2003

Another night of sporadic but organized protests rocked again, on Monday night, several cities accross Iran and especially the Capital in the Amir Abad and the eastern parts of Tehran.

As like as the last 13 consecutive nights, several thousands of active protesters and supporters in cars came into the streets despite the heavy presence of the regime's brutal forces.

Sporadic clashes took place as the regime's agents tried to capture the demonstrators who defyied their presence by shouting slogans against the regime and its leaders.

The actions which are smaller but more organized intend to keep the pressure on the regime forces but the biggest rallies ever prepared are to take place on July 9th at the occasion of the 4th anniversary of the 1999 Student Uprising.

http://www.iran-daneshjoo.org/cgi-bin/smccdinews/viewnews.cgi?category=5&id=1056410329

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Poll: Americans Support Action Against Iran

By Richard Morin and Claudia Deane
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, June 23, 2003; 7:09 PM

Most Americans would support the United States taking military action to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons despite growing public concern about the mounting number of U.S. military casualties in the aftermath of the war with Iraq, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

President Bush last week said the rest of the world should join the United States in declaring that it "will not tolerate" nuclear weapons in Iran -- a vow that most Americans appear willing to back with force. By 56 percent to 38 percent, the public endorsed the use of the military to block Iran from developing nuclear arms.(more).http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23974-2003Jun23.html?nav=hptop_tb-----Something else for the mullahs to chew on.

Ey Irân ey marze por gohar
Ey xâkat sar cešmehye honar
Dur az to andišehye badân
Pâyandehe mâni to jâvedân
Ey.. došman az to sange xâreh ey man âhanam
Jâne man fadâye xâke pâke mihanam
Mehre to con šod pišeham
Dur az to nist andišeham
Dar râhe to key arzeši dârad in jâne mâ
Pâyandeh bâd xâke Irân mâ

Sange kuhat dor o gohar ast
Xâke daštat behtar az zar ast
Mehrat az del key borun konam
Bar gubi mehre to con konam
Tâ.. gardeše jahân o dure âsemân bepâst
Nure izadi hamišeh rahnamâye mâst
Mehre to con šod pišeham
Dur az to nist andišeham
Dar râhe to key arzeši dârad in jâne mâ
Pâyandeh bâd xâke Irân mâ

Irân ey xorram behešte man
Rošan az to sarnevešte man
Gar âtaš bârad be peykaram
Joz mehrat dar del naparvaram
Az... âb o xâk o mehre to serešteh šod gelam
Mehr agar borun ravad goli šavad delam
Mehre to con šod pišeham
Dur az to nist andišeham
Dar râhe to key arzeši dârad in jâne mâ
Pâyandeh bâd xâke Irân mâ

Can somebody translate this for us?

The protesters had to know that the regime was going to ban any protest on July 9th. This is nothing new. I hear and have read many reports that individuals will protest, "when it is time." July 9th is believed by many to be "the time." Many others have begun early, but the real date in the minds of most Iranians is July 9th. Of course the regime knows this and is most likely prepared to crack down hard on that date. But the difference from 1999 for which the 9th is an anniversary, is that it is no longer just the students that are ready to protest. Reports are stating that around 10% of the current protesters are students. This has to have the regime worried. Too harsh a crack down may force the military to protect the public; too weak a response only encourages more and more dissent.

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