Iranian Alert -- December 11, 2003 -- IRAN LIVE THREAD

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.

Iraq may deliver MKO to Iran

IRIB English News
2003/12/11

Baghdad, Dec 11 - Iraq's interim rulers are considering handing the people's Mujahedeen back to the very Iranian authorities the armed opposition has fought to overthrow, a member of the governing council said Thursday.

"It's better for them to ask for forgiveness from Iran. I think Iran will be understanding," Nuredin Dara, a judge, told reporters.

"If we deliver them to Iran I think they will issue a general amnesty.

The country may forgive them for the crimes they committed against Iran and accept them back again in their country.

"The governing council in Baghdad on Tuesday night branded the Mujahedeen as terrorists, to be kicked out by the end of the month and their assets seized.

Iran greeted the expulsion as "very positive" and said the Islamic Republic would show "leniency" to low-ranking members wishing to give themselves up.

"We have good relations with Iran now and have agreed to prevent any border infiltrations by terrorists," Dara said.

He denied the Mujhahedeen had been sacrificed in the interest of better ties with Iran or that they would likely be executed upon their return.

Dara said the group, coralled by US forces into their last base at camp Ashraf northeast of Baghdad, would be given time out of humanitarian consideration.

"We will give them time to get out. It still has to be decided in detail."

Dara accused the Mujahadeen of allowing themselves to be used "as a means for Saddam Hussein to execute the crimes of killing and slaughtering," notably of Kurds.

Disarmed and detained by US forces, the Mujahedeen rejected Wednesday the expulsion.

The Mujahedeen, who ran a low-level armed campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran from bases along the border under Saddam's protection, suggested the US-appointed council did not have the legal right to expel them and invoked the Geneva genvention in a country under occupation.

The Mujahedeen, some 4,000-5,000 of whom had been regrouped and disarmed at camp Ashraf following the March-April invasion, have since September been considered prisoners by the US-led coalition.

http://www.iribnews.com/Full_en.asp?news_id=194202

Iran ready to extradite al-Qaida suspects

Thursday 11 December 2003

Khatami says Iran is the most democratic country in its region

Iran has arrested 130 suspected members of al-Qaida and is ready to extradite some of them.

President Muhammad Khatami said on Thursday that "those who have committed crimes in Iran will be judged in Iran and the others will be extradited to their country of origin".

He said: "There is no place for al-Qaida, no place for any terrorist, for those who act against peace in the world."

Khatami, who was speaking from Geneva, added al-Qaida was "very hostile" to the Iranian government.

The United States has asked Tehran several times to extradite members of the group on its territory, most recently on Monday.

People's Mujahidin

"We believe Iran should turn over all suspected al-Qaida operatives to the United States or to countries of origin or third countries for further interrogation and trial," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in Washington.

However, the US stressed it was not considering a swap of Iranian opposition People's Mujahadin members held by US forces in Iraq in return for al-Qaida operatives held in Iran.

Bin Laden's group is hostile to the
Iranian government

Khatami said Iran was ready to welcome opposition fighters who "are in Iraq and regret" past acts.

"We will welcome them and judge them according to the law," he said.

Reports over the weekend said Jordan's King Abd Allah II was quietly trying to broker a deal between the United States and Iran on the prisoners.

Nuclear weapons

Meanwhile, Iran's president had earlier insisted his country will not make nuclear weapons, and told Muslims they should embrace democracy.

Launching an urgent appeal for dialogue between Islam and Christianity, Muhammad Khatami told the World Council of Churches (WCC) that Islam ruled out the use of nuclear weapons.

"The Islam that I know does not allow the use of nuclear weapons, then we cannot go ahead and manufacture them," he said.

Khatami's comments came a day after Iran said it had given the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the go-ahead to carry out more intrusive inspections of its nuclear programme.

"The Islam that I know does not allow the use of nuclear weapons, then we cannot go ahead and manufacture them"

Muhammad Khatami,
Iranian president

During his address to a seminar on religious tolerance organised by the WCC, Khatami also gave an unusually frank endorsement of democracy.

Democracy

"I think democracy is the only alternative, we can take it as Muslims," he said.

"We must accept this has been materialised in the West, we must accept this as Muslims," Khatami, an Islamic scholar added, warning the alternative was authoritarian and despotic rule.

Iran had problems, the president admitted, "we have violations of human rights, we know these are going on", although he said the country had the most democratic system in the region.

Khatami's speech focused on a plea for religious tolerance, warning that the shared values of faith and religion had been eroded worldwide by bigotry as well as by anti-religious sentiment.

"The dialogue between civilisations, but also the dialogue between religions, in particular between Islam and Christianity are a vital, imperative and unavoidable necessity.

"I have to add in this respect that unfortunately those with power in this world, instead of reducing and removing the misunderstandings, are contributing to their revival," he added.

Islam-Christianity dialogue

"I think democracy is the only alternative... We must accept this has been materialised in the West, we must accept this as Muslims"

Muhammad Khatami,
Iranian president

Iran's president also pointed out that the 20th century had been marked by unprecedented wars and violence, including the "ugly face of terrorism".

He said: "It showed its ugliest face in the cities of New York and Washington in September 2001."

The Iranian leader, seen as a reformist figure in the Islamic state, was in Geneva primarily to attend a UN conference on the impact and development of information technology.

The digital boom has increased the ability to communicate, but has not been able to overcome a gulf in understanding, he cautioned.

"We must note that in our global village, we are unable to understand each other."

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/4E1E7462-7154-4FB6-872B-311996432024.htm

EU to argue case with US for dialogue with Iran
By Judy Dempsey in Brussels
December 11 2003

Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, travels to Washington next week to press the argument that Europe's political and diplomatic dialogue with Iran remains a crucial element in attempts to curb Tehran's nuclear programme.

The visit comes at a delicate point in relations between the EU and US over Iran. The US administration is divided over whether to call openly for regime change in Iran or give the diplomatic track currently pursued by the Europeans a chance.

Neo-conservatives in Washington continue to advocate regime change. But Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state, said "regime change" was not US policy at a Senate hearing on October 28

"The administration is divided over Iran. But we are not going to change our policy. We are waiting for the Iranians to deliver. But that does not mean just being passive," said an EU diplomat involved in negotiations with Iran.

Earlier this week, Mr Solana won support from foreign ministers for a visit to Iran next month, where he will spell out EU policy towards the Islamic Republic - if Iran meets all its obligations set out in the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

The decision to send Mr Solana came after Iran said it would sign the "additional protocol", opening the way to enhanced inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog. It also agreed to suspend uranium enrichment - a process required for producing nuclear weapons. The IAEA will monitor the suspension.

Italy, holder of the EU's six-monthly rotating presidency, said Iran should be rewarded for taking those decisions even though it has yet to sign the additional protocol. Franco Frattini, Italian foreign minister, said ministers should consider resuming negotiations on a trade and co-operation agreement. These talks are linked to progress on issues including human rights, combating terrorism, respect for Iran's nuclear obligations and supporting any Middle East peace process.

Britain, France and Germany, which together forged the EU's distinctive policy towards Iran, forced Italy to back down, saying it was too early to send such signals to Iran.

"If we talk about resuming these [trade and co-operation] negotiations, what leverage is then left to us?" asked another EU diplomat. "Iran has to deliver. This will take time, a year or two. We have to judge when is the right time to send the signals."

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1069493922741

Three Men Hanged in Iran

December 11, 2003
AFP
IranMania

TEHRAN -- Three Iranian prisoners convicted of murder were hanged in a jail in Tehran, one of whom killed and dissected his brother and niece, the Entekhab daily reported Thursday.

A prisoner named only as Afshin C disposed of his relatives' chopped-up body parts in plastic bags, the paper said.

He was executed Wednesday morning along with Mohammed A and Yussuf A, both of whom were also guilty of murder, Entekhab said, without adding further details.

Murder, armed robbery, rape, apostasy and drug trafficking of over five kilogrammes (11 pounds) of opium, are all punishable by death in Iran.

Editor's note - With no transparency, the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran hangs or executes under the cover of fighting "moral corruption". The accuracy of the charges and subsequent convictions, without the presence of lawyers, are under serious question.

http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=20518&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.