Iranian Alert -- January 14, 2004 -- IRAN LIVE THREAD --Americans for Regime Change in Iran

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.

Mansoor Ijaz predicts chemical weapons attack in Baghdad. Per Foxnews.

Foxnews ^ | Mansoor Ijaz
Posted on 01/13/2004 3:32:46 PM PST by ConservativeMan55

Mansoor Ijaz just reported on Foxnews Brit Hume show that anywhere from 6 to 29 tanker trucks carrying warheads tipped with chemical weapons crossed the border from Iran into Iraq.

He said that Kurdish Rebels intercepted the trucks, and interrogated the driver. The driver gave up the information from the Kurdish rebels. Mansoor also says that the Rebels were trying to sell the weapons back to Iran.

Mansoor said that Iran is having domestic problems and that are gearing up towards a winter time "wag the dog" offensive. Expect to see a chemical weapons attack in Baghdad that kills 3000 to 5000.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1057555/posts

DoctorZin Note:

If you follow Mansoor Ijaz's reports and Bin Ladens statements it appears that Mansoor is warning us of a joint Iranian/Al Qaeda attack on US forces in the middle-east.

Ben Laden's statements say that they will cut off the communication between US military command and our troops in the middle-east. A 911 sized attack on the US military sounds consistent with this.

It would appear that Mansoor is trying to alert the US public of the source of this coming attack so if it is successful, we will know who to direct our anger at.

Time will tell.

It appears things are about to heat up significantly in the region very soon.

Iran's Khatami criticises election bans

Wed 14 January, 2004 07:53
By Parisa Hafezi and Parinoosh Arami

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's President Mohammad Khatami has criticised a decision by hardliners to bar hundreds of reformist candidates from next month's parliamentary election and said the right to free elections must be observed.

But Khatami, whose reformist programme could grind to a halt if hardliners refuse to back down, stopped short of reiterating a warning he made on Tuesday that he could lead a mass walkout of reformist officials, many of whom are threatening to resign.

"Forces which could contribute to the dignity and religion of the nation are facing confused judgments," he told parliament in a speech on Wednesday.

"The people's right to have free elections should be observed," he added.

The fate of the February 20 poll was cast in doubt on Sunday when the Guardian Council, a hardline constitutional watchdog, announced that nearly half of the 8,200 aspiring candidates had been vetoed.

The vast majority of those barred were liberal allies of the president, including more than 80 of the 290 sitting MPs.

Most of Khatami's cabinet, including four vice presidents and 12 ministers have already written to the president telling him they will resign within a week unless the election bans are overturned. State governors have issued the same warning.

Khatami told state governors in a speech on Tuesday: "We will leave together (or) we will stay together."

The resignation threats have raised the stakes of the long-running political struggle between elected reformers and unelected religious hardliners.

LAWMAKERS START TO RESIGN

Hardliners fear that reforms proposed by liberals on issues such as a free press, women's rights and freedom of speech will eventually undermine the system of clerical rule in place since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.

Khatami's reformers say they do not want to dismantle clerical rule but place more emphasis on the observance of the rule of law and people's rights.

Analysts say the mass vetting of candidates by hardliners -- who also control Iran's judiciary, armed forces and state media -- was a crude attempt to prevent a repeat of 2000 elections when reformists won about 70 percent of seats in parliament.

Enraged by the candidate bans reformist MPs announced Wednesday they would begin to resign in protest.

"A number of MPs have decided to resign from their posts in parliament gradually starting from today," said reformist lawmaker Ali Shakourirad.

The first to announce his resignation was Ahmad Moradi, who said he was stepping down to defend Iranians' rights to a free election. However, Moradi had not registered to stand in the election and was already due to leave his post in coming months.

Around 100 MPs have vowed to continue a four-day-old sit-in in parliament until the Guardian Council backs down.

"We will insist on our demands and we are serious about holding an election which people can participate in massively," Parliament Speaker Mehdi Karroubi said on Wednesday.

Disqualified candidates have two chances to appeal before campaigning starts on February 12 and top officials from both sides of the reformist-hardline divide are holding regular meetings in search of a compromise.

"Although the situation looks dramatic I wouldn't rule out a deal being reached," said one European diplomat.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=438526&section=news

Iran's Silent Coup

Unsigned editorial, Yas-e No (reformist),
Tehran, Iran, Jan. 12, 2004

On Jan. 13, senior members of Iran’s reformist government, which was elected in 2001 with 77 percent of the vote, threatened to resign if the Guardian Council, a 12-member panel of clerics charged with maintaining the Islamic character of the Iranian state, did not overturn a ban preventing half of the candidates in the Feb. 20 parliamentary elections from running on the grounds that they were not sufficiently loyal to Iran’s theocratic government. Reformist deputies in the 290-member Majlis legislative assembly, 83 of whom have been prevented from standing for reelection, have staged a sit-in protest at the Majlis since Jan. 10, when the Guardian Council announced the ban. In this unsigned editorial, Tehran’s reformist Yas-e No turns the charge against the Guardian Council, arguing that their ban undermines the republican aspects of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s constitution.

For the past few years, the conservatives have called the reformists’ peaceful and legal efforts to modernize Iran’s legal and political structure a “silent overthrow,” a “legal and parliamentary coup,” “the crawling metamorphosis,” and so on. Meanwhile the reformers, emphasizing the importance of abiding by the law and defending the integrity of the system, have been working only to revive a neglected and wronged aspect of the political system. They have been striving to restore the “republic” in the Islamic Republic of Iran, rather than thinking only of the “Islamic.”

Conversely, there are individuals and parties who, because of the enmity they have for the reformists and in order to keep their rivals from entering the beehive of power, seek to change the structure and nature of the political system and poke holes in some of its main pillars and institutions.

Taking away the power and authority of the elected executive and legislative branches of government—two pillars of the Islamic Republic—represents nothing less than a direct attempt to destroy the republic. This usurpation will indirectly lead to the collapse of the Islamic Republic.

When the Guardian Council took the questionable and unprecedented action of disqualifying a large number of the present Majlis [Parliamentary] deputies and other political activists from running in the next election, it in effect staged a bloodless coup. Disregarding the will of the majority who voted these deputies into office, they sought illegally to change the makeup of the government.

Even if this action achieves what the conservatives want, it will not bring a shred of legitimacy to those who end up holding power illegally.

We should not forget the arguments [Ayatollah Ruhollah] Khomeini used to challenge the legitimacy of the [shah’s] undemocratic Majlis and its laws before the victory of the Islamic Revolution [in 1979]. Did he not say that government officials who were victorious in competitions without any rivals, people who got their mandate from rigged elections, did not have the right to legislate as representatives of the people?

We do not need to go too far back, because Khomeini dealt with the behavior of the Guardian Council in the third Majlis elections [in 1988] and all of his repeated statements are still in front of us. [After the war with Iraq ended in 1988, Khomeini called for stricter adherence to republican ideals.] But evidently some people want to use his name as cover to distort his priceless heritage, the Islamic Republic.

Can we still call the political system a republic if the Guardian Council, rather than the people, elects the Majlis deputies?

We have repeatedly insisted on the golden phrase, “The people’s votes are the mandate.” That phrase is the true, rare nature of the Republic. What is interesting is that, in this statement, the imam [Khomeini] did not present the words, demands, opinion, or will of the people as something that could be interpreted or analyzed. Instead, he explicitly introduced the votes of the people as the mandate for and the basis of government. He certainly meant those votes that are placed in ballot boxes. So it can be said that the future of the people and the country should be determined through free elections and the votes of the people. Those votes are the only basis for a government’s legitimacy. Any effort to limit the people’s right to vote changes the structure of legitimate power in Iran and spurns Khomeini’s political heritage.

http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/1764.cfm

US official warns EU over dealings with Iran

EU Business
14 Jan 2004

The European Union must tread carefully in its dealings with Iran, a US official warned Tuesday, highlighting the wholesale barring of reformist candidates from forthcoming elections.

The EU's approach of "constructive engagement" with the Islamic republic contrasts sharply with US mistrust of the country, which Washington has labelled part of an "axis of evil".

The US official said the decision by a conservative vetting council in Iran to bar thousands of candidates from parliamentary elections next month "shows the character of the regime and the continuing influence of hardliners".

"We remain very suspicious of their nuclear programme," the Brussels-based official added on condition of anonymity, also citing Iranian support of Hamas militants and opposition to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

"We've made our concerns clear to the EU," he told reporters.

"On the other hand, Iran is a hugely important country and it's incredibly important that the EU and US cooperate internationally."

In contrast to the United States, the EU is pressing ahead with a carrot-and-stick approach with Iran by pursuing human rights issues while at the same time seeking to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement.

During a visit to Tehran on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told Iran's clerical leaders that the holding of free and fair elections next month would have a bearing on their ties with the bloc.

The US official noted that a new round of talks on the trade pact has yet to be scheduled because of EU concerns including Iran's human-rights record and nuclear development drive.

But he added that the US decision to send aid and relief workers to victims of an earthquake in the Iranian city of Bam last month, which left over 30,000 people dead, showed the two countries' mutual mistrust could be put aside.

"When the disaster happened in Bam, we were there. We hope that this was not lost on the Iranian people," the official said.

"We want to have a relationship, but our concerns must be addressed."

http://www.eubusiness.com/afp/040113152337.ft7ym4jc

Khatami Asks Protesting Iran MPs to End Sit-In, MPs Say

January 14, 2004
Reuters
ABC News

TEHRAN -- Iran's President Mohammad Khatami called on reformist lawmakers Wednesday to end a four-day sit-in protest over the mass disqualification by a hardline body of candidates for parliamentary elections, MPs said.

Khatami told protesting MPs in a closed-door meeting at parliament he believed a negotiated settlement could be reached with the hardline Guardian Council watchdog which has barred almost half of the 8,200 candidates for the February 20 vote.

Around 100 MPs had vowed to continue a four-day-old sit-in in parliament until the Guardian Council backs down.

"Khatami wanted us to stop the sit-in so that parliament can carry on with its duties," reformist MP Iradj Nadimi told Reuters after attending the meeting with Khatami.

"Khatami said he thinks there is still a chance to get results from negotiations," Nadimi said.

Khatami, whose reformist program could grind to a halt if hard-liners refuse to back down, earlier criticized the Guardian Council's decision in a speech to parliament. "The people's right to have free elections should be observed," he said.

But he stopped short of reiterating a warning he made on Tuesday that he could lead a mass walkout of reformist officials, many of whom are threatening to resign.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20040114_136.html

Monkey Morality

January 14, 2004
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
IRIB News

Tehran -- Have you ever given a friend part of your dessert just so they will stop bugging you for some? You're not alone - chimpanzees and monkeys share their food with others to avoid hassle too.

The question of why animals give food to others is a tricky one. Previous theories suggested that generous animals might benefit from similar kindness at a later time.

But the no-hassle approach offers a simpler explanation, says Jeffrey Stevens, who carried out the study at the University of Minnesota. Scrounger and donor are both acting in their best interests - the beggar gets food and the other is left in peace.

Stevens placed chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) or squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis) in a cage and provided them with a meal of fruit. In an adjoining cage was a hungry member of the same species.

The primates rarely passed food through the cage to their hungry mate next door. But if the partition was opened - giving the hungry animal the chance to beg, steal or fight for food - sharing was common.

It is analogous to a parent buying a child a toy just to shut them up, says Stevens. "It's a selfish way to stop the constant pestering," he says.

Intriguingly, hungry chimps harassed their neighbour more when the food was cut into small chunks. This could reflect the fact that a beggar is more likely to get a handout if it doesn't seriously deplete the donor's stash.

This form of 'strategic begging' could help scroungers find success by setting their sights low, Stevens speculates. "It's like a kid saying: 'Can I have four cookies? Ok, how about one?'," he says. Likewise, most street-corner beggars ask passers-by for nothing more than their small change.

The harassment theory may explain many examples of human 'generosity', says Stevens. But he remains convinced that we are capable of genuine charity too. "It's a pretty decent analogy," he says, "but I think there's also a desire for us to help those who are less fortunate."

http://www.iribnews.com/Full_en.asp?news_id=196467

MPs Dismiss Khatami Appeal

January 14, 2004
Reuters
Reuters.co.uk

TEHRAN -- Iranian MPs will ignore a request from President Mohammad Khatami to suspend a four-day sit-in protesting about the banning of reformist election candidates, an MP says.

Khatami urged the reformists earlier to end the sit-in, apparently confident he could defuse the crisis over the banning of election candidates by the conservative establishment.

"A meeting was held to discuss Khatami's proposal to end the sit-in. All the protesting MPs...unanimously decided to continue the sit-in until we get solid results," said MP Mohsen Armin.

Khatami had told MPs in a closed-door meeting at parliament that he believed a deal could be done with the Guardian Council, the hardline Islamic watchdog that has disqualified almost half the 8,200 candidates for the February 20 election.

The president, whose reformist programme could grind to a halt if hardliners refuse to back down, made no reference to a threat made on Tuesday to lead a mass walkout of reformist officials, many of whom are already threatening to resign.

Around 100 MPs began the sit-in on Sunday and had vowed to go on until the Council rescinded the bans, which also prevent more than 80 of the 290 sitting members running again.

Most of Khatami's cabinet, including four vice presidents and 12 ministers, have already written to the president telling him they will resign within a week unless the election bans are overturned. State governors have issued the same warning.

But the Guardian Council said on Tuesday it would not be pressured into lifting the election bans.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=438862&section=news

Iran Lawmaker Resigns in Protest

January 14, 2004
CNN
CNN.com

TEHRAN, Iran -- An Iranian lawmaker has resigned in protest over the disqualification of hundreds of moderate candidates for parliament.

He is the first of dozens of reformist lawmakers who have threatened to resign one by one until a hard-line election board reverses its ban on the candidates -- including about 80 current members of parliament.

Over the weekend, the conservative Guardian Council banned the candidates -- all of them allied with moderate reformist President Mohammad Khatami -- from taking part in the February 20 election.

On Wednesday, Khatami urged reformist lawmakers to end their four-day sit-in protest, but the MP's rejected the president's plea, news agencies reported.

"A meeting was held to discuss Khatami's proposal to end the sit-in. All the protesting MPs...unanimously decided to continue the sit-in until we get solid results," Reuters quoted MP Mohsen Armin as saying.

Earlier, sources said the Guardian Council, appointed by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had reversed itself and approved the applications of about half of the sitting legislators Tuesday.

But the lawmakers insisted their protest would continue until all have been approved.

Reformers have made steady inroads in the Iranian electoral process since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, pledging to relax the hard-line ayatollahs' iron grip on Iranian society.

Adding to the controversy, Ayatollah Mehdi Karrubi, president of the parliament, said he has documents showing the Guardian Council signed on to a plan to get rid of reformists, threatening to release the evidence if the candidates are not reinstated.

Although the Guardian Council is selected by Khamenei, Khatami said he believes the disqualifications contradict the ayatollah's view, "and God willing, the Guardian Council will make amends."

-- Journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/01/14/iran.protest/index.html

Bring Justice to Iran

By Reza Torkzadeh
FrontPageMagazine.com
January 14, 2004

There are many ironies surrounding the capture of Saddam Hussein. One of the greatest ironies however, is that today the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran are calling for justice in Iraq - as if they have given justice to the Iranian people.

Perhaps the leaders of the Islamic Republic need to be reminded that they are the most dangerous threat to global peace and security; not by chance, but because they have cultivated that reputation. For over 24 years, the Iranian people have been robbed of their justice, their freedoms and their most basic fundamental human rights. We should remind the leaders of the regime that they are responsible for the death of hundreds and thousands of innocent people, and the destruction of a developing country, but the days of totalitarian regimes and brutal dictators are over.

Just as the former regime in Iraq posed a decade of defiance to the International Community, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been defiant for more than two decades. Twice the amount of time the Hussein regime had to develop, conceal and use Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Recently, the regime signed a nuclear protocol set forth by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This agreement requires the regime to allow unannounced inspections of its nuclear facilities. The regime insists that any nuclear program it has is for peaceful purposes only and that it is not developing such technology for weapons. The regime had previously delayed signing the agreement which now becomes part of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The terms set forth in the agreement are almost identical to the ones the former Iraqi regime consented to. Snap-inspections, unannounced presence and the authority to search anywhere the weapons inspectors choose. To many skeptical observers, this gesture would be seen as a more cautionary warning than a positive step towards deterring Iran’s nuclear weapons program. If we learned anything from our experience in Iraq, deception is not as difficult as once anticipated. Weapons of mass destruction and their programs can be concealed and hidden almost effortlessly. For almost six months, the United Nations weapons inspectors were sent on a chase throughout Iraq for weapons that were aggressively being hidden. None have been found to date. Iraq is roughly the size of California while Iran is more than twice its size with three times the population. Maybe, now that Saddam is captured, reality is sinking in for the leaders of the Islamic Republic that their days are numbered.

Domestically, the Islamic Republic has failed on every level: the economy, healthcare, human rights, education, and the judicial system. More than half of Iran's population lives under the poverty line and only a fraction of those who wish to attend college can afford it.

The Iranian judicial system today is based not on the principles of equality and liberty, but on the ideologies and philosophical translations of religious fundamentalist. A legal system which has no boundaries and has currently imprisoned over 30,000 political prisoners lays the foundations for the destructive polices of the regime to be carried out. Women in Iranian society are stoned to death for crimes of "infidelity" and thieves are punished by having their hands cut off.

After the brutal Iran-Iraq war which lasted eight years and resulted in over one million deaths, the two neighboring countries shared more in common than seen plainly on the surface. Both were key strategic countries geo-politically, shared a porous border and had natural oil wealth. More significantly however, was the fact that both were oppressed nations isolated from the outside world that shared the same aspirations to live freely.

As the current events around the world unfold before our eyes, we are being forced to confront the harsh realities of terrorism, the abuse of human rights, and the tyranny of brutal regimes. We have learned that such problems must be confronted where they exist.

Just as terrorist have no place in the civilized world, neither do the medieval laws such regimes impose on their people. With the fall of the Taliban and now the capture of Saddam Hussein, we have also learned that tyranny is stoppable, that liberty is possible and that when the people are given the freedom of choice, only then is freedom, justice and prosperity made attainable.

A major obstacle in confronting the regime in Iran has been the inaction of the international community.

In September, the IAEA gave the regime in Iran until October 31, 2003 to open up its nuclear weapons programs and all materials that may have been exposed to the enriched uranium used to make Weapons of Mass Destruction. The IAEA which was unsuccessful in Iraq not only failed to enforce this deadline on the regime, but has refused to report its noncompliance to the Security Council.

The European Union, which for many years has adhered to a policy of constructive engagement with Iran, continues to support a regime that the United States recognizes as the most active state sponsor of terrorism. The EU believes that in order to improve relations with Iran, we must engage them and in turn, the leaders of this regime will change their policies and behaviors. In reality, the regime has not changed and the EU continues to embrace the position which serves in their best economic interest, rather than on principled interests such as human rights and peace.

The regime's continued financial support of terrorist and their organizations has allowed terrorism in the region to continue and flourish and its pursuit of WMD to resume without any regard to international pressure.

For the leaders of the regime to call Saddam a brutal dictator would be an accurate and unambiguous statement. For responsible leaders of the international community to call the Islamic Republic anything other than what it is would be a great mistake and one that will have an unimaginable impact on the world for decades to come.

Let's not be fooled by finger pointing tyrants demanding justice for another tyrant. Let's not be deceived by the masters of deception. And let's not be mistaken to call the Islamic Republic something they are not.

Most importantly, let's remind the leaders of the Islamic Republic that they too will be brought to justice.

Mr. Torkzadeh is a student at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, CA.

http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=11713

Iran Media Fight Battle of Majlis

January 14, 2004
BBC News
BBC Monitoring

Editorials in conservative Iranian newspapers have strongly condemned pro-reform deputies protesting in the Majlis, or parliament, at a ban on reform candidates running in next month's elections.

The strident press attacks grew as President Mohammad Khatami told members of parliament they had been treated unfairly.

"The appetite of parasites has been provoked. Nothing is better than a stormy and tense climate," wrote the hardline daily Kayhan on Wednesday.

Kayhan accused some of the disqualified deputies of "economic corruption, slander, fraud, drug addiction and affiliation to counter-revolutionary groups". In an editorial on Tuesday it said deputies had "resorted to generating tension and an adverse climate" through a "fear of being disgraced".

Jomhuri-ye Eslami, which supports the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the protesting MPs did not have the support of the public.

"If displays such as sit-ins, political prayers, resignations... are aimed at inciting people's feelings and starting a wave on which they can ride.. they should not have the slightest doubt that such a wave will not flow, because their presence or lack of presence in the election race is not important at all to the people."

Solana under fire

Some papers accused EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who warned Tehran not to endanger foreign relations by holding flawed elections, of interfering in Iran's internal affairs.

Jomhuri-ye Eslami was furious that Mr Solana had suggested the crisis posed a threat to the European Union's ties with Iran.

"Such a stance taken by any foreign individual is unacceptable and should be dismissed by a speedy response to and a strong slap in the face so that no-one else dares repeat these remarks."

Khatami backs protesters

The web site of the newspaper Etemaad carried a statement from President Khatami read out on Tuesday at the podium of the Majlis in support of MPs staging the sit-in.

"I will wait for a week for the situation to get back to normal. Otherwise, if it is not possible to hold the elections, I will leave [resign from] my responsibility."

President Khatami addressed the parliament personally on Wednesday, condemning the actions of the conservative Guardian Council, which vets candidates. His remarks were broadcast live on Iran's Farhang radio.

"The reformist Majlis has a glittering record in legislation, the defence of the rights of the people and the supervision of the country's affairs. Depriving society of frank, brave and knowledgeable deputies, many of whom are present in today's Majlis, is neither seemly in theory nor expedient in practice," the president said.

Bam 'eclipsed'

But in a broadside against the pro-reform wing on Wednesday, Jomhuri-ye Eslami said the power struggle was hampering relief efforts at the site of the Bam earthquake.

"The country's politicians are these days excessively preoccupied with the preliminary issues of the elections, so much so that the massive earthquake in Bam has been eclipsed!" it said.

Some pro-reform newspapers, such as Sharq, quoted MP Elaheh Kula'i backing the deputies. "Their crime is that they have not considered that power is sacred and have criticized it sharply. Their chief crime is that they have asked officials they deemed to be responsible, to be accountable for their actions."

The Iranian Mehr news agency quoted Ali Shakuri-Rad, a Majlis deputy from Tehran, as saying protesters would continue their sit-in until 30 January - the day the Guardian Council announces its final decision on the disqualified candidates.

"The sit-in will continue if the Guardian Council's final decision does not meet the demands of the MPs," he said.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3395633.stm

France Calls for Free Elections in Iran

January 14, 2004
Middle East Online
middle-east-online.com

MANAMA - French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said Wednesday it was essential that Iran's upcoming parliamentary elections, from which reformists have been disqualified en masse, be free.

"We hope... the upcoming elections in Iran will be free," he told a news conference in Manama at the end of a five-nation Gulf tour.

"It seems to me to be essential, in the context of the relations of trust we want to maintain with this country, that they be such," he said at a news conference with Bahraini counterpart Sheikh Mohammad bin Mubarak al-Khalifa.

The crisis erupted on Sunday when the conservative-run Guardians Council, an unelected 12-member watchdog that vets legislation and screens all candidates for public office, moved to disqualify nearly half of the 8,000 people hoping to stand for parliament on February 20.

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has threatened the mass resignation of reformers, including himself and his government.

The United States had on Monday criticised the disqualification of reformist candidates and called for the Iranian government to disavow the move.

De Villepin said France was "engaged in a process of dialogue with Iran in an effort to find solutions to the very difficult issue of proliferation."

"Along with my German and British counterparts (Joschka Fischer and Jack Straw), we initiated an important dialogue in this domain, which made it possible to secure Iran's commitment to respect its international obligations within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," he said.

Iran last month signed the additional protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) allowing surprise inspections of its nuclear facilities.

This followed months of intense diplomacy to pressure Tehran into placing its nuclear facilities under greater international supervision and prove that it is not seeking to develop atomic weapons.

Britain, France and Germany helped persuade Tehran to sign the protocol.

"We want to go further and the dialogue with Iranian authorities is continuing," de Villepin said, adding that he would meet in Paris Thursday with Hassan Rowhani, who heads Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

"With regard to the opening up of all countries, chiefly Iran, and the situation of reformers, we hope all these questions will be resolved through dialogue," he said.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=8500

Khatami is a chicken:
http://www.reuters.com/locales/newsArticle.jsp;:4005361e:1994daecace88464?type=worldNews&locale=en_IN&storyID=4123516

Iran MPs rebuff Khatami appeal to suspend sit-in

By Parisa Hafezi

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Reformist Iranian MPs on Wednesday rebuffed President Mohammad Khatami's appeal to suspend their four-day protest over a hardline move to bar hundreds of reformist candidates from standing for parliament.

Pro-reform Khatami, apparently confident he could defuse a crisis that has sparked resignation threats by most of his cabinet, had urged dozens of MPs who have been sleeping on floors in parliament since Sunday to end the sit-in and go back to work.

But the lawmakers, most of whom have been barred from standing in the February 20 vote by the unelected hardline Guardian Council constitutional watchdog, rejected Khatami's conciliatory approach.

"It's natural for us to continue because we haven't achieved our demands yet," Mohammad Reza Khatami, younger brother of the president and deputy speaker of parliament, told Reuters.

The decision was a further blow to the weakened authority of Khatami, who is also under pressure from cabinet colleagues and state governors to take a firm stance against the hardline move.

Khatami had told MPs he was hopeful negotiations would bear fruit with the Guardian Council over its decision to bar almost half of the 8,200 aspiring candidates from the race.

Most of Khatami's cabinet, including four vice presidents and 12 ministers, have said they will resign within a week unless the election bans are overturned. State governors have issued the same warning.

But the Guardian Council said on Tuesday it would not be pressured into lifting the election bans.

Khatami called for unity on Tuesday, telling state governors: "We will leave together (or) we will stay together."

KHATAMI TOO SOFT ON HARDLINERS

Even close allies of Khatami, who swept to power in 1997 on a platform promising to promote civil rights and the rule of law, now criticise him for failing to stand up to hardliners.

Iran's complex political system means that although elected reformists currently run the government and hold a majority in parliament, unelected hardliners who control the judiciary, armed forces and constitutional oversight bodies such as the Guardian Council have been able to block most reform attempts.

Hardliners fear reforms proposed by liberals on issues such as a free press, free speech and women's rights will undermine the system of clerical rule that has been in place since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.

The reformers say they do not want to dismantle clerical rule, only to place more emphasis on the rule of law and citizens' rights.

Many of Iran's disproportionately youthful population have already lost faith in Khatami's ability to overcome conservative resistance, and the public have shown no sign of rallying to the reformists' cause.

Analysts say the disqualification of candidates was a crude attempt by hardliners to prevent a repeat of the 2000 election, when reformists won about 70 percent of seats in parliament.

Pro-reform Parliament Speaker Mehdi Karroubi echoed Khatami's opinion that a negotiated settlement could be found.

"I'm confident that the Guardian Council will reconsider. It has no choice," he told reporters.

He said if talks with the Council failed, the reformists would appeal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei, who has the last word on all state matters and has tended to side with hardliners in the past, said on Monday he would get involved in the row only if other methods failed.

(Additional reporting by Amir Paivar and Parinoosh Arami)

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